Korean dramas are now being watched by people around the world due to their increased exposure and investment of streaming companies like Netflix, Disney+, etc in them. This is called the Hallyu wave.
But why are Kdramas loved by people and tend to watch more? The reason behind this is the unique plots, talented actors, beautiful cinematography, and strong emotional appeal. The characters connect with the viewer easily.
To watch dramas, you can use streaming platforms like Netflix, Viki, Prime Video, and more. If you want to watch dramas on your mobile phone, here are the apps that you can download.
Apps To Watch Kdramas
If you want to watch Korean dramas on your smartphone, there are a lot of apps available on which you will be able to stream dramas. They are also subbed in different languages.
Some streaming apps offer dramas dubbed in regional languages to make it easy for people to watch in their local language. Many of them provide downloading feature to save dramas on your phone and watch them later.
Here are the apps that provide streaming of Kdramas with subtitles at high quality. All of these are available on Android and some are available on iOS.
1. Netflix (Paid)
Netflix is the most popular paid platform hosting a wide range of content including TV shows and movies. It is also home to one of the largest libraries of Korean dramas.
You can watch most of the dramas that you know on Netflix with English subtitles. Some dramas that have been watched by most of the audience have been dubbed in regional languages.
On the bad side, you need a monthly subscription to watch these dramas and it is quite costly. But the subscription is worth what it provides. Also, Netflix has announced more investment in Kdramas.
2. Viki (Free & Paid)
Viki has the largest library of Kdramas where you can watch almost all the dramas. Some of the dramas are free to watch at low quality and have few ads. To watch the currently airing dramas, you need to buy the standard plan.
The subtitles are crowdsourced i.e. all the dramas are subbed by the community members in various languages, not just English. Viki also has a forum where you can connect with other members.
The watch party function allows you to watch dramas simultaneously with your friends and enjoy with them. The learn mode will help you learn the Korean language while watching dramas.
3. Kocowa (Paid)
Kocowa is a joint streaming service created by three major Korean broadcasters: KBS, SBS, and MBC. It hosts all the recent and old dramas that aired on these channels. The only demerit is that it is available only in America.
Kocowa is a paid platform that costs $6.99/month for full access to all the content. Viki’s Pass Plus subscribers have additional access to Kocowa content without a separate subscription to Kocowa.
It offers a live stream that gives you a variety of entertainment options to enjoy while interacting with others. If you stream on a desktop or laptop, you can chat with other fans in real-time.
4. Prime Video (Paid)
Amazon Prime Video is an affordable streaming platform that includes a few popular Korean dramas with English subtitles. The availability of dramas varies from country to country.
Prime Video has Kocowa as one of the channels where you can enjoy all the content hosted on Kocowa. You can buy the Kocowa subscription and watch it on Prime Video.
The only bad side of Prime Video is the availability of dramas. There are only a few Kdramas available to watch and their availability is highly dependent on the country of residence.
5. Viu (Free & Paid)
Viu is a Korean drama streaming platform with a vast library of dramas that are served in Southeast Asian countries and the Middle East region. It also produces its original dramas in partnership with network distributors.
You can watch Kdramas for free on Viu but will have to suffer through ads. To watch the dramas in full 1080p HD quality, and use features like unlimited download without any ad interruption, you need to buy a premium subscription.
Several dramas are also available separately in localized language audio dubs. All the Korean dramas are subbed in various languages including English, Arabic, Bahasa Malaysia, Thai, and more.
6. WeTV (Free & Paid)
WeTV is a streaming service launched by Tencent, China’s largest streaming provider. It includes a lot of Korean & Chinese dramas to watch. Some are free to watch while others are paid.
You need to have a VIP subscription to get full access to all the episodes of the Kdramas and watch without any ads at high quality. The dramas are region-specific and may not be available in a few countries.
The VIP members also have early access to episodes and additional perks such as priority viewing of certain shows and exclusive content. The shows are subbed in different languages.
7. MX Player (Free)
MX Player is one of the top platforms where you can stream Kdramas for free in India. You can find some good dramas dubbed in Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, and Kannada.
The worst thing is the ads. While watching videos, unskippable ads appear frequently and not just one, two to three continuous video ads that interrupt the enjoyment of watching.
You can buy a gold subscription for Rs 400 per year to avoid advertisements and watch all the dramas in high quality. For Indian users who have a problem with listening to Korean, this is the best option.
8. Disney+ (Paid)
Recently, Disney Plus has been releasing numerous Korean dramas on its platform and is investing more in them. It operates as Disney+ Hotstar in Southeast Asian countries like India, the Phillipines, Singapore, etc.
For a small monthly or yearly plan, you get access to all the dramas along with other Disney, Hulu, and more content that can be watched with English subtitles. Some dramas have also been dubbed into English.
9. iQIYI (Paid)
iQIYI is another streaming platform from the Chinese company Baidu. It boasts an extensive content library, featuring a broad selection of Asian dramas, movies, and variety shows including Korean content.
Most of the dramas are not available in many countries due to licensing of the content. The platform offers high-quality shows and subtitles to its VIP users who have paid for the subscription.
10. YouTube (Free)
YouTube is the best source to watch Korean dramas for free. Some of the popular Kdramas of the channels SBS & KBS are available on YouTube with English subtitles. You can watch the dramas on SBS World & KBS World TV channels.
A few dramas that you can stream include Dr. Romantic, The Heirs, Pinocchio, My Strange Hero, I Can Hear Your Voice, Master’s Sun, Rooftop Prince, Fight For My Way, Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth, etc.
11. HiTV (Free)
HiTV is a new Kdrama streaming app that hosts all the dramas for free. You will be able to watch them at full HD quality with English subtitles with zero advertisements. It also includes the currently airing dramas.
This app is the only streaming service where you can watch all the dramas free without any paid subscription or monthly fees. But this app is not legal and dramas are not licensed to this app.
Wrapping Up
So, these were the Kdrama streaming apps that you can download and use to watch Korean dramas on your phone. Some of them require a subscription while some are free to use.
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FAQs
1. What is the best free Kdrama app?
The best apps to watch Korean dramas for free are Viki, WeTV, MX Player, YouTube, and HiTV. These apps can be downloaded for free.
2. Which app has all Kdramas?
Apps such as Netflix, Viki, Viu include almost all the Korean dramas that have been released and also dramas that are airing now.
3. Which Kdrama apps are paid?
Apps like Netflix, Viu, Kocowa, Prime Video require a paid subscription to stream dramas. They charge a monthly fee for full access.
