How To Watch Cartoons Online For Free in HD (No Piracy)

The popularity of online streaming services means that there are now hundreds of ways you can access any episode of your favorite cartoon without a hassle. However, not all websites make watching cartoons easy. Subpar quality, mirrored content, and time consuming registration forms can make the overall experience less enjoyable.

Navigating through the sea of dodgy sites to find the best ones can be a tedious process. To help alleviate your journey, we’ve compiled a list of the best sites where you can watch cartoons online for free in HD—completely legally. 

Let’s jump right into what makes each website a worthy contender.

1. YouTube

As one of the largest free online streaming platforms, YouTube is a great choice to watch any kind of content online. Therefore, its animated content library does not disappoint, with thousands of hours of cartoons just a click away. Quality on YouTube ranges from High Definition (1080p) to Ultra High Definition (4K), and you don’t need to register to start watching.

Google also makes a dedicated YouTube Kids app for children where they can access a ton of original cartoons from creators on the platform. Plus, you can customize parental controls to allow just the right amount of access to younglings. 

The site also does not need any VPN to be accessed, though some content might be geo-locked. YouTube has a very strong recommendation algorithm so you are likely to find your preferred show easily, along with coming across new gems that you never though you’d like!

2. SuperCartoons

SuperCartoons is a great site if you love classic cartoons. Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, The Pink Panther, and Popeye are just some of the titles easily accessible to watch from the front page of the site. The quality of the shows available is quite high, and the buffering is also minimal—which makes watching any show an enjoyable experience.

The site is also legal, so you don’t have to worry about consuming pirated content. However, it is a bit old fashioned in its user interface, and the ad placement can make navigation a little confusing, though it’s nothing too bothersome.

3. Crunchyroll

If you love to watch Japanese anime and other Asian animated content, then Crunchyroll is the site for you. The service carries an extensive library of shows, with thousands of titles to enjoy. Any anime you can think of, you can bet that Crunchyroll will have its episodes on its site.

The site operates legally, and all the content is licensed so you don’t have to worry about any pirated videos. Many shows are free to watch but for unlimited access to the site, there is an ad-free premium version. However, the cheapest premium plan is just a couple dollars a month, which is quite the bargain for what it offers.

4. Cartoon Network

In operation for decades, Cartoon Network is one of, if not, the most recognizable television channels for cartoons. The channel’s official website is a great option to watch cartoons streamed by the network online. The website has a vast catalog filled with all your favorites. Whether you are a fan of new shows like Teen Titans or you prefer the classics like The PowerPuff Girls, Cartoon Network has got you covered on all fronts.

There are a handful of full-length episodes on the site available for free, but you can also watch of clips from various cartoons, which often contains the best parts of the episodes. In addition to videos, this website also has many interactive cartoon-themed games which can keep the young ones entertained for hours.

5. Boomerang

With an extensive library full of classic fan favorites like Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Popeye, Dorothy, Scooby Doo, and many more to choose from, Boomerang is a great site to watch cartoons online. The website has an easy to use and ad-free interface, while being completely legal, too, as all shows are licensed to stream.

Much of the content of the site is free, but to unlock the rest you can take a $5.99/month subscription, which is well worth it for the amount of shows you get to uncover. If you want to take the time to think it over, there is a one week free trial available to help you make your mind.

What to Look Out For

When it comes to streaming any content online, there are some risks attached. Just because a cartoon is readily available online to watch doesn’t mean that the website is one you should be visiting. Issues of all kind can arise on sites that look to be good to be true, such as annoying popups, malicious software, pirated content, among others.

This can make the experience of watching cartoons range from annoying to dangerous, so it is best to be careful, and only refer to professional websites with a big enough reputation. That is precisely the reason why our list only includes the top sites with the best content.

Is It Legal?

One of the first questions you should ask yourself when navigating to any site, regardless of whether it is to watch cartoons, is whether the site is legal. Illegal sites promoting pirated content are rampant all over the internet, and you may be a frequent user of one without even realizing it.

The creators of cartoons put a lot of effort into producing, sketching, animating, and publishing their content, and watching them through an illicit site is not only against the law, but downright unethical. Such sites often also are vulnerable to lawsuits and are simply not reliable, so you should be aware of this before watching. 

An easy way to catch an illegal site is to see if it offers a vast amount of content from seemingly every providers, all for free and in good quality. You can also scour around Reddit or other forums to get recommendations, ask if a site is illegal or learn from people’s experiences. For now, stick to our list and you won’t be disappointed.

Too Many Ads

You may have come across many online platforms which display an excess of random pop ups, redirects, and advertisements scattered throughout their site. This can make something as fun as watching cartoons turn into a headache, ruining the whole experience. You can try an ad-blocker to mitigate this, but it’s best to avoid ad-ridden sites in the first place.

Conclusion

There are legitimate ways of watching cartoons online for free without having to resort to unlawful measures. The sites listed above offer an impressive variety of content for every taste, all for absolutely no money. You can chose to sign up for a subscription if you feel like it’s worth it, or even use tools like a VPN to unlock even more content beyond your reach. Everything is just a click away.