STREAMING

The Best Documentaries Streaming Right Now, Service by Service

By Matt Oakes · October 25, 2026

I see a lot of documentaries, most of them at festivals, and the good ones tend to vanish into streaming libraries with zero fanfare. This guide rounds up the best nonfiction I’ve reviewed that you can actually stream right now, from Not Going Quietly and Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain to The Look of Silence, grouped by service so you can start with what you already pay for.

Plenty of festival standouts haven’t landed on streaming yet. They’ll join the list as soon as they do.

Jump to: Netflix · HBO Max · Prime Video · Hulu · Paramount+ · Peacock · Apple TV · Kanopy · Tubi

Documentaries on Netflix

Critics and Audience scores from Rotten Tomatoes; ratings from IMDb. Scores as of October 2026.

BEST OF ENEMIES (2015)

93%Critics 86%Audience 7.6IMDb

Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon revisit the 1968 televised debates between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal, a bitter, brilliant sparring match that helped invent modern cable punditry. Best Of Enemies excels in its concept, execution, and timing. Educational though it may be, it’s as enjoyable as it is thought provoking.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

MERU (2015)

88%Critics 91%Audience 7.7IMDb

While it may not inspire too many non-climbers to scale some peaks, Meru gives us a glimpse into the real psyches and lifestyles of real mountain climbers, with minimal gloss. Serious aspiring climbers should take note. Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi follow three elite mountaineers attempting the Shark’s Fin, one of the Himalayas’ most treacherous routes.▶ Streaming on Netflix · Read the full review

Documentaries on HBO Max

ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN (2021)

91%Critics 94%Audience 7.7IMDb

Morgan Neville’s involving documentary puts Anthony Bourdain’s travels and struggles into razor sharp focus, creating a compelling and full-bodied portrait of an ambitious journeyman, a restless searcher, a semi-charmed lover, and a crestfallen philosopher.▶ Streaming on HBO Max · Read the full review

AMY (2015)

96%Critics 87%Audience 7.8IMDb

It’s easy to forget that even the most self-destructive celebrities are simply people. Asif Kapadia tells Amy Winehouse’s story almost entirely through home video and archival footage, and the result is intimate, devastating, and a damning look at the industry and tabloids that fed on her.▶ Streaming on HBO Max · Read the full review

Documentaries on Prime Video

BLACKFISH (2013)

98%Critics 90%Audience 8.1IMDb

The story of Tilikum, the orca behind multiple deaths at SeaWorld, and the industry that kept him captive. Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s documentary is infuriating and heartbreaking, and it changed how a lot of people think about marine parks.▶ Streaming on Prime Video · Read the full review

CARTEL LAND (2015)

90%Critics 82%Audience 7.3IMDb

Vigilante groups on both sides of the US-Mexico border take up arms against the drug cartels, and the lines between them blur fast. Matthew Heineman’s camera gets astonishingly close to the violence, and the access pays off in a documentary that plays like a thriller.▶ Streaming on Prime Video · Read the full review

FRESH DRESSED (2015)

91%Critics 55%Audience 6.5IMDb

A documentary history of hip-hop fashion, from the streets of the South Bronx to global luxury brands. It’s a fun, well-sourced look at how style became identity, packed with interviews from the people who made it happen.▶ Streaming on Prime Video · Read the full review

THE LOOK OF SILENCE (2014)

97%Critics 89%Audience 8.2IMDb

Joshua Oppenheimer’s companion to The Act of Killing follows Adi, an optometrist who quietly confronts the men who murdered his brother during Indonesia’s 1965 genocide. In a culture of passive ignorance and totalitarian fear, The Look of Silence is everything and actually has the power to change the world. It’s nervously hopeful and yet completely crushing.▶ Streaming on Prime Video · Read the full review

Documentaries on Hulu

SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) (2021)

Questlove creates a toe-tapping and revolutionary documentary that’ll have audiences foaming at the mouth for more. The lineup of talent is simply insane, the performances eye-popping, the talking-head commentary on Black culture and music’s place within it is poignant and relevant today without stopping the contagious upbeat energy. An absolute must-see.▶ Streaming on Hulu · Read the full review

FREE SOLO (2018)

97%Critics 93%Audience 8.1IMDb

A powerful, white-knuckle documentary about fear, passion, and humanity, Free Solo is a thrilling ascent into mountaineering mania fastened by a complicated figure in free-climbing fanatic Alex Honnold. Prepare thyself for the sweatiest palms of 2018.▶ Streaming on Hulu · Read the full review

Documentaries on Paramount+

LISTEN TO ME MARLON (2015)

95%Critics 88%Audience 8.1IMDb

Marlon Brando narrates his own life through hundreds of hours of private audio recordings. Stevan Riley’s documentary is an immersive, haunting self-portrait of an actor who was as mysterious as he was brilliant. It is as close as anyone will get to hearing Brando explain himself.▶ Streaming on Paramount+ · Read the full review

