Kanopy is a free streaming platform that offers hundreds of critically acclaimed movies, documentaries, foreign films, and more. The catch? You need to be a member of a participating public library or university to access its content. This article will dive into everything you need to know about this excellent free service.
- What is Kanopy streaming?
- Is Kanopy free?
- How to watch content on Kanopy
- How does Kanopy make money?
- Can I use a VPN to access Kanopy?
- Is Kanopy safe?
- A great free service if you can get it
What is Kanopy streaming?
Kanopy is a streaming service that partners with public libraries and universities to bring free and ad-free movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films, and educational videos to their members. Each participating library or university has its own portal where it can curate the content available, and otherwise customize the experience.
Kanopy started as an Australian company, but is now headquartered in San Francisco. It currently partners with institutions in Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
Is Kanopy free?
If you are a member of a participating library or university, Kanopy is 100% free to use.
How does Kanopy make money?
Modern libraries don’t just purchase books that you can borrow. They offer digital resources (such as films) that you can access for free as a library member. The library or university covers the costs for this. If the library uses Kanopy as its digital services provider, it pays Kanopy a fee on a pay-per-view basis.
How to watch content on Kanopy
The Kanopy streaming service has apps for all major platforms and can be accessed via its website. Crucially, it’s only available to members of participating libraries and academic institutions.
Online and in-app search tools make it easy to find out if your library or university is a Kanopy partner.
If it is, you can sign in with your library card number and PIN or password, or using your student or faculty ID.
Can I use a VPN to access Kanopy?
If you search “Kanopy,” you will see a number of “best VPN for Kanopy” results. However, Kanopy does not block users based on their geographic location — if you’re a member of a participating institution and enter your correct membership details, you can access Kanopy from anywhere, with no need for a VPN.
If you aren’t a member of a participating library or university, using a VPN won’t help you to access the service.
Is Kanopy safe?
Yes. Kanopy is a reputable service that partners with public libraries and education institutions worldwide. With most services that are billed as being “free”, its right to be cautious. Nobody offers this kind of service without a viable business model, so what you don’t pay for in money, you pay for with your privacy and by watching ads.
However, while Kanopy is a commercial company in the business of making a profit, it’s business model if different. It gets paid by your library or university, which will have its own funding model (and it which also uses to purchase and lend out books, free of charge to you as a member).
In 2019, three of the largest public libraries in the United States (New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library) stopped using Kanopy because they found it too expensive. A purely financial decision by the libraries, this was never about concern over their users’ safety.
Final thoughts: A great free service if you can get it
Because its catalog is curated for public libraries and universities, hundreds of excellent titles are available through this free streaming service. And if you’re lucky enough to belong to a library or university that has partnered with Kanopy, you can watch them for free.
However, Kanopy is not the only platform used by libraries and universities to provide digital content to their members, and many purchase their own resources for this purpose. So if you want to access free high-quality films and documentaries, it is well worth contacting your local library to find out what it offers.
At Proton, we’re committed to providing you with unbiased information about staying safe online. This includes providing letting you about any security and privacy concerns with streaming apps. It’s always sensible to cautious about “free” apps, but in the case on Kanopy, it offers a solid service with a reputable business that lets you “borrow” films from your library in a similar to to how you borrow a book.
