Best Free Roku Channels

Believe it or not most channels on Roku are completely free. A few channels do charge a small fee and other channels can be downloaded for free, but you'll need a paid membership to get access to the media. I have dug through all the Roku channels and picked my top 5 channels that are completely free. For a channel to be on this list they must allow people to download the channel for free and provide all media without a paid membership.

Vimeo is a great Roku channel that is completely free. Vimeo is a community site full of film makers. It's just like YouTube, but without all the marketing videos and has higher quality productions. The short films on Vimeo will keep you entertained for hours. If you enjoy independent films or interesting animation movies you will most definitely love Vimeo. I am always looking forward to checking out the editors picks each day and watching a few short films. You won't be able to find entertainment like this anywhere else.

TED TV markets itself as a site the shares ideas worth spreading, and they do exactly that. I can often times lose myself with this free Roku channel. The videos are all presentations given by various people in different fields who all had an idea and did something with it. The ideas in these videos will inspire you or teach you something new. This site is really enjoyable for those who enjoy earning new things and thinking outside the box.

Roku Newscaster is another great Roku Channel that is completely free. When I reduced my cable package I lost most of the major news channels. I felt really disconnected from the world without access to my news channels. Then I found the Roku Newscaster channel which was a saving grace. Roku Newscaster provides video and audio from 14 different news networks including ABC, PBS, CBS, ESPN, NPR, BBC and many more.

Pandora is a free Roku channel that will fulfill all of your music needs. Pandora is probably one of the most popular internet radio providers. Now you can bring your Pandora radio stations to your Roku Box. You'll have to set up a Pandora account, but don't worry its free. With the Pandora Roku Channel you'll be able to create custom radio stations and enjoy thousands of songs on your TV.

Crackle is basically the free version of Netflix. Crackle shows ads prior to the movie starting which is why they can offer their movies for free. When I found out that the Crackle Roku station was free I assumed the movies would be bad, but I was pleasantly surprised to find movies like The International, Day One, Desperado, and Revolver. Don't get me wrong, there are better movie sites than Crackle like Netflix and Hulu, but you'll have to pay each month for them. The fact that I can watch popular movies for free is why I made Crackle the best free Roku channel.

You may want to wait for the Roku Streaming Stick coming out in the summer of 2012. Its everything the Roku Box is, but without the wires. Check out my hubs if your interested in the Roku Streaming Stick or the Roku Box.

This was actually a really difficult task since Roku provides so many free channels. The idea of only picking 5 channels was difficult. I hope you can see that it's super easy to get your news, movies and music for free on your Roku Box. If you are looking for a way to save money and cut your cable bill then the Roku box is a great solution.