Are you looking to watch Chinese dramas for free? We’ve got you covered!
Regular streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime offer Chinese content but charge a subscription fee that might be expensive.
Furthermore, most of their foreign catalogs are not extensive, meaning you only get a few Chinese dramas.
Luckily, several streaming sites offer free access to Chinese dramas. Below is a detailed review of some of these platforms.
1. Pluto TV
- Starting Price (per month): Free
- Availability: United States, Canada, Latin America, United Kingdom, Europe, and Australia
- Channels: Over 250+ channels
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 1,000 titles
- Device Support: Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire Cube, Smart TVs, Xbox consoles, web browser, Chromebook, Roku, and mobile devices (iOS, Android, and Fire Tablets)
- Simultaneous Streams: Unlimited
Pluto TV is an ad-supported streaming service available in the USA and several regions worldwide. The platform offers over 250 live TV channels and several thousand movies and TV show titles, all for free.
While it is not exclusively dedicated to Chinese content, it has several cool Chinese dramas and a martial arts TV channel where you can enjoy Chinese-based movies.
Pros
- It is 100% free.
- It offers a large collection of entertainment content.
- Pluto does not require an account or a complex registration process to start watching.
- It supports streaming on several devices.
- It supports streaming on 4K video quality.
Cons
- You must contend with watching ads between the movies and TV shows.
- The number of Chinese dramas on offer might be limited.
- It is only available in select regions worldwide.
2. YouTube
- Starting Price (per month): Free
- Availability: Worldwide (Unless in countries where censured)
- Channels: N/A
- Movies / TV show catalog: N/A
- Device Support: Web browsers, mobile phones, Smart TVs, Game consoles, Cable and satellite providers, and Streaming devices (Roku, TiVO, Amazon Fire, etc.)
- Simultaneous Streams: Unlimited
You can watch Chinese drama on free YouTube (not paid YouTube TV). Search for Chinese drama with English subtitles on the YouTube search bar for a list of several subbed (English) complete Chinese TV shows.
YouTube also has several channels that are dedicated to Chinese dramas, such as Mango TV, Tencent Video, Asian Drama Official Channel, and China Drama, where you can find a collection of the latest Chinese TV shows.
Pros
- It is 100% free.
- Readily available and supported on multiple devices and platforms.
- It offers several Chinese dramas that are often accompanied by English subtitles.
- You can always create a personalized playlist of your favorite dramas or download them offline.
Cons
- It is ad-supported, so your viewing will be constantly interrupted by adverts.
- You might experience limitations in video quality or subtitle accuracy.
3. Tubi
- Starting Price (per month): Free
- Availability: USA, Canada, Mexico, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, United Kingdom, and Australia
- Channels: Over 260 Live TV channels
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 200,000 titles
- Device Support: Smart TVs, Mobile devices, gaming consoles (PlayStation 4 & 5 and Xbox devices), web browsers, and cable & satellite providers (Comcast, Cox, and Shaw & Rogers)
- Simultaneous Streams: Unlimited
Tubi is another free ad-supported streaming service based in the USA and available in several countries worldwide.
It offers a large collection of entertainment content, including live TV channels and thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows.
Tubi has several titles of foreign content in its catalog and even has a Chinese Drama category, where you can find several Chinese TV shows and movies.
Pros
- It is 100% completely free.
- Offers a large variety of entertainment content.
- It is very easy to use, no sign-up is needed and it has an intuitive electronic program guide.
- It supports several streaming devices and is available in several countries.
Cons
- Your streaming can be interrupted by commercial breaks.
- The Chinese section has limited content.
4. iQIYI
- Starting Price (per month): Free (with paid VIP plans starting at $6.99 per month)
- Availability: Worldwide (but may be censured in some areas)
- Channels: N/A
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 2,000 films and 1,700 TV shows
- Device Support: Windows PCs (iQIYI PC app), Mobile devices (iQIYI app), Smart TVs (Roku, Fire TV, Google TVs, and Apple TVs), and web browsers
- Simultaneous Streams: 2 or 4 on VIP plans
iQIYI is a free international streaming service owned by Chinese technology company Baidu.
It offers a large collection of Asian content, including Chinese drama, Korean drama, Thai drama, Japanese drama, and several titles of Asian films and anime.
iQIYI content is accompanied by subtitles in various languages, including English, Chinese (simplified and traditional), Thai, Malay, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, and more.
Pros
- You can stream for free without paying anything.
- It has many Chinese dramas and other Asian dramas, films, and anime.
- The movies and TV shows have subtitles in several different languages.
- It is readily available worldwide, and you can stream content on several devices.
Cons
- The free plan comes with ads that can be a distraction when streaming.
- The stream quality and audio quality might be limited on the free plan.
5. Plex TV
- Starting Price (per month): Free (with a Plex Pass upgrade starting at $4.99 per month)
- Availability: Over 195 countries worldwide
- Channels: Over 600 channels
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 20,000 titles
- Device Support: Web browsers, Mobile devices (Android and iOS), Smart TVs, Xbox consoles, Amazon Fire TV, Facebook portal, PlayStation consoles, NVIDIA Shield, and PCs (macOS and Windows)
- Simultaneous Streams: Unlimited
Plex TV is a free streaming platform that offers hundreds of live TV channels worldwide and countless on-demand movies and TV shows.
