It sure seems like everybody has cut the cable cord. You can find practically anything you want to watch on streaming services these days, but even they are getting more expensive by the year.
If you’re a real bargain hunter, you want to find ways to watch movies online for free. Believe it or not, legal and secure free movie resources do exist, and we’ve found them all for you. Here is our list of the best places to watch free movies online.
The Roku Channel
When Roku initially launched its free, ad-supported Roku Channel, it wasn’t technically eligible for this roundup. You had to have one of the company’s streaming media devices to see it. Roku devices certainly won’t break the bank, but they aren’t free. Now, however, the Roku Channel is available to anyone via the web or the company’s free iOS and Android apps.
The service boasts more than 80,000 movies and TV shows, including favorites like John Wick, Pulp Fiction, and Mean Girls. There are also a number of new and old TV shows, from The Dick Van Dyke Show to Bewitched to The Bachelorette.
You’ll need to create a free Roku account before you can watch, but that’s a quick and painless process. If you ever decide to expand your choices, the Roku Channel is now home to several premium subscription options, including Showtime, MGM+, Paramount+, Discovery+, Cinemax, AMC+, and Starz. The Roku Channel is available in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
YouTube
This one is a no-brainer. Everyone knows YouTube is the largest video hosting service on the Internet. You have probably already used the site for silly cat videos and footage of people getting hit with exercise balls.
However, YouTube also has a sizable collection of feature-length movies on its Free to Watch tier. Granted, the majority of these are B-movie novelties, but there are a few quality flicks hiding in there.
In addition to the free, Google-curated movies, YouTube features thousands of films that won’t appear unless you search for them directly. If you’re looking for a particular title, especially an older one, it’s worth doing a quick YouTube search to see if someone has posted it. They aren’t always uploaded by the film’s rights holders, and many of them are divided into episodes and playlists, but as they say, beggars can’t be choosers.
Finding free movies on YouTube has become more challenging lately, as more rights holders are opting to have users rent their films through the service. In addition, YouTube offers subscription tiers, including YouTube Premium and its live TV streaming service, YouTube TV. Still, you’ll find plenty to watch, especially if your standards for stream quality aren’t too high.
Fandango at Home
Formerly known as Vudu, Fandango at Home features a free ad-supported content section that varies in quality from month to month. If you take a cruise through the site’s selection of 4K/UHD titles, there are even one or two free-to-watch options.
You’ll still need an account, but you can create one for free. The Fandango at Home app is already supported by plenty of platforms, including Apple TV, game consoles, and more. Plus, there’s an app for most mobile devices. Fandango at Home is only available in the U.S.
Hoopla
How’s this for a good deal: Sign up for a library card and get free downloads or streams of movies with no ads at all. That’s the deal with Hoopla. This digital media streaming platform has partnered with local libraries to allow members to access and borrow content online. It’s similar to OverDrive, but with more than just e-books and audiobooks.
The availability of any given title will depend on your location and the number of copies available for download. Streaming is compatible with any device with a browser, while downloads require the Hoopla app on a mobile device. Not every library currently supports Hoopla, so please check before you use it. So far, thousands of libraries in the U.S. and Canada have access to Hoopla. It also offers a Chrome extension to make downloading and streaming even easier.
Vimeo
YouTube might be the world’s biggest video-hosting site, but Vimeo is probably the best. Yeah, them’s fighting words, but Vimeo has the muscle to back them up. The site features a clean layout that’s free from ads and benefits from an active user community widely regarded as more professional and constructive than YouTube’s.
Vimeo also has an On-Demand section where users can purchase full-length movies and TV shows, the majority of which are independently produced by Vimeo users. However, some offerings are also produced by major studios. Either way, Vimeo is a great place to find free, high-quality movies.
Plex
Plex is best known as a versatile, easy way to manage and watch your private collection of movies, music, photos, and other media. However, in 2019, the company launched its own free, ad-supported streaming service featuring a collection of movies and TV shows from studios such as MGM, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, and Legendary.
It’s available worldwide, though title selection varies widely by region. You can access 50,000 free movies and TV shows from a browser or on any device that supports the Plex client software, such as Apple TV, Roku, smart TVs, etc. All you need is a free Plex account, and you’re good to go.
For those who already use Plex as their media server, the free ad-supported options can be added to existing server categories, making the experience completely seamless.
Pluto TV
Although it may not be as well-known as the other services on this list, Pluto TV is still worthy of your attention. Not only does it host free on-demand films, but it’s also a free live-TV streaming service featuring content curated from across the web.
While the channels vary wildly, we’re focused here on the movies. Pluto TV currently features multiple live movie channels, perfect for watching something without knowing what it is.
There are two general-purpose movie channels, with the rest focused on specific genres or franchises, including Action, Drama, Comedy, Romance, 007, Star Trek, BET Throwbacