Alternatives to Entropay for Web, iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac and more. Filter by license to discover only free or Open Source alternatives. This list contains a total of 25+ apps similar to Entropay. Including Entropay,Shipito, it is still virtual card, they just block it. If you open the account, pay the fees, then you will find it does not work. The advice on the net is not updated yet and is misleading mostly because these companies would loose money so they just don't tell you. Netflix, PSN, PayPal etc. All use AVS (address verification).
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MediaJune 14, 2011FettesPS
Not happy with Netflix’s selection here in Canada? Looking for a way to use Netflix USA without having to use a VPN? Well, it turns out there is a way that’s pretty simple and just about anyone can set it up. All you need is a bit of familiarity with networking and your router. So how do you go about unlocking 14x as much content for the same low price?
Step 1: Sign up for Your Trial at Unblock-US
The main piece of this puzzle is tricking Netflix into thinking you’re accessing their page from an ISP in the US. To do this you will need to create an account at Unblock-Us.com. Simply punch in your email address and hit Start Trial. After your first month you will be billed $4.99 per month.
This will certainly be the most challenging step for any non technical users. You will need to program the new DNS settings from Unblock-Us.com into either your router or the individual devices you wish to use to connect to Netflix. You can opt to only set up your router and have everything on your network fool sites into you’re coming from the USA, or you can individually set up your Wii, XBox, iPhone, AppleTV or many other Netflix enabled devices to use the new DNS settings. The advantage of individually configuring devices is that should you need to access the Canadian versions of Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, etc.
Rather than copy and paste the information from their site, I’ll now point you to their Knowledge Base for articles on how to set up common routers and devices to use their DNS settings. For those of you who know how to do this already, simply set your DNS as follows:
Outside of North America you’ll have to use different DNS settings. Please video the above Knowledge Base link for those DNS settings.
Now just Test Your Settings to make sure they work. If not, head back to their Knowledge Base for more help.
After your free 1 week trial any time you access Netflix.com or another one of the supported sites you’ll get sent back to their site letting you know the trial is over. First you’ll have to give them you’re email address again, at which point it will give you the option of setting up a subscription. You can use your PayPal account to fund this process or your credit card. After configuring the subscription and paying your first month you will be able to continue using the service and will have not have to complete this step again.
Step 2: (Optional) Sign up for a Virtual Credit Card at EntroPay
Although you can get away with using your Canadian credit card with the old trusty 90210 zip code I would recommend using EntroPay. The reason I recommend this extra step is Netflix has been slowly cracking down on Canadians using their service and recently killed everyone’s ability to use PayPal for this step. I would imagine it’s only a matter of time before they do this with Canadian credit cards. Using a virtual credit card adds very little to the cost and ensures that you won’t find yourself without service when Netflix decides to bring down the iron hammer on this as well. If you do not want to use EntroPay you can skip it at this time as Netflix is still only asking for a valid Zip code and is not validating that against your Canadian credit card.
Once at the EntroPay website click on Signup Now. Select USD as your Account Currency and your country as the Country. Fill in the rest of the form using a your real billing address for your Canadian credit card to fund the Virtual Visa card. On the next screen fill in the details of the credit card you want to use to fund the virtual Visa card. Continue on to the funding screen and add as little as $8 USD to your account. I’d personally recommend about $25 to give you enough for 4 months service (3 months plus 1 month trial). Just make sure to top up your virtual credit card every few months.
Note: for those of you who have read the same “horror stories” about EntroPay that I have, I must point out that when you read the details they’re all complaining about having to verify their account. EntroPay has occasionally been known to ask people to provide a fax of their physical credit card and driver’s license to verify your identity. After this your account will be unlocked. To avoid this, only put on $20-50 at a time and they will not suspect you of illegally laundering money and require such verification from you.
Step 3: Sign up at Netflix.com
Netflix no longer distinguishes between Canadian and American accounts. In the past you would have needed to cancel your Canadian subscription and reregister for an American account. This means if you already have an account, you’re good to go. Netflix will detect that you are in the US and it will automatically show you the new content. The best way to test this is to search for South Park. If it’s available, you’re looking at the American content (only The Comedy Network has rights to air South Park in Canada, and therefore it is restricted in Netflix Canada).
If you do not have an account, you will want to create it now. You can jump to the registration page by clicking the image below.
Once all of that is out of the way, creating an account at Netflix.com is a simple process that will also start with a free 1 month trial. Make sure to use your Virtual Credit card number and a random American address if prompted for it. After your account has been created you can log in and immediately start browsing and watching Netflix USA.
