Anime is no longer a Japan-exclusive source of entertainment. Instead, it is gaining traction worldwide and if you are a fan and want to stream anime on your Android or iOS device, numerous apps enables you to do just that.
What’s great about the varying anime streaming apps for Android and iOS is the convenience of use. All these apps are updated with the latest anime titles that you can binge-watch to your heart’s desire.
However, with so many different anime streaming apps available on the internet, choosing the best one from the lot can be a little challenging. Don’t worry though because we have sorted out a list of shortlisting the top picks that we think are worth the time and effort.
Are Anime Streaming Apps Legal?
Most of the free anime streaming apps for Android and iOS are legal and contain content that isn’t pirated or illegally sourced from copyright owners.
So, if you are worried about the legalities, you won’t have to. Furthermore, we have also sorted out a list of legal apps, so you don’t have to go out of your way to sort things through for yourself.
What are the top Anime Streaming Apps for Android and iOS?
The degree of anime watchers is increasing extensively with each passing day, which means that you are bound to witness a variety of apps and websites pop up on the internet.
However, when it comes to streaming anime online, one thing that you have to be mindful of is the integrity of the app, diversity in the content, and the availability of services.
Following are all the top anime streaming apps for both Android and iOS that you can consider exploring:
1. Funimation
If there’s one OG anime streaming platform that has taken the world up by storm, it has to be Funimation. This one has been around for quite some time now, meaning that you can rely on this app to get access to all the latest episodes of your favorite anime shows.
It is unfortunately not a free platform but is channeled via a monthly or yearly subscription that you need to pay. It costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. However, if you can manage watching anime with ads, you can consider the free version with the ads.
The categories available on this platform are quite diverse, meaning that you can find a lot of amazing options for you to binge-watch. You can watch the content for free, even if you don’t have an idea about Japanese since they are English dubbed.
2. Crunchyroll
There’s no way we talk about the best anime streaming app and then not mention Crunchyroll in the list. Garnering over 20 million monthly visits, the app boasts 1000+ titles of classic and new anime shows that you can binge-watch to your heart’s desire.
What’s great about this platform is its promptness. Every anime show that is released in Japan is simultaneously released here on Crunchyroll as well. The diverse set of digital manga is what makes it one of the absolute best options to look into.
The content available on Crunchyroll is free if you can manage the ads. However, if you want to eliminate the ads from the platform, there is a recurring subscription too that you can pay. The platform also offers a 14-days free trial for the paid versions.
3. Netflix
When talking about anime streaming apps for both Android and iOS, nothing beats Netflix. It is a paid subscription, which means that you have to pay a recurring fee to access the content that’s available on the platform.
The good thing about Netflix is its global availability. You can find it in almost all countries, so your anime streaming experience isn’t going to be hampered. Also, due to its international availability, Netflix hosts English-dubbed content, which is another benefit of this app.
Netflix has a very intuitive UI as well, which makes the overall streaming experience a lot more seamless and uninterrupted. So, that’s another thing you won’t regret after downloading.
4. KissAnime
Despite the popularity of this platform, KissAnime is currently only available for Android devices and is hands down one of the best anime streaming apps on the internet. The diversity of categories on this platform is quite impressive. From romance to horror, you can find just about everything that you’d want to watch.
There are anime shows with English subtitles and then you have dubbed content if you aren’t fond of reading subtitles. Besides the category of content, the platform also offers anime shows in different resolutions, even up to 4K, making your viewing experience pretty immaculate.
Also, when downloading KissAnime for your Android device, you’d need to rely on apk files instead of downloading it officially from the Play Store. However, ensure that you are downloading it from the official website only.
5. VRV
Another popular and cumulative anime streaming app that’s available for both Android and iOS devices is VRV. The platform offers a free and premium anime streaming experience. If you don’t want to pay recurring fees each month, the platform offers a free streaming experience with ads.
However, the premium subscription to the app enables you to watch all the newly released episodes right after the official release, so you won’t have to wait. Also, the premium version is ad-free for a more seamless user experience.
One of the features of this app is to collect all the free anime content from the different open-source platforms and then bring them together on a single streaming platform. It’s quite a convenient app and worth the money you spend on the premium version.
6. RetroCrush
If you are hunting for classic anime shows to binge-watch, RetroCrush is a pretty great option to explore. From your staple old-school anime shows to the unique and underrated anime shows that are released outside of Japan, you can find a variety of anime titles on this platform.
