How to watch Chinese dramas & short dramas
Two different worlds. C-dramas are 12–70 episode TV series in Mandarin with subtitles, streamed free-with-ads or by subscription. Vertical short dramas are 50–100 one-to-two-minute episodes shot for your phone, mostly in English, unlocked episode by episode with coins. Here is every legal way in.
Quick answers
- I'm in the US / Europe and want subtitles in my language → Viki first (community subtitles in 30+ languages), then iQIYI and YouTube.
- I'm in Southeast Asia → iQIYI and WeTV have the biggest catalogues and Thai / Indonesian / Malay / Vietnamese subtitles (and some dubs).
- I don't want to read subtitles → short dramas on ReelShort and DramaBox are in English. See our English-audio list.
- Free only → YouTube official channels (full older dramas), free-with-ads tiers on iQIYI / WeTV / Viki, and the first 8–15 episodes of any short drama.
- Why can't I find X on Netflix? → Netflix licenses C-dramas per country. Our Netflix links open a search inside your own account so you see what is actually available to you.
How short-drama apps charge you (read this before you install)
- Episodes 1–~10 are free. Then each episode costs roughly 50–80 coins; packs of coins cost US$5–100.
- A weekly/monthly subscription unlocks everything on that app — usually cheaper if you watch more than two series a month.
- Daily check-ins, watching ads, and new-user bonuses give free coins. The app will push paid packs hard; you can ignore them.
- Same title often exists on two apps (one may be the original, one a dub). Our pages show every app we found it on, so pick the one you already have.
- Pirate re-uploads on TikTok/YouTube are everywhere and usually get cut off mid-series. The legal apps are free for the first episodes anyway.
Platform by platform
ReelShort short dramas · 160 titles indexed
The biggest vertical short-drama app outside China, run by Crazy Maple Studio. Mostly English-language originals shot in the US, built on Chinese web-novel tropes.
- Price
- Free first episodes, then coins or subscription
- Regions
- Global (app + web)
- Audio
- English originals; some dubbed imports
- Subtitles
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web
- How it works
- Open the link, tap play. The first 8–15 episodes are free; later episodes cost coins (bought in packs) or are included in a weekly/monthly subscription. Daily check-ins and ads unlock free coins.
DramaBox short dramas · 182 titles indexed
Second-largest short-drama app overseas, from Singapore-based StoryMatrix. Higher volume, more dubbed Chinese imports, lots of 'hidden tycoon' and revenge plots.
- Price
- Free first episodes, then coins or subscription
- Regions
- Global (app + web)
- Audio
- English (originals and dubs)
- Subtitles
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Chinese
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web
- How it works
- Same coin model as ReelShort. Web player works without installing; the app has more free-coin promos.
NetShort short dramas · 314 titles indexed
Strong in subtitled and dubbed Chinese imports — rebirth, period revenge, family sagas.
- Price
- Free first episodes, then coins
- Regions
- Global (app)
- Audio
- English dubs and subtitled Chinese
- Subtitles
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai
- Apps
- iOS, Android
- How it works
- App only. Coins unlock episodes; ads give free coins.
ShortMax short dramas · 94 titles indexed
ShortMax (web: ShortTV) — huge catalogue of dubbed Chinese shorts; the "war god returns" male-lead genre lives here.
- Price
- Free first episodes, then coins
- Regions
- Global (app)
- Audio
- English dubs and subtitled Chinese
- Subtitles
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai, Arabic
- Apps
- iOS, Android
- How it works
- App only; coin model.
iQIYI C-dramas · 216 titles indexed
iQIYI's international service. The home of 'Mist Theater' thrillers and most big costume dramas from the iQIYI pipeline.
- Price
- Free with ads; VIP from ~US$3–8/month
- Regions
- Global except mainland China (catalogue varies by country)
- Audio
- Mandarin (original)
- Subtitles
- English, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Malay, Spanish, Arabic, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional)
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web, smart TV
- How it works
- Most episodes are free with ads a week after VIP release; VIP removes ads and unlocks new episodes early. Change subtitle language in the player's gear menu.
