To get the most from your new Samsung TV, you’ll need to find the smart TV apps that are most suited to you and your tastes. Because there are plenty of great apps and streaming services on offer these days – you don’t need to just stick with Netflix.
Over the past few years, there have been many new additions to Samsung's smart TV apps, including new streaming service contenders Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus.
This is great news for viewers who want to flick between different platforms. Maybe you like to visit Netflix for its originals, like Stranger Things and Shadow and Bone, then head over to Disney Plus for its selection of classic TV shows, like The X Files and 24.
Although this gives you lots of choice, it does make it tricky to find which are the best smart TV apps for you. So where do you begin?
We’ve tested many of the best Samsung TVs over the years, which means we’ve had the chance to narrow down a list of the must-download Samsung TV apps on the platform to keep you entertained, whether you’re looking for TVs, movies, documentaries or sport.
Below you’ll find our pick of the best Samsung TV apps for your new Samsung smart TV you can download right now. If you want the entire, exhaustive list of every app available, you can find that on Samsung's website, though our roundup should save you some time.
1. Samsung TV Plus
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At the top of our list of the best smart TV apps has to be Samsung's TV Plus app that offers you free live-streamed TV without a subscription right out of the box.
Similar to bunny ears of yesteryear, TV Plus puts free TV back on the menu, and while it's missing a few of the key local channels (for which you'll need an indoor antenna to receive) it has a ton more specialty channels for gamers, chefs, music-lovers and more that cater to select niche audiences. Also, the fact that it comes pre-installed on every new Samsung TV pretty much gives you no reason not to try it.
2. Netflix
When it comes to online video streaming services, Netflix has been the gold standard since it invented the whole concept nearly a decade ago.
As well as having an impressive selection of existing TV shows and movies Netflix is also investing heavily in its own exclusive productions including Stranger Things, Sex Education, Black Mirror, and Bojack Horseman.
In terms of sheer amount of content, Netflix is the largest streaming service around, although there are significant differences in the content available on the UK versus the US store – even if Disney Plus may have taken some of the best gems out of the library.
If you're new to video streaming, then there's no better starting point than the Netflix smart TV app – check out our round up of the best shows on Netflix for some inspiration.
Read more: Check out our Netflix review
3. Disney Plus
Disney Plus is the streaming service where you can watch classic Disney animated movies, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and even 20th Century Fox content like The Simpsons.
Disney Plus has bags of original content from Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar, putting it in a good position to take on its biggest rivals like Netflix and Apple TV Plus. Baby Yoda, The Mandalorian and the chance to watch the Marvel movies in order. And that's really just the beginning.
Read more: Check out our Disney Plus review
- Love Marvel? Here's how to watch the Marvel movies in order
4. Apple TV Plus
Apple TV Plus is the tech giant's first venture into the world of original content streaming, with notable titles including The Morning Show, Jason Momoa epic See, Sesame Street spin-off Helpsters, teen fantasy Ghostwriters, Hailee Steinfeld’s Emily Dickinson biopic, and NASA drama For All Mankind.
As a fledgling service that's only offering original content, the shows and films are a little sparse – but you can expect the Apple TV Plus library to fill up over the next year, and with support for 4K and HDR streaming, those new shows will look great on your Samsung TV.
Read more: Apple TV Plus review
5. Amazon Prime Video
Amazon may not be the original streaming service, but it's no slouch when it comes to piping you the best TV has to offer, and that's why it deserves a place among the best smart TV apps of 2020. Recent years have seen a steady supply of exclusive shows, such as Good Omens, The Man in the High Castle and Vikings.
Besides exclusives, Amazon also has an impressive selection of movies, recently adding darkly comic biopic I, Tonya, and the second installation in the John Wick series.
Fortunately, unlike Netflix which forces you to have an account in order to view available titles, Amazon makes its Prime listings available directly on its website, meaning you can check that your favorites are available before paying for a subscription.
You can also read our round up of the best shows on Amazon Prime Instant Video for a taste of what's on Prime this month.
Read more: Check out our Amazon Prime review
6. Hulu (US)
When Hulu finally updated its subscription tiers in 2017, it brought the service into line with competitors Netflix and Amazon Prime. It had previously offered two tiers, a free service supported by ads and a limited pool of content, and a paid service which offers an expanded selection (on which ads are still present).
Now, you can subscribe to a cheaper tier that keeps commercials, a more robust premium tier that cuts out commercials or the Hulu with Live TV bundle that offers limited commercials for on-demand content plus some live TV channels.
What really sells us on Hulu, though, is its exclusive offerings that includes shows like The Mindy Project, Bob's Burgers, and The Handmaid's Tale. Just be warned that no matter which tier you end up subscribing to, a small number of shows and series will still display ads – even when you're on the service's premium tier.
Read more: Don't miss our Hulu review.
7. PLEX
Our next pick is a little different from the other smart TV apps on this list. Instead of streaming videos from a service, PLEX allows you to curate a collection of your own on a media server and stream it to whichever device you want.
That said, while PLEX is available on nearly every device, it looks darn good on Samsung Smart TVs.
So why install PLEX if you have Hulu, Netflix, Amazon or any of the other streaming services on this list? Because PLEX is free. There are no monthly fees for the base version of the app, which allows you to build and maintain your own local video server.
