One of the great benefits of the internet is that we have access to free things every now and then. Most of this ‘free’ stuff happens to be content that we can view online. While there are services such as Netflix that allow users to pay on a monthly basis in order to watch content, many people still look for other options that allow them to view their favorite content for free. Luckily, Stremio includes a range of add-ons which you can use to watch free content whenever you want.
The Stremio Platform
On the off-chance that you have never heard of Stremio, let’s backtrack a little. To put it simply, Stremio is an alternative to cable TV. You can install it on your Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV- among others- as well as your phone, computer or tablet. Stremio is basically a media content hub. You can watch movies, documentaries, tv shows- all the kind of stuff that you would normally watch on cable TV but with Stremio, you can watch your favorite shows at any given time.
You can also watch live TV on Stremio if you miss the good old fashioned way. And the best thing about Stremio is that it is all legal- seriously! You are not streaming anything illegally since that is a crime in a lot of countries and Stremio has taken several steps to ensure that. However, there is a way to make your Stremio experience even better. How? You might ask. Well, you can install some add-ons to watch free content on Stremio. That is what this article is all about: some great add-ons to watch free content online, a guide to installing them and a word of advice on using VPNs (we’ll get to that in a bit).
All about Stremio Add-ons
An interesting thing about Stremio is that it has two types of add-ons: official and unofficial. Depending on your personal preference, you can use official and unofficial add-ons to view free content online. So, we’re going to divide our discussion into two parts. In the first part we will talk about the official add-ons and in the second part, we will discuss the unofficial ones.
Official Add-ons
The biggest advantage that official add-ons have is that they are, well, official. This means that they are much safer than unofficial add-ons because ‘official’ does mean that Stremio has some idea what the creators are doing with the add-ons. It further decreases the chances of malicious viruses. In addition to that, it’s also easier to download official add-ons onto Stremio. And trust us, installing official add-ons can be totally worth it.
1. OpenSubtitles – OpenSubtitles allows users to watch free content online from anywhere in the world- with their native language as the subtitle!
2. WatchHub – WatchHub allows you to watch free content from the likes of channels like HBO. It also offers streaming from both the US and the UK.
3. YouTube – From funny cat videos to talk show snippets to just about everything, YouTube is the world’s biggest video-sharing platform. You can watch anything on YouTube. You name it, and it’s got to be there.
Why you need a VPN with Stremio
But before we move on towards the fun part and tell you about the unofficial add-ons and how to install them, let’s talk about VPNs and why it’s a good idea to use them with Stremio. VPNs protect our data from falling into the wrong hands. They protect our online safety by creating a kind of ‘safe place’ where we can browse the internet and protect ourselves from third parties seeking to learn our data patterns and potentially harm us online.
VPNs also let you access content that would otherwise be unavailable based on your location. Using a commercial VPN service like Shellfire VPN for example, you can quickly, easily and securely connect to a VPN server in a different country and thereby gain access to the streams available there.
Unofficial Add-ons
But you’re not only bound to watch amazing content by downloading official add-ons from Stremio. Here’s a list of great unofficial ones as well, but before you install and use them, make sure that you have your VPN in place. Unofficial add-ons often have access to copyrighted streams and you want to ensure that you do not get into trouble.
1. Juan Carlos – Juan Carlos (The Original) is an unofficial add-on which basically is also a torrent website that allows you to stream movies and TV shows. This add-on will provide you with the choice of watching unlimited free material from several different locations worldwide.
2. Popcorn Time – Popcorn Time has one of the largest platforms for free streaming of movies, documentaries, and TV shows.
The Installation Process
Now, back to the installation process. As you might have already guessed, installing official add-ons is pretty straightforward. Click on the add-on icon on the top right of your screen and you’ll be taken to the place where all the official add-ons are displayed under “official add-ons”. Just click “install” next to the one you’re interested in and you’re good to go. The add-on will start to install immediately.
Next up, we’re going to install unofficial add-ons. In the same area as the “official add-ons” bar, you will find a “community add-ons” tab immediately underneath it. You will click that, and you’ll find a list of community-based (or third party) add-ons which you can use to stream free content. Popcorn Time and Juan Carlos will definitely be among them.
On the off chance that you don’t find what you’re looking for maybe because of your geographical location which stops from finding some add-ons in which situation, you should definitely switch on your VPN.
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s plenty of add-ons available on Stremio which you can use to view free content online. All you have to do is install them! And once you’re done doing that, you can sit back and relax by watching your favorite TV shows and movies- online for free!