$5.64 CAD Total Cost
Since one of the major reasons people switch to Netflix is for the savings it’s important to determine exactly what we’re paying for the American version of Netflix.
² PayPal automatically adds 13% HST for Canadian residents. Funds were in Canadian, USD was calculated for comparison
³ $1 USD = $0.978004 CDN as of 06/15/2011
Canadian to American exchange rates will naturally fluctuate, but for $13-15 a month you can be unlocking THIRTEEN times as much content by accessing the American version of Netflix. In addition to being able to use Netflix USA you are also unlocking many other services through your subscription to Unblock-Us.com. I mostly look forward to finally being able to use Pandora again, but have also been playing around with the free version of Hulu and am fairly happy with that. I am considering adding Hulu Plus for another $7.99 USD to further boost the available content. In addition to these you will be able to access Amazon Video, Pandora, Hulu, ESPN3, MTV, CBS, Fox, ABC, NBC, and even some British sites such as The BBC and ITV.
Alternatives
As the old saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. There are several other options that you can use to access the American content on Netflix.
Hotspot Shield
If you don’t want to go with Unblock-us.com, then Hotspot Shield is probably your next best bet. They also have a free week long trial and then from there you can pay the same price of $5 a month or you can buy a 1 year subscription for $30 which is about half of what the Unblock-Us option would be. So it can certainly be the more financial option if you are going to continue to access Netflix USA for an extended period.
Installation is very easy. Just download the program, run it and follow the prompts. From now on HotSpot Shield will run in your system try, look for the icon by your system clock. You should also have an icon at the top right of your web browser indicating it’s status. You’ll want this icon to be green, or else it will not work.
So why do I not offer this as the first option if it’s cheaper? Well, quite honestly, I haven’t been happy with their service. Since you’re technically going through a VPN your bandwidth goes through them meaning you will not reach your max speeds provided by your ISP and there can be periods where it is extremely slow or just takes down your Internet altogether. On top of that there is another issue which was a major annoyance and that is the fact that I got blocked out of several accounts, including my Gmail and my bank account, due to suspicious activity. I don’t think I was being hacked but rather both services shut down my account because the traffic looked fishy. That’s the price you pay for accessing a secure account from behind HotSpot Shield.
VPS
This is one method I wouldn’t recommend to most people, due to the technical knowledge to set it up and the costs. You can get a VPS rather cheap, for example I have one at Prgmr.com which gives me 40gb/month for $8, but if you’re accessing Netflix through the VPS then all of your traffic will be going through. I can very easily rack up 40gb/month just from Netflix so I would rather not risk getting charged for overages. I have heard that ChicagoVPS offers great bandwidth packages every now and then if you’re willing to wait it out for a good promotion to come along.
I wont go into detail about how to set this one up, I will simply mention that you can either set up an SSH tunnel or you can set up a DNS server on it and point your home network to your VPS’s IP address. The only important thing is that this VPS is located in the United States, or else it is no use to you. My old ISP, Acanac, used to offer a free VPS with unlimited bandwidth for getting around BitTorrent Throttling, but it was located in Canada so unfortunately I could not take advantage of it.
VPN
A VPN can also be used to get around the country restrictions. What is a VPN? Why, it’s a Virtual Private Network. Almost every office I’ve worked for has had a VPN to access the network shares, or other internal systems. But in this case you’ll need to use a VPN that is based out of the USA, meaning your work’s VPN likely won’t help you if their office is located in Canada. You’ll have to find an American based VPN such as Cheap VPN which is $11/month. Another option is something like Hotspot Shield, which was mentioned above. Hotspot Shield is just an application that makes using a VPN simple and advertises it’s self as a IP wall for added system security. There are several other programs similar to it that can also be used.
Unotelly
Since writing this article I’ve had numerous people suggest Unotelly and they have all said good things about it. I have not tried this service as of yet but from the looks of it the service is bang on with Unblock-Us. They both allow access to numerous American services and do so at the same price. The only advantage I see to Unotelly is that it appears to be more so for unlocking global content rather than specifically American content, so depending on what you all want to access this may be a better option for you.
You probably already know that Netflix is an awesome streaming option for watching your favorite shows and movies on your television and your personal computer or portable electronic device.
With over 10,000 TV shows and movies to choose from, Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services out there today.
However, it’s not your only streaming choice – not by a long shot. There are several alternatives – both free and paid – that can increase your movie and TV show choices profoundly.
Table of Contents
Why People Love Netflix and Other Streaming Alternatives
Streaming alternatives such as Netflix were born out of a dismay for traditional cable TV and satellite TV subscription services.
