Where to Watch Cartoons Online (With and Without Ads)

Occupying the littles may have you wondering where you can stream their favorite cartoons. Pixel-Shot / Shutterstock

We're well into the streaming era, and there's a huge amount of content available to watch on the internet, including cartoons.

If anything, the challenge to viewers is finding the best sites to watch cartoons online: There are so many, and how do you know which are the most reliable, with the largest collections, and so forth?

With that in mind, we've compiled a list. While not exhaustive, it's a solid guide to finding online cartoons for streaming. Here you'll discover a wide range of animated content, with different genres and a long roster of shows to choose from.

Free Sites vs. Paid Subscriptions

Probably the simplest way to categorize cartoon streaming options is between the free sites and those that require a subscription. While this makes for a decent distinction, some subscription sites still require a rental fee for certain titles.

Sites that are nominally free might have paid options attached, as well as the old tradeoff of advertising: You get to watch the cartoons, but you also have to watch the ads. Still, acknowledging those details, we'll start with the free sites first.

5 Free Sites and Streaming Services for Cartoons

The following options don't require a subscription or fee to watch cartoons online, although some of them do have subscription-based models that viewers can choose. In these cases, a subscription will get the viewer more options than the free version, which often includes commercials.

1. YouTube

This one is pretty obvious, but some cartoon fans might not know how extensive the YouTube library actually is. While it hosts uploads from all kinds of accounts, many of the big animation studios and platforms have their own channels on YouTube, which you can subscribe to (for free) and watch.

YouTube also has paid options for music and TV streaming, which will allow more options and not require viewers to sit through ads.

2. PBS Kids

Good ole PBS still has a lot of great, free programming — especially kid-themed — and this includes cartoons. There are lots of classic shows to watch, as well as newer titles that your kid (or you) might enjoy.

PBS gets public support for its content, but it also offers subscriptions for some of the material it offers. Check with your local affiliate to see what kind of programming is available in your area. PBS Kids is their web-based platform, and all you'll need is an internet connection to watch online.

3. Pluto TV

Pluto TV is a video streamer with a respectably large catalogue of animated shows, probably including some of your favorite cartoons. Like many free options, it relies on ad revenue, so you'll have to sit through commercials.

Although Pluto TV is similar to traditional TV, with a steady stream of "live" content you can browse, it also has an on-demand option.

Both can be accessed through a browser, making it accessible on computers, smart phones and tablets. And like pretty much all of the options on this list, it also has an app you can load on your smart TV.

4. Tubi

Tubi is a streaming platform with lots and lots of options for cartoons. Like many free streaming platforms, it doesn't have a fixed catalogue, so shows will come and go, which necessitates some browsing on the part of the viewers.

Be aware that the free streaming comes with commercial interruptions. Tubi's collection at any given time is enormous, in terms of different genres and individual shows, so if you don't mind some ads you'll have plenty to choose from.

5. Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network, like so many other mainstays of cable, has also updated their platform to keep pace with the changing times. They have their very own app and website for streaming (through the Max service, listed below), where you'll find lots of options.

5 Paid Options for Streaming Cartoons Online

The following items are subscription-based services. You'll find that some of them, like Netflix, have lower-priced tiers that include commercials. While the quality and selection is pretty consistent, you'll probably find that you'll need more than one subscription to have access to a wide variety of shows.

1. Netflix

Netflix is among the top dogs of the streaming world, and their animated selection is as impressive as one would expect. Part of Netflix's business model is to make lots of their own content, so while there might not be as many classic options on the service, there is a whole lot of other stuff to browse.

2. Amazon Prime Video

Amazon also has a large library of animated shows, and they include some of their own content as well. There are lots of options to choose from, and some of them will cost money to watch, even if you already have a subscription.

3. HBO Max

HBO Max has a lot of classic options from the Warner Brothers collection (such as the longtime favorite "Looney Tunes"), including Cartoon Network, HBO and Discovery. They also offer animated content from Adult Swim, which produces animated content geared towards older audiences.

4. Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll is more of a niche service, as they specialize in anime. If you're a fan of anime, or you want to explore it, Crunchyroll is a great place to start. They have a free version with ads and also offer subscription-based plans.

5. Disney+

Disney has also kept up with the latest changes in viewing options, and have their own platform for many of their animated movies and television shows. Viewers can subscribe through the app itself, or through Hulu, another streaming platform that's owned by the Disney corporation.