The platform has several Chinese channels to access Chinese dramas for free. It also offers access to several on-demand Chinese TV shows and films.
Pros
- It is completely free with no registration or hidden fees.
- It has a vast collection of live TV channels and on-demand content.
- It has an intuitive interface and a simple-to-use live-streaming menu.
- It supports several platforms and devices.
Cons
- The ads might be lengthy and annoying.
- Its content library lacks originals and recent releases (Available Chinese dramas might also be limited).
6. Viki
- Starting Price (per month): Free (With an ad-free plan at $4.99 per month)
- Availability: Worldwide (unless censored)
- Channels: N/A
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 1,400 titles
- Device Support: Mobile devices (iOS and Android), Smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and web browsers
- Simultaneous Streams: 1 on the paid plan
Rakuten Viki is a free streaming service owned by Japanese internet services company Rakuten. It is mostly dedicated to Asian content and has many Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, and Taiwanese dramas and movies.
The platform also offers a decent collection of Viki originals and a few international movies and TV shows (from the USA and Canada).
Pros
- It has a large collection of Chinese and Asian dramas and movies.
- You can access a decent amount of content on the free plan.
- It is available in most countries worldwide and supports several devices.
- Most of the movies and television shows come with subtitles in different languages.
Cons
- You have to deal with ads (on the free plan), which can be annoying.
- Content is limited on the free plan.
7. WeTV
- Starting Price (per month): Free (with VIP plans starting at $5.99 monthly).
- Availability: Worldwide
- Channels: N/A
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 1,000 titles
- Device Support: Mobile devices (Android and iOS), web browsers, and Smart TVs (via the WeTV app in Apple Store and Google Play Store)
- Simultaneous Streams: 2 devices (on the VIP plan)
WeTV is a streaming platform owned by the Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent. It offers a collection of Chinese and other Asian dramas, movies, anime, and entertainment videos.
WeTV content is available either in a free, ad-supported plan or an ad-free plan starting at $5.99 per month, with discounted prices for quarterly or annual subscriptions.
Pros
- A large collection of Chinese dramas and movies, including exclusive content.
- It comes with an ad-supported plant that is 100% free.
- It is very easy to use, and you can start watching even without registration.
- The movies and TV shows have subtitles in various languages.
Cons
- The ads on the free plan can be quite annoying.
- Some of the content is geo-locked or only available in the VIP plan.
8. Sohu TV
- Starting Price (per month): Free (with ad-free VIP plans starting at 15 yuan ($2.07) per month)
- Availability: Worldwide (might be censured in some countries)
- Channels: N/A
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 1,000 titles
- Device Support: PC (Windows and macOS app), Mobile devices (Android and iOS), web browsers, and TV (Yueting TV)
- Simultaneous Streams: Unlimited (free plan)
Sohu TV is a streaming platform owned by Chinese internet company Sohu, Inc.
It offers Chinese dramas, movies from Mainland China, and a collection of Korean, Japanese, and international (US) dramas and movies.
Pros
- It offers a 100% free ad-supported plan.
- It has a large collection of Chinese and Asian dramas and original content.
- TV shows and films come with English subtitles.
- It has a simple-to-use and easy-to-navigate interface.
Cons
- The content and video quality are limited on the free plan.
- The ads can get annoying.
9. Mango TV
- Starting Price (per month): Free (with ad-free plans starting at $2.99 a month)
- Availability: Worldwide (might be censured in some countries)
- Channels: N/A
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 1,000 titles
- Device Support: PCs (Windows and Mac), Web browsers, Mobile phones (Android and iOS)
- Simultaneous Streams: Unlimited (on the free plan)
Mango TV is a streaming platform offered by Mango Excellent Media, a state-owned Chinese Hunan Broadcasting System brand. It offers many Chinese dramas, movies, and reality TV shows.
Mango TV also features a vast collection of self-produced Chinese content and a few international shows from the USA and Korea.
Pros
- It is 100% free.
- You don’t need to register to watch; you can start streaming immediately.
- It has many Chinese dramas, movies, and other content.
- Most of the content on the platform comes with English subtitles.
Cons
- It is ad-supported, which can be annoying at times when streaming.
- Some users have complained about streaming issues and bugs with the app.
10. Youku
- Starting Price (per month): Free (with VIP ad-free plans starting at $5.99 per month)
- Availability: Worldwide (may be censured in some countries)
- Channels: N/A
- Movies / TV show catalog: Over 1,000
- Device Support: Mobile devices (Android and iOS) and web browsers
- Simultaneous Streams: Multiple streams on both free and VIP plans
Youku is another Chinese streaming platform owned by Alibaba Group Holding Limited. It offers a vast collection of Chinese dramas and movies, mostly curated for the Chinese audience.
Like several Chinese streaming services, Youku also features an extensive collection of Asian dramas and movies (Korean, Japanese, etc.) and exclusive, user-produced entertainment video content.
Pros
- It offers a 100% free ad-supported plan.
- It has an extensive variety of films and TV shows.
- Many of the shows have subtitles in English and other languages.
- It has an easy-to-use user interface.
- Has high-quality videos even on the free plan.
Cons
- It comes with many adverts that can be annoying.
- Some users have complained about bugs in the Youku app.
- The free plan offers limited content.