Viewers’ increasing frustration with high cost cable and satellite subscriptions that force them to pay for a bunch of channels they likely don’t even watch led to an outcry for better options, and the streaming industry was born.
I for one LOVE paying $10 a month instead of the $125 a month we were paying for our cable TV subscription, depending on which package we had at any given time.
Since we ditched cable in favor of lower cost streaming options five years ago, we haven’t looked back and we don’t miss our cable TV a bit.
In the five years since we forever bid adieu to our cable subscription, the streaming options – both paid and free – for TV viewers has multiplied exponentially.
This list of free and paid Netflix alternatives will provide you with even more reasons to say “goodbye” to traditional cable and satellite subscriptions and start enjoying more TV viewing for less money.
Paid Alternatives to Netflix
One of the reasons people love Netflix is because of its price. At under $15 a month, it offers one of the largest selections of movies, TV and more for frugal viewers.
However, there are many Netflix alternatives that can give you the same great benefit (thousands of shows and movies) for a similar price. Some options are even available for free.
Here are twenty-one of the top streaming alternatives to Netflix that can help you find an easy way to save big money on your monthly television bill.
1. Hulu
Hulu is similar to Netflix in many ways. It offers thousands of TV shows and movies for the low price of $5.99 per month.
However, Hulu shows do come complete with commercials. For the upgraded price of $11.99 per month you can view their shows and movies without commercials.
One bonus to Hulu’s offerings is that they do air most current season TV shows the day after they play on prime-time TV, whereas Netflix usually only airs previous season episodes.
Hulu offers basic TV shows and movies, kids’ shows, sport shows and more, however they are limited to one streaming device at a time.
Hulu With Live TV
Hulu also offers another upgrade package called Hulu With Live TV. This package is more expensive at $44.99 a month.
The Live TV package features everything the basic Hulu package features, including the ability to live stream over 50 of the top live and on-demand channels including a variety sports channels, news channels and more.
2. Amazon Prime Video
If you’re an Amazon Prime Member, you can get access to Amazon Prime Video absolutely free. But if you’re not, it’s still a great deal at only $8.99 a month.
Personally, I’d recommended joining Amazon Prime and getting the free Amazon Prime Video option for the sole reason that if you are an Amazon Prime member you get free two-day shipping on all orders.
However, even if you just want the Amazon Prime Video solo membership it’s a great deal for TV viewing. The site offers a wide variety of shows and movies including:
And other options as well. One great thing about Amazon Prime compared to Netflix is that it offers a lot more shows and movies: roughly 18,000 compared to Netflix’s approximately 10,000.
Amazon Prime Video is worth a try, especially if you’re a frequent Amazon store shopper.
3. Sling TV
Sling TV is kind of like a cable alternative that allows you to choose a package of cable channels at a more affordable price.
Sling offers three packages: The Orange Package, the Blue Package and the Combination Orange/Blue package. Here are the details on each.
Sling TV Orange Package
The Sling Orange package is only $20 a month and offers roughly 28 channels including The Food Network, HGTV, ESPN 1, 2 and 3 (for you sports fans) and more.
Sling TV Blue Package
Sling’s Blue Package costs $25 a month and offers 44 channels. The channels on Sling Blue are different from the channels on Sling Orange.
Some of the Sling Blue offerings include the History Channel, Cartoon Network, Fox Sports, NBC sports, Bravo and AMC.
You can also get a combination of the two packages for $40 a month; a $5 discount from the regular purchase prices.
One of the other nice things about Sling TV is that there are no installation fees or rental fees. You can simply stream from your TV, tablet or computer.
Sling is definitely an up and coming player in the streaming alternative market with their attractive cable channel packages.
4. Pureflix
Pureflix offers a different selection of movies that focuses on “family friendly and wholesome entertainment for all ages”.
The company shares mostly Christian based movies and TV shows and provides access to over 2,000 titles currently.
For their subscription price ($10.99 per month or $99 annually – new viewers get the first month free) you can view Pureflix movies and TV shows on up to six devices at a time.
They allow access on all of the usual devices; TVs, computers, mobile devices, etc. and are working on being gaming console compatible by the end of 2017.
5. CBS All Access
CBS All Access allows you to stream CBS shows and CBS hosted sporting events – both current episodes as well as back episodes.
CBS All Access currently offers four different subscription plans:
Signing up for the annual plan will save you a few bucks no matter if you choose the commercial plan or the no-commercial plan.
This could be a good streaming alternative for you if you like a lot of CBS shows such as NCIS, Big Bang Theory, CSI, Survivor and others. Current and back episodes are available for all shows, although they may have only certain seasons of certain shows available at any given time.
