Anime has a tremendous following globally. While the anime streaming service Crunchyroll is probably most commonly used on iPhone and iPad, it’s also easy to use it on the Mac. In fact, all you really need is any browser.
What the Premier Anime Streaming Service Offers
Crunchyroll has been serving up anime since 2006, and it’s probably the most well-known platform for enjoying the content. Beyond just your anime shows, Crunchyroll also maintains a merchandise store, a manga library and a growing collection of games.
The streaming service offers a free plan with some content. However, getting access to the full library of anime shows is behind a paywall. If you’re not certain that Crunchyroll is right for you, though, you can try a 14-day free trial of the premium plan.
In the U.S., Crunchyroll’s premium plans cost between $7.99 and $14.99 per month, depending on how many devices you want to be able to stream at a time. The base Fan account gives you unlimited, ad-free streaming on a single device at a time.
The slightly pricier Mega Fan and Ultimate Fan packages cost more, but offer you more in return. You’ll be able to stream on more devices at a time, so you can share your account with others in your household. You’ll also get access to offline viewing, discounts at the merchandise store, and more.
Getting Started with Crunchyroll Anime on Your Mac
All you need to get started is a browser, like Safari, and your email address. Just go to the Crunchyroll website, where you’ll see the option to start a 14-day free trial to premium access.
After clicking the link, you can choose which plan you want to try out. Or, just click down at the bottom to simply create a free account and start watching.
Next, you’ll be asked to provide your email address and set a password for the account. Unless you want to end up on Crunchyroll’s marketing mailing list, you may want to uncheck the option for “Crunchyroll info, offers, and news.”
That done, you can configure your username and avatar. You can make up your own, or allow Crunchyroll to generate a randomized username for you.
Confirm your email address with the link the service sends you, and you’ll be good to go.
Viewing Content on Crunchyroll
After the brief account setup, you’ll be ready to find your favorite anime and start watching. When browsing, the site shows you the most popular titles but you can also search using the magnifying glass.
When you choose a show, you’ll see a menu that should be familiar from other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV+. You can sort episodes oldest to newest, newest to oldest or just go by seasons.
In the player, you’ll have access to a play/pause button, fast-forward and volume controls. There’s also a timeline scrubber, so you can click and drag to find where you want to view. On the right, a gear icon allows access to autoplay and subtitles controls.
Below the controls, you’ll see what anime series you’re watching, info about the current episode, the next episode and more.
Of course, for the ultimate in immersive viewing, you can click the icon to take your video full-screen.
Get Even More From Your Experience
Crunchyroll is much more than just a streaming service. Aiming to be your one-stop shop for all things anime, it also offers a manga library and growing collection of anime-inspired games.
There’s also a merchandise store, where you can buy officially-licensed toys, clothes and more associated with your favorite anime shows. You’ll find Funko Pop figures, clothing, Blu-ray collections and more.
To help keep up with what’s happening in the world of anime, Crunchyroll also runs its own news site. This provides interviews, breaking news and reviews.