The Crackle TV app is best known for its retro 80s collection and comprehensive library of ad-supported content. Crackle is a free streaming service owned and operated by Chicken Soup for the Soul.
The Crackle TV app boasts a strong catalog of free content and has recently begun to add original IP as well. Most of the “Crackle Originals” will be news to viewers, with titles like Cleaning Up The Town and The Clearing, Crackle has taken its position in the streaming industry seriously, delivering quality titles we are all familiar with while also producing originals for hardcore fans of the Crackle TV app.
The decent selection available in the Crackle TV app is easy to navigate and viewers can access much of the content at 1080p quality. Streaming on most devices shouldn’t be an issue either.
Download the Crackle TV app on virtually any mobile or smart TV platforms.
Crackle TV app content library
Crackle has a lot of content. As of this writing, JustWatch reports that the Crackle TV app offers over 1,000 movies and 70 TV series. The website’s audience alone boasts over 550 thousand visitors each month.
The Crackle TV app content library includes popular titles like Sherlock and Starsky and Hutch, as well as foreign hit films like Das Boot (“the boat” in Deutsch), a German language film everyone should see if they’re a true cinephile.
Legit platform
The Crackle TV app is 100% legitimate and safe to use. Everything you stream, you stream legally. You won’t need to hide your IP address with a VPN or go to sleep wondering if the DOJ will come knocking. Connecting to Crackle is legal, safe, and easy. It’s even offered on Amazon’s Fire Stick user interface (as well as Roku’s).
HD content
Sony Crackle offers content at 1080p quality for streaming. Of course, this output is device dependent. Whether your display is compatible with 1080p or not will largely impact your viewing experience. But this won’t stop Crackle. No matter what your device’s capabilities are, the stream will come through crisp and clean – only, at reduced quality. A device that displays at 720p (p stands for progressive scan, not pixel) will have no problem delivering a great picture, but viewers should not expect 1080p if their TV doesn’t support it.
App support
The Crackle TV app is available on most popular platforms. Users can install the Crackle TV app on their mobile, TV, or computer, and enjoy a full streaming experience. And in 99% of use cases tested for this write-up, Crackle didn’t lag or cause any issues.
Ad annoyance
Sony Crackle is a free website, and it features ads. That’s just the way the industry works. And while Crackle certainly leans on its advertising arm pretty heavily (we averaged 5 commercials every 10 minutes or so), you can’t beat free and safe. The ads are not intrusive, though. Crackle does a fairly good job of making that experience similar to what you’d expect watching a cable television program.
Geo-restriction
Now, this is something international users will not like about Crackle. The service is only available in the USA. People in any other country will not be able to access it unless you’ve invested in a solid VPN.
VPN compatibility
Yes, Crackle is compatible with a VPN connection. However, this was only tested through a web browser. We cannot speak to its compatibility with other platforms like TV sets and streaming hubs. Viewers outside the U.S. may have to access Crackle through their browser unless they’ve managed to bypass geo-blocks in other ways.
Pros
- Legit
- Free
- HD content
Cons
- Only available in the USA
Summary
Crackle is a solid free streaming service. And while we still prefer Tubi and Pluto in a dead heat for first place, Crackle comes in as a top 5 free OTT in 2023.