SABAYA (2021)

100%Critics 68%Audience 7.1IMDb

Though one may be left wanting more footage and more character after watching the horrifying Sabaya, there is no denying the raw power of Hogir Hinori’s guerrilla documentary which shines a light on one of Earth’s darkest spots.▶ Streaming on Paramount+ · Read the full review

Documentaries on Peacock

THE ALPINIST (2021)

93%Critics 97%Audience 7.9IMDb

A stark reminder of the perilous extremes of climbing, The Alpinist is a fascinating character study of young renegade Marc-André Leclerc and thoughtful companion piece to the recent slew of free solo documentaries, which focuses more on the internal mysteries of the subject than the technical craft of the sport.▶ Streaming on Peacock · Read the full review

Documentaries on Apple TV

THE LAST FIRST: WINTER K2 (2026)

100%Critics 7.2IMDb

A layered documentary about the costs of chasing records in modern mountaineering as the pursuit becomes increasingly “accessible” to paid adventurers. The Last First: Winter K2 from documentarian Amir Bar-Lev is a foreseeable tragedy of epic proportions with one hell of a backdrop.▶ Streaming on Apple TV · Read the full review

Documentaries on Kanopy

NOT GOING QUIETLY (2021)

100%Critics 91%Audience 7.9IMDb

A masterful character study and politically activated documentary about ALS-stricken activist Ady Barkan, Not Going Quietly is a powerful and overwhelmingly emotional story of a heroic man honing the power of his voice just as he begins to lose it, and the rest of his physical abilities, to an absolutely debilitating disease.▶ Streaming on Kanopy · Read the full review

HONEYLAND (2019)

100%Critics 86%Audience 8.0IMDb

Honeyland masterfully employs the documentary medium to tell a sprawling story about sustainability through the lens of a traditional Macedonian beekeeper. The perfect cross section of educational entertainment and storytelling prowess, the Sundance award winner is nectar for the soul that buzzes with poignancy.▶ Streaming on Kanopy · Read the full review

A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX (2021)

66%Critics 25%Audience 5.3IMDb

As fascinating, thought-provoking, and well-researched a documentary as A Glitch in the Matrix is, it also proves to be utterly terrifying in both its study of simulation theory and the dark real world implications it poses.▶ Streaming on Kanopy · Read the full review

LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD (2016)

92%Critics 68%Audience 7.0IMDb

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World is classic, if not top-tier, Herzog. Poignant, analytical, wide-spanning and cutting; the kind of documentary that’ll leave you thinking long, long after it fades to black. Werner Herzog’s survey of the internet ranges from the birth of networking to robots and digital addiction, all filtered through his inimitable curiosity.▶ Streaming on Kanopy · Read the full review

SNEAKERHEADZ (2015)

62%Critics 42%Audience 6.4IMDb

A documentary deep dive into sneaker culture, from rare drops to resale empires. It’s a comprehensive and entertaining look at a world of collectors who will camp out for days for the right pair. It’s a fun primer whether you own one pair or a closet full.▶ Streaming on Kanopy · Read the full review

SWEATY BETTY (2015)

90%Critics 46%Audience 6.0IMDb

See it for Scooby’s delectable diatribes alone. This idiosyncratic blend of documentary and fiction wanders through a handful of offbeat lives with loose, lo-fi charm, and while a few musical cues land heavy-handed, the affection behind it is genuine.▶ Streaming on Kanopy · Read the full review

Documentaries on Tubi

JODOROWSKY’S DUNE (2013)

97%Critics 89%Audience 8.0IMDb

The story of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s mad, never-made adaptation of Dune and the visionary team he assembled to make it. It’s an infectious documentary about creative ambition, and you’ll leave wishing the film existed. Frank Pavich lets Jodorowsky’s infectious enthusiasm carry the film, and the storyboards alone are worth the watch.▶ Streaming on Tubi · Read the full review

THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF (2020)

97%Critics 85%Audience 7.5IMDb

Czech painter Barbora Kysilkova has two of her most celebrated works stolen in broad daylight, but rather than seek legal revenge against the addict thief, she invites him to become her artistic subject. A powerful portrait of the unlikely friendship between two deeply scarred and broken individuals, The Painter and the Thief explores forgiveness, addiction, trauma, and inspiration in a way that fictionalized dramas rarely can. Filmed over several years, Benjamin Ree’s twisty documentary is one of the best examples of truth being stranger than fiction.▶ Streaming on Tubi · From my Top Ten of 2020

FAQ

Where can I stream the best documentaries?

Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, and Hulu all carry strong documentaries, and Kanopy and Tubi stream plenty for free. Each pick above links to where it’s streaming now.