Kanopy and Hoopla are two free services made available through public libraries and universities. Both offer free movies, documentaries, and TV shows, all you need is a library card or your university credentials to log in and borrow content. Libraries and universities pay Kanopy and Hoopla a fee to provide their members with the service.

Libby is a free app by OverDrive, you can use it to borrow eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from your library.

All these services are completely free and anyone with a library card can use them. It is easy to apply for a library card, most libraries now offer online registration. Just visit the library’s website and apply for a card or stop by your local branch and apply in person. You can apply for a card at more than one library so that if one library does not offer the content you are looking for you can check with another.

Kanopy

Kanopy offers over 30,000 independent and documentary films, TV shows and educational content, all ad-free.

You borrow content from your library using the Kanopy app. You are limited to a certain number of digital rentals per month. Each library sets their own limits.

Kanopy is available using a web browser, or through their app. The app sync with all your devices.

After installing the app, you can search for your library and enter your library card number and PIN to log in. If you are using the app through a university, you will enter your university login credentials to gain access.

Hoopla

Hoopla offers audiobooks, eBooks, comics, movies, TV, magazines and music. It is ad-free and private. According to Hoopla they don’t share your information with anyone, your account information and borrowing history is private.

It is available using a web browser, or through their app. The app syncs across all your devices. In the app you search for your library and enter your library card number and PIN or your university credentials to begin borrowing content.

Hoopla updates their content weekly and cycles their content like other streaming services. Each library sets their own limit on the amount you can borrow each month depending on their budget.

Libby

Libby is a free app by OverDrive, you can use it to borrow eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and more from your library. You sign in with your library card and PIN and then browse for and borrow content. The app syncs across all devices. You can use Libby in your web browser or by downloading the app.

You can download content so that it is available offline.

If something you want to borrow is not available, you can place a hold to get in line and you will be notified when it is ready to borrow. You can also tag content to create your own “want to read” list.

The app makes it easy to customize how you read. You can modify the font size, book layout, and lighting and add bookmarks, notes, and highlights.

When listening to an audiobook you can adjust the playback speed and swipe to move forward or backward. You can also set a sleep timer so that the audiobook shuts off at the end of a chapter or after a set amount of time.

Libby allows you to use multiple library cards so if you cannot find the content you want at one library you can search another.

Once you borrow a book you have a limited number of days to read it, you can choose to borrow it for 7, 14 or 21 days. Libby will automatically return the book on the due date, if you finish reading it before the due date you can return it early.