Besides the content availability, another standout feature of this app that’s worth the time is the clean and minimal UI. You can find a variety of vintage anime content that isn’t available elsewhere. The streaming platform is entirely free as well.
However, you do need to keep in mind that the free version of this app is supported with ads, which can be a little challenging to navigate through. If you want to bypass the ads, it costs around $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year.
7. YouTube
Before you think, “What?”, let us clarify the doubts. YouTube is home to millions of video content that contain a variety of anime content that you can stream to your heart’s desire. You might have to do some digging around to find relevant channels that upload anime shows.
There are hundreds of channels dedicated to uploading anime episodes in full and in HD resolution, so you aren’t missing out at all.
Besides the standard or popular Japanese anime, you can also find a variety of underrated Chinese anime shows that aren’t normally available on other streaming platforms. However, some channels have membership restrictions, for which you might have to pay.
8. AnimeLab
Available for both Android and iOS devices, AnimeLab are another functional and comprehensive anime streaming app you can consider exploring. The platform enables you to explore all your favorite anime titles for free.
The diversity of categories on this platform is quite promising, offering about 30+ genres and over 700+ shows, which is pretty amazing. The app streaming platform hosts a variety of shows, including vintage and newer titles.
Also, not just Android and iOS, AnimeLab is available and functional across other platforms, including Xbox, Playstation, etc. too, which is unique.
9. Tubi
Next up on the list of popular anime streaming apps for Android and iOS is Tubi. This is a free app that provides a seamless streaming experience without any restrictions at all. From TV shows to anime movies, you can find a pretty great list of collections.
The availability of live-action shows is quite promising too, which provides users with a diversity of anime titles that you can binge-watch from the start till the end.
Despite being such a coveted anime streaming app, the good thing about this platform is that it provides users with an ad-free streaming experience.
10. Amazon Prime Video
Similar to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video is another popular and legal streaming platform that offers access to a variety of entertainment and media, including anime. The anime content on this platform isn’t predominant but you can find several trending anime titles that aren’t available elsewhere.
However, Amazon Prime Video isn’t a free streaming platform, which means that you’d need to avail of their annual subscription to be able to stream all the desired anime content. What’s great is that having access to the subscription also allows you to enjoy perks when you are shopping on Amazon.
The app is available for both Android and iOS, which is a benefit as well. You can comfortably stream your desired content without any compromise.
11. AnimeFox
Anime Fox is another popular and free anime streaming platform where you can stream new and old anime titles without any compromise. Overall, the UI of this platform is quite intuitive and easy to navigate through.
What’s great about this platform is that it enables you to sort your anime content based on genres and categories. The filter allows you to find relevant content in no time at all.
Also, despite being a free streaming platform, what’s great is that the video player is quite convenient to use. However, the biggest downside to using this app is the intrusive ads. Your viewing experience will be hindered every few seconds. But, the good news is that you can skip those ads after five seconds.
12. Mubi
Moving ahead in the list, Mubi is another free anime streaming platform that’s available for both Android and iOS platforms. The app has been around since 2007 and started its online streaming services in 2010.
What sets this platform apart from the rest is the availability of hand-curated content, which allows you to watch all your classic and trending anime titles in no time at all. From Studio Ghibli to trending anime shows, you can find a diversity of content to stream on this app.
Besides the series and shows, Mubi also hosts a variety of anime movies that you binge-watch to your heart’s desire. Almost all the uploaded content on this platform is in HD quality, which means that you won’t have to compromise on the usability of the app at all.
13. AniMixPlay
Although quite underrated, AniMixPlay deserves a place on this list. The app is only available for Android devices but the bad news is that you can’t download it officially from the Play Store. Instead, you have to rely on third-party app stores to download the apk.
However, once you download and install the apk, there’s not much you have to worry about. The app is pretty simple to use and is packed with all the top features you’d need to keep yourself hooked from the get-go.
What’s great about AniMixPlay is that it hosts all the trending and new anime episodes right after their official release. So, if you were worried that you’d have to wait for a long time before you’d get access to the episodes, you are mistaken.
Conclusion
Finding good quality and reliable anime streaming apps for Android and iOS isn’t as complicated anymore. The only thing we’d recommend you pay attention to is the source of the download. Always download the apps from official platforms like Play Store or App Store or reliable third-party app stores. Some of these platforms also have an official website, which allows you to download the app directly from their website. Avoid downloading the apks for Android devices from random platforms you don’t trust.