6. Showtime
Premium cable channels are now offering the ability to live stream their shows and movies independently of cable companies.
Showtime, for instance, allows you to subscribe to Showtime movies and TV for only $10.99 per month. For this price, you get access to all current and past episodes of Showtime original series as well as some sports offerings.
You can watch on your TV, computer or tablet and it’s all commercial-free viewing. The list of supported devices is long enough to fit almost any viewer as well.
7. HBO Now
Are you a fan of HBO favorites such as Game of Thrones or VEEP? If so, HBO Now might be a good streaming option for you.
For only $14.99 a month (they do offer a student discount package for $9.99 per month) you can watch all current and past episodes of your favorite HBO movies and original shows as well.
HBO Now is supported by a wide variety of phones, tables, TVs and by Mac and Windows 7 or later computers as well.
8. Hallmark Movies Now
Formerly called “Feeln”, Hallmark Movies Now focuses on offering streaming movies and TV series shows that are family friendly.
Along with the classic Hallmark movies, the streaming company also offers successful family friendly TV series such as Last Man Standing, The Golden Girls, Home Improvement, Frasier and The Middle.
The company’s “lighter side of suspense and mystery” movies are also available with their streaming package.
For just $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year, you can get access to Hallmark Movies Now on a variety of phone, tablet, computer and TV devices.
9. Fandor
Fandor calls itself a bridge between “cult and mainstream” films and media. The streaming company, which was founded in 2011 and features roughly 6,000 titles, has a variety of genre films for true movie buffs.
As I searched through the offerings, I found a fun variety of films I’ve never heard of as well as old time classics such as Marriage Italian Style with Sophia Loren.
The company features a wide range of genres such as Cult, Comedy, Drama, Documentaries and more. However, within each genre subtitle you’ll find a host of films you’ve probably never heard of unless you’re a serious movie buff.
The cost? Ten dollars per month or ninety dollars per year if you buy an annual subscription.
10. MUBI
The tagline on the MUBI streaming site is “Cult, classic, independent and award winning films from around the world.”
MUBI runs a bit differently that many streaming sites. The cost is only $5.99 per month, but they rotate out a selection of 30 movies each day. “A hand-picked selection of the best films”, they call it.
So, each day one film will rotate out and a new one will be added, with films being available for thirty days.
If you’re into cult classics and indie films (they offer both new films and old classics) this could be a fun site for you.
MUBI is available on most of the regular streaming devices: MAC and PC, iPhone and iPad, Android phones and tablets, and on most smart TVs.
11. Acorn TV
Acorn TV is a streaming service featuring shows from Britain and other parts of the world. For just $4.99 a month you can have streaming access to a whole host of British TV series episodes, movies and documentaries.
Some of the shows they are featuring currently include Doc Martin, Vera, A Place to Call Home and Loch Ness.
If you’re a big British TV fan, a subscription to Acorn TV could be just what you need to get your fix of quirky British humor and captivating drama.
12. Vimeo On Demand
Vimeo On Demand is one of the newer plans to join the vast array of film streaming options. They offer films, stand-up comedies, Vimeo originals and more.
You can purchase the items to watch one time, or download them to watch more often. Each film or show collection has a different price, starting at $2.
While Vimeo does have an unusual variety of films and TV series choices available, you may find you get more for your money with other options.
Free Alternatives to Netflix
As I was doing research for this article I was pleasantly surprised at the number of free alternatives to Netflix that are available for streaming.
Here we share nine of the most popular free streaming alternatives that might be available to you and your family.
13. Popcorn Flix
Popcorn Flix seems to be one of the most popular free streaming sites out there. They have a wide variety of genres, including comedy, drama, documentaries and family/kids’ movies.
Browsing through the family/kids section (the primary genre of choice at our house) I didn’t find much to be impressed about. They seemed to have a lot of choices, but most of them were cartoons we’d never heard of.
Note: The site does have a nice variety of films in each genre, however Popcorn Flix has an abundance of “mature audience” films, even in its documentaries section. I definitely would hinder kids’ access to the site if you can figure out a way to do so.
14. YouTube
YouTube still has some of the best streaming around and you can find a pretty big variety of films in all genres that are available legally.
However, when searching YouTube to stream films, it’s important to be aware of the vast number of illegally posted films on the site.
Although the powers-that-be at YouTube work hard to find and remove illegally streamed films on the site, you can still find plenty of films available legally on YouTube.
Bonus: there’s also a large selection of legally available films on the site that allow you to purchase a one-time stream for a small fee, usually $2 each.