WeTV C-dramas · 91 titles indexed
Tencent Video outside China: Joy of Life, Three-Body, The Long Season, and most Tencent-produced hits.
- Price
- Free with ads; VIP from ~US$3–7/month
- Regions
- Southeast Asia, India, Americas, Europe (varies)
- Audio
- Mandarin (original); some Thai/Indonesian dubs
- Subtitles
- English, Thai, Indonesian, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese, Malay, Arabic, Chinese
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web, smart TV
- How it works
- Tencent Video's international app. Same free-with-ads vs VIP pattern as iQIYI. Dubbed audio tracks exist in Thai and Indonesian for some titles.
Youku C-dramas · 80 titles indexed
Alibaba's Youku: Till the End of the Moon, Hidden Love, The Double. Weaker web experience, strong YouTube presence.
- Price
- Free with ads; VIP
- Regions
- Global (international app); some titles on YouTube
- Audio
- Mandarin (original)
- Subtitles
- English, Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web
- How it works
- Youku's international app and its official YouTube channels carry English-subtitled versions of most Youku originals.
Viki C-dramas · 722 titles indexed
Best for North America and Europe. Pick a drama, check the 'subtitles' % on its page, and choose your language in the player.
- Price
- Free with ads; Viki Pass from ~US$5/month
- Regions
- Americas, Europe, Oceania, parts of Asia (varies by title)
- Audio
- Mandarin (original)
- Subtitles
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indonesian, Arabic, Chinese, and 20+ more (community-translated)
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, smart TV
- How it works
- Rakuten-owned. Subtitles are community-made in 30+ languages, often the most complete for older dramas. Check the title page for your region; many C-dramas are not licensed in Asia.
Netflix C-dramas · 21 titles indexed
Small but polished catalogue: The Untamed, Hidden Love, Meteor Garden, Reset, The Bad Kids in many regions.
- Price
- Subscription
- Regions
- Varies heavily by country
- Audio
- Mandarin (original); English dubs on some titles
- Subtitles
- English, and local languages per region
- Apps
- Everything
- How it works
- Netflix licenses a small, rotating set of C-dramas per region. Search inside your own Netflix — our link opens that search.
YouTube C-dramas · 288 titles indexed
The most under-used legal source. Older and mid-tier dramas are often complete and free here.
- Price
- Free with ads (official channels)
- Regions
- Global; some channels geo-block
- Audio
- Mandarin (original)
- Subtitles
- English (hard-coded or CC), often Thai, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Spanish via CC
- Apps
- Everything
- How it works
- Chinese broadcasters (Youku, Mango TV, Croton, Huace, Linmon…) upload full episodes with English subtitles to official channels. Look for the verified channel; avoid re-uploads.
GoodShort short dramas · 89 titles indexed
DramaBox's sister app from StoryMatrix with a separate catalogue — many ENG-dubbed Chinese imports.
- Price
- Free first episodes, then coins or subscription
- Regions
- Global (app + web)
- Audio
- English (originals and dubs)
- Subtitles
- English, Spanish, Portuguese, Indonesian, Thai, Japanese, Korean
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web
- How it works
- Same coin model as DramaBox (same parent company). The web player works without installing.
MoboReels short dramas · 46 titles indexed
Smaller app with a female-skewing catalogue: secret babies, mafia husbands, dragon lords.
- Price
- Free first episodes, then coins
- Regions
- Global (app + web)
- Audio
- English (dubs and originals)
- Subtitles
- English, Spanish, Portuguese
- Apps
- iOS, Android, web
- How it works
- Coin model; web pages carry full episode lists.
Subtitle tips
- On iQIYI and WeTV, subtitle language is in the player's gear icon; your account language also changes the default.
- On Viki, each title page shows subtitle completion per language (e.g. "English 100%"). Below 95% means some episodes are untranslated.
- YouTube official uploads often have English hard-coded into the video and more languages under CC.
- Short-drama apps usually offer a subtitle toggle even for English audio; dubbed imports sometimes keep Chinese on-screen text.
Prices and regions change often. Last reviewed 2026-11-09. Some outbound links may be affiliate links — see our disclosure.