Anime has grown popular recently as many people love to stream it. If you’re one of them, you may have heard of AnimeFlix, a free anime streaming site from Japan. However, the site has several bans and geo-restrictions. So, what to do if you can’t access it?
Fortunately, there are many other options available. This article discusses the 3 best legal alternatives to AnimeFlix, their pros and cons, and the features that they offer to stream your favorite shounen and shoujo series.
The Best AnimeFlix Alternatives: Quick List
Short on time? Here’s a quick rundown of the 3 best sites like AnimeFlix that allow you to stream your favorite anime in 2025:
- Crunchyroll: A legal and popular streaming service. It offers many high-quality anime, manga, and other Asian dramas.
- Anime-Planet: Offers hundreds of episodes, reviews, and recommendations for fans to explore.
- Hulu: A streaming service with lots of different TV shows and movies, including a big selection of popular anime.
How to Watch Anime Safely on Platforms Like AnimeFlix
Many free anime sites are full of risks. They display several annoying ads that can harm your device. Plus, most of these sites are illegal — they host content without licensing rights. On the other hand, premium sites like Hulu are georestricted, so you can’t access them from specific regions.
Don’t worry, there are simple ways you can protect yourself when accessing these services. The best one is to get a VPN and change your location. Here’s how you can do so:
- Visit ExtremeVPN’s pricing page.
- Sign up and download the application on your device. We offer apps for all operating systems, such as iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows, as well as a Chrome VPN extension.
- Open the app and connect to one of the servers.
- Visit AnimeFlix or its alternatives and start streaming.
Other security measures to take:
- Use an ad blocker: Free platforms contain heavy advertisements, so we recommend using an ad blocker. Always opt for reliable ones that prevent most of the ads. uBlock Origin is free and works well.
- Get an antivirus: As there are too many banner ads and pop-ups, clicking on any of them mistakenly can install a virus or malware onto your device. To stop this, you need an antivirus like Total AV.
- Check the website’s encryption: Always make sure that the site you’re going to access uses “HTTPS” in its URL instead of “HTTP.” This means that the platform is relatively secure—still not 100% secure— to access.
3 Best Sites Like AnimeFlix – Detailed List
1. Crunchyroll
Free + Paid ($7.99/month)
Supports offline download
Free plan has limited features
Crunchyroll is a popular and free movie streaming site where people can watch a huge variety of anime shows and series. With 1,300+ different series, it’s one of the best places for anime fans to explore new and classic Japanese animations.
Owned by Sony, Crunchyroll recently merged with Funimation, so you can now watch shows that were once only available on Funimation. The website’s library contains shows in many genres, such as fantasy, action, romance, and comedy. Some of the most famous anime series, such as Attack on Titan and Naruto, are also available on the service.
The site also offers its original shows, adding even more options for you. With so many series and even some dramas, watching on Crunchyroll feels endless, giving you lots of choices to enjoy.
Crunchyroll has both free and paid plans. The free tier supports ads and contains a bunch of popular titles and shows. However, it doesn’t offer features like offline viewing and simultaneous streams. To unlock the entire library along with other exciting features, you need to get the premium plan, starting at $7.99 per month.
2. Anime-Planet
Free
Offers legal streaming services
May sometimes delay episodes
Anime-Planet partners with legal streaming sites like Crunchyroll and VRV so you can enjoy your favorite shows without worrying about breaking any laws. The platform offers shows and anime movies in English or Japanese with subtitles to give you lots of options to enjoy the shows.
On Anime-Planet, you can keep track of the shows you’ve watched and create a list of the ones you want to see. This is especially helpful if you love finding new series to watch. The site also lets you socialize; you can make friends, follow, or get followed by them.
It also has a special recommendation page that suggests new anime shows based on what you like or have seen in the past. This makes it easy to find similar shows you’ll enjoy. Plus, it includes links to third-party providers, so if a show is available on another service, you can watch it directly.
You can also click on a title to learn everything about it, including the date it was released, the shows, the characters of the movie, the storyline, or reviews posted by other users. This will help you decide whether to view it.
3. Hulu
$9.99/month (with ads)
Offers access to local channels
Base plan contain ads
Hulu is a legal streaming service that aims to stand out by offering a large library of on-demand movies and shows. Unlike others, it also offers a live TV option. This makes it a great choice for people who are interested in watching popular TV series and live channels.
The site is compatible with almost every type of device, whether iOS, macOS, Android, or Windows, as well as game consoles and smart TVs. For anime lovers, the site offers a wide variety of choices, including popular shows like Futurama, Bob’s Burgers, and Adventure Time.
Hulu offers different subscription plans. You can start with an ad-supported plan for $9.99 a month. If you want to skip ads, there’s an ad-free plan for $18.99. They even have a special deal for college students to get the service for $1.99 a month (if you’re eligible for it).
What Happened to AnimeFlix
AnimeFlix was a popular free website for anime streaming. Millions of people used to visit the platform every month—it had a big community on Discord, with about 35,000 members joining various anime-themed discussions.
Community members also used to play games and take part in activities like art contests and chess tournaments. The site was also popular as the “Netflix of Anime.”
The website’s extra activities weren’t a problem for the studios that own the rights to most of these anime. However, it hosted and allowed users to stream pirated content. This act drew the attention of agencies that work against piracy.
As a result, AnimeFlix became the target of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), and it shut down in May 2024.
The Best AnimeFlix Proxy Sites (Updated 2025)
As mentioned above, the official AnimeFlix site shut down. If you liked it, don’t worry. The site still works through several of its proxy sites. These platforms offer a similar experience to that of AnimeFlix — they have a similar layout and content library.
If you want to access them, here are the best AnimeFlix proxy sites working at the time of writing:
| Sr No. | Mirror/Proxy | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | https://animeflixto.netlify.app/ | Active |
| 2. | https://animeflix.ltd/ | Active |
| 3. | https://animeflixmanual.adgstudios.co.za/ | Active |
| 4. | https://animeflix.uno/ | Active |
| 5. | https://animeflix.adgstudios.co.za/ | Active |
| 6. | https://animeflixhindi.net.in/ | Active |
| 7. | https://anime.adgstudios.co.za/ | Active |
These links aren’t safe to access and may contain malware and viruses. One wrong click, and you’ll end up compromising the safety of your device. Plus, we don’t know whether they are from the original creators or not, so make sure to protect yourself and your device using a VPN like ExtremeVPN and an antivirus like Total AV.
Is AnimeFlix Legal?
AnimeFlix lets users watch anime shows for free, but it isn’t legal—it doesn’t have the hosting rights to show its content.
For this reason, you should avoid using free services such as AnimeFlix. Not just this; many countries take copyright violations seriously. For instance, if you violate copyright policies in the US, you can get fined for up to $250,000 or even imprisoned. Hence, the best step is to stick to legal platforms such as Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Is AnimeFlix Safe?
No, AnimeFlix isn’t safe to use. It displays a lot of ads that contain malware and viruses. If you click any of them mistakenly, they may redirect you to harmful sources. To stay safe, always use an ad-blocker and an antivirus like Total AV when watching anime for free.
Also, hide your IP address so that your ISP can’t track your location. ExtremeVPN uses strong AES 256-bit encryption and connects you to a secure network tunnel. This way, all of your information stays private, no matter what you do online.
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