15. Pluto TV
Pluto TV offers free live streaming of over 75 channels. With genres such as News, Comedy, Geek & Gaming, Entertainment, Music & Radio and more, you’ll likely never be bored on Pluto.
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The company is synched to work with a variety of different devices such as MAC and Windows PC computers, Android, Apple devices and several types of smart TVs.
I was pleasantly surprised to find fun channels on Pluto such as the MST3K channel, the Classic TV channel, and the Classic Toons Channel. Pluto has its own Pluto Movies channel as well.
I have to say this was the free streaming option that seemed to offer the most variety to me.
16. Viewster
Viewster is another free streaming option – with a bonus that you don’t have to register to watch. Just click on a movie title and you’re in.
The site has a great variety of genres including:
And other categories, including Korean dramas. One of the things I really enjoyed about Viewster was the host of old comedy classics it offered, such as Abbott and Costello and Laurel and Hardy.
The quality is fair, but not what you would find with Netflix or other paid-for streaming services. And since the company is based in Switzerland, you’ll probably find a lot of movies you’ve never heard of.
However, Viewster is yet one more choice that allows you to stream movies legally without having to pay for them.
17. Movies Found Online
Movies Found Online is another free streaming service that’s probably more suited for mature audiences.
Although I did find some fascinating choices such as documentaries including The Michael Jackson Story: The Man in the Mirror, and Johnny Cash: American Rebel, and TV series such as The Green Hornet, most of the choices on this site are definitely for adult viewers.
18. Classic Cinema Online
Classic Cinema Online is a great source for free movies if you like those old time shows. As I searched through their offerings, I found old classes such as the 1954 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea along with a host of films I hadn’t heard of.
Whatever your classic movie genre taste is; action, adventure, drama, war, western – this site has something for everyone.
They even have a “family” section featuring old films such as the 1940 version of Pinocchio and musicals such as the 1936 classic “Let’s Sing Again”.
The quality of the viewings varied from film to film, but most of the films I checked out on the site were pretty good quality.
You won’t find high definition viewing by any means given the time period of the films they show, but most were bearable and without a lot of the grain and other issues you can see with free movie offerings.
19. Snag Films
Snag Films is a free streaming site that features over 2,000 movies, TV shows, documentaries and comedy shorts.
Their show genres were different than what you’ll find on most streaming sites. Some examples include
Other genres include Veterans and the Military, History Lessons and Political Battlegrounds. There’s a lot to watch on Snag Films and most of it is stuff you likely won’t find anywhere else.
While much of what they share is educational, you’ll also find some entertainment offerings on the site. They offer a small selection of comedy shorts, kids and family shows, and nature and wildlife shows.
Again, most everything on the site was different from what you’ll find elsewhere. It was nice seeing so many titles I’d never heard of before. If you’re looking to do streaming differently this could be a good site to check out.
20. Tubi TV
While Tubi TV is free, you do have to register to watch movies and shows on the site.
The browsing setup reminded me of Netflix: they have sections such as Most Popular, New Arrivals, Leaving Soon, and Not on Netflix, which was fun to see.
The site featured some old classics such as A Fish Called Wanda and Robocop, and some newer movies such as Empire State.
It was nice to see an Indie section as well as a Comic Con section on the site too. Bottom line: lots of choices and a great way to have a Netflix-like option for free.
Tubi TV supports all of the usual viewing options such as certain smart TVs, Android devices, PlayStation, Xbox and Roku.
21. Crackle
Crackle is a free streaming site that requires that you register to watch free movies and shows too, but they’ve got an awesome selection to choose from.
They feature old television series offerings such as All in the Family, 227, Who’s the Boss and Malcom and Eddie, and some classic series shows such as Seinfeld and Walker Texas Ranger.
Their movie selection is also impressive with options such as Mission Impossible III, So I Married an Axe Murderer and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. While their selection of TV shows and movies isn’t massive, what they do offer is fairly good. Again, when it’s free you can’t complain too much.
Summary
Netflix is a great site for increasing your television viewing options, and at approximately ten dollars a month it’s a much more affordable option than cable TV. However, Netflix isn’t your only option for streaming your favorites shows and movies.
If you’re looking to pad your wallet by spending less on television viewing, consider one of the many streaming options out there for watching shows, movies, documentaries and more that are available on a variety of devices and for a variety of costs.
Both the free streaming options listed here and the pay streaming options listed here can open up your TV viewing selection without bankrupting your savings account. Watch more, spend less and save money with the many streaming websites out there for your viewing pleasure.
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