When it comes to streaming anime online, Crunchyroll and Kissanime are two of the biggest names in the business. They both offer huge libraries of anime content. Choosing which is right for you involves deciding what’s most important to you.
Main Differences Between Crunchyroll and Kissanime
The main differences between Crunchyroll and Kissanime are:
- Crunchyroll has free and premium subscriptions whereas Kissanime does not.
- Crunchyroll Premium subscriptions allow you to stream your anime content in HD whereas Kissanime does not.
- Crunchyroll has ad-free content whereas Kissanime does not.
- Crunchyroll revenue goes back to the content creators whereas Kissanime does not.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll has been around since the early 2000s. They have a huge library of content. All content is subbed and some of it is dubbed. However, it’s all available to all users, no matter their subscription level. They even offer their entire library of anime content to free users.
Features
Crunchyroll has a clean and easy-to-use interface. It’s one of the best services for streaming anime. While free users will experience ads before, in the middle, and after playback, they still have access to anime, manga, and Jdrama content.
For premium users, Crunchyroll releases brand new content only an hour after it’s been released in Japan. You’ll also enjoy all of your content in high definition, rather than the standard definition of the free plan.
Other perks for paying users include a discount at the Crunchyroll store, extra goodie bags and front-of-line access at conventions, and exclusive beta test privileges for new features.
The beauty of Crunchyroll, and one of the main reasons why so many people use it, is that all revenue goes directly back to the original creators, which means you’re supporting the anime community and ensuring that all of your favorites are funded.
While other streaming subscriptions don’t do this, this is what gives Crunchyroll the power to deliver such a huge library of content to its users so quickly. There’s no risk of them getting shut down and it’s a completely legal operation.
Subscriptions
Crunchyroll offers three subscription plans. The free subscription still requires an email address for registration, but it gives you access to the entire Crunchyroll content library in standard definition.
This is a great option for those who don’t mind ads and want to watch their favorite anime without paying for the service. While you won’t get immediate access to things right after they’re released in Japan, you will enjoy the same content later.
Crunchyroll’s Premium subscription is available monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Each is a better value than the last and offers several advantages over the free version.
With Premium, you’ll enjoy content an hour after it’s been released in Japan. You’ll also get to enjoy this content ad-free and in high definition. With extra discounts at the Crunchyroll store, you can also enjoy merchandise cheaper than others.
Crunchyroll also has a Premium+ subscription for those who don’t want to merely watch their anime, but want to experience it. This subscription is also available monthly, quarterly, or yearly. It gives you exclusive access to perks like goodie bags and front-of-line access to conventions.
You’ll get to experience access to exclusive competitions and you’ll also test new beta features before they’re released to anyone else on Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll uses feedback from beta testers to improve the site, so you’ll get in on the ground floor of brand new things.
Kissanime
Kissanime is one of the most popular free anime streaming services available. They offer a huge library of content for free to all users. All content is subbed, while some is dubbed, but it doesn’t require any sort of email or registration to watch.
Features
Kissanime’s library is really large, and their interface makes it really easy to find what you want. In fact, you can sort alphabetically, by genre, or by release year. You can also type directly in the search field to find what you want.
They display popular, trending, and featured titles prominently at the top, so there’s always something new to watch. While you may not get access to brand new content an hour after it’s released, Kissanime is uploading new content daily.
Kissanime provides both TV shows and movies on their site. Because it’s free, you’ll likely run into some ads on the site in various places and you may have to prove you’re not a robot by entering a Captcha or two.
They’ve included a disclaimer that all content is owned by the original creators, but the means by which they acquire their content is not always 100% legal.
By streaming their content, you’re not doing anything wrong, but it is important to keep in mind that providing the streams and hosting the content may not follow legal practices.
Like other free sites, you may run the risk of losing access to your content if the site gets taken down. However, copyright laws are enforced differently in different places, so it all depends on where the content is coming from and where it’s being stored.
Many people don’t like this sort of structure because it doesn’t support the anime community. No money goes back to the original creators of the content you love. Others will argue that there’s nothing wrong with accessing the content for free or that this is a good way to get your feet wet with anime before paying for a subscription.
Nonetheless, if you’re looking for free anime content, Kissanime is one of the biggest and the best.
Subscriptions
Kissanime does not offer any subscription plans. All of their content is free. In fact, you don’t even have to enter your email to watch it. It’s one of the best free experiences out there. There’s no registration process at all.
While other free sites will make you enter an email so you can watch even their free content, Kissanime doesn’t, making for a really great free solution to watching all of the anime you could ever want to watch.
The free nature of this site means you won’t get access to the newest anime right away, but they are uploading new things every day and you’ll never run out of things to watch.
FAQ
If you’re looking for the right anime-watching solution for you, here are some frequently asked questions to help you decide.
Is Crunchyroll worth buying?
Crunchyroll is definitely worth buying for a few reasons. Crunchyroll offers the latest anime content a mere hour after it’s released in Japan. You get access to high definition anime, manga, and Jdrama content.
You’re doing your part to support the anime community and all revenue goes back to the original creators.
Crunchyroll also offers all of their content subbed in English, with many of it dubbed so you don’t have to read subtitles.
However, if you don’t want to spring for a subscription, using the free version of Crunchyroll still demonstrates your support for the industry, even if you don’t get immediate access to new content and you don’t get to watch it in high definition.
Is Crunchyroll illegal?
Crunchyroll is 100% legal. Many people love this because even if they don’t pay for a subscription, they know that all revenue goes back to the original content creator and they’re supporting the anime industry by using the service.
Is Kissanime dangerous?
Watching anime on Kissanime is completely safe. There are no downloads, so there’s no potential for your computer to contract a virus. Everything is streamed online and there’s no registration, so no one will have access to your personal email or other information, especially if you use a VPN to do it.
Is Kissanime illegal?
Copyright laws are different in different places. For the most part, if you’re watching anime on Kissanime, you’re not doing anything illegal. It is only illegal to obtain, store, or stream anime to others. But again, copyright laws vary from place to place.
It’s hard to know where Kissanime gets their anime, so they may or may not be using legal practices to obtain their content. That also means that because you’re not paying for it, there’s no money going back to the original creators and you’re not doing anything to support the anime industry.
The Verdict
Which service you choose is largely dependent upon what you’re looking for in your anime. If you want to ensure that all revenue goes back to supporting the anime community, regardless of whether you pay for it or not, Crunchyroll is the right choice.
Cruncyroll is also the right choice if you want to pay for a subscription that gives you access to high definition content an hour after it’s released in Japan. You’ll get an ad-free experience this way, too.
Kissanime is perfect for those who don’t want to have to register with an email address to watch their anime. It eliminates spam and the risk of being marketed to. Kissanime has a huge library of anime and it’s great for those who simply want to watch their anime with no strings attached.