If a DIY video streaming service sounds like a lot of work and a less-than-ideal experience, it will surprise you to know that PLEX has really improved in the last few years making it ultra-easy to setup and incredibly versatile as a streaming service.
8. HBO Max (US)
HBO Max is the result of years of complicated HBO services, including HBO Go and HBO Now – so you'd be forgiven some confusion here. But HBO Max is now the only HBO app, and it's the home for such classics as The Sopranos, The Wire and more recently Game of Thrones.
HBO Max is largely in the headlines these days because of its slate of movies from Warner Bros., which have been releasing on HBO Max the same day as they do in theaters. It's been a contentious move, but one that brings the likes of Dune and Suicide Squad to streaming faster than they otherwise would have.
Many of HBOs top shows, such as the aforementioned The Wire or the sublimely crafted True Blood are available on Amazon Prime Video, but HBOs own apps get access to shows immediately after they're broadcast rather than when the boxset is available to everyone else.
9. YouTube
YouTube used to be the place to get your fill of amateur footage of everything from skateboarding fails to cat videos, but in recent years the site has become host to a range of content, from scripted comedies to reality TV shows to documentaries.
It's a platform which is no longer defined by its amateur production values. Now content creators use teams of professional video production staff to produce a dizzying amount of content catering to every possible niche.
We're personally a massive fan of the PC hardware channel LinusTechTips (as well as our own TechRadar YouTube Channel) but there are channels catering to every possible interest from beauty and fashion to video games.
YouTube also carries full movies which can be rented for 30-days or bought outright.
10. Spotify / Pandora
The first major player in music streaming, and a go-to app for anyone wanting to play or find music through your TV. Here you can sign into your Spotify account and access all of the same songs, playlists, and library as you would on your laptop or smartphone. With over 40 million songs, and thousands more added every day, this is the most cohesive music streaming service out there.
While Spotify still has the crown for music streaming apps though, you'll only find it on Samsung smart TVs post-2015. For those with older sets, what you can access something called Pandora.
While you might remember Pandora as the internet radio station service, it's actually a much more interesting and versatile service than a lot of folks give it credit for. First off, calling it internet radio isn't quite right. It's like algorithmically generated personalized music stations. No need to shuffle in between stations as Pandora learns from your feedback: dislike a song and Pandora will skip it. Like a song and Pandora will play more like it.
Read more: Spotify review
11. BBC iPlayer (UK)
The BBC has a reputation for producing some of the best TV shows in recent years such as Killing Eve, Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Luther, and, lucky for Samsung TV owners, they're available through the dedicated iPlayer app.
A few years ago, the BBC only made shows available for 30 days after their first broadcast, but that has since changed and now offers full seasons of most shows and the complete runs of its most popular series.
Even better, iPlayer has the widest selection of shows of any of the streaming services on this list, since it covers (with some small exceptions) everything broadcasted on the BBC. That means tentpole dramas such as Sherlock can be streamed alongside today's episode of long-running soap Eastenders or Sunday evening favorite Antiques Roadshow.
And yes, you legally need a TV license in the UK to use the service.
13. Britbox
BritBox is an online portal for British TV boxsets and original programming, bringing all sorts of modern and legacy TV content from the UK’s biggest broadcasters.
First envisaged as a way of exporting classic British TV to the US and Canada, the TV streaming service has now launched in the UK too – despite there being various catch-up services for BBC and ITV content already.
But there's still plenty to recommend on BritBox, which has a massive back catalogue of British shows like Doctor Who, Agatha Christie's Poirot, Gavin & Stacey, Coronation Street, or even ITV's Love Island. If you're in the UK, some of these are available via the BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub catch-up services already – while Netflix and Amazon license a handful of BBC shows – but for those of you in the US and Canada, it may well be the only way to get your hands on these classic TV series.
The benefit over iPlayer? You can actually get it in the US and Canada.
13. VUDU (US-only)
VUDU is another video streaming service, however unlike Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu, this smart TV app doesn't offer an all-you-can-eat monthly streaming subscription.
Instead titles are rented or bought on an individual basis, and the site runs frequent sales where you can grab a bargain. Rentals run from between $0.99 and $5.99, and purchases from $4.99 to $24.99.
While VUDU's library of movies is much smaller than Netflix's, its model relies on having titles available to stream as soon as the home release hits. This is opposed to Netflix who tend to feature older films in their library.
We would struggle to recommend that users exclusively rely on VUDU for all their streaming needs, but as a supplemental service to Netflix or Amazon Prime VUDU works well to fill in the gaps.
14. TED
We wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to fill your new Samsung Smart TV with all the best entertainment apps, like streaming services chock full of your favorite movies and TV shows. But it might make for a refreshing change to balance out the binge-watching with some TED talk wisdom too. The TED app brings mind-blowing, informative TED talks to your Samsung TV. Sure some are better than others, but it’s a welcome change of pace. It’s also cool to see some of the most popular TED talks of all time, which you might have watched on a phone or tablet years ago, on a big screen.
15. All 4 (UK)
All 4 is Channel 4's version of iPlayer, and covers content from Channel 4, E4 and More 4. Unlike the BBC's iPlayer, however, more popular shows are available indefinitely on the service.
What this means is that if you want to sit down and watch every episode of the excellent Peep Show since it was its first broadcast in 2003, then there's nothing stopping you.
Other top picks include The IT Crowd, Black Books (both written by the excellent Graham Lineham) and guilty pleasure Grand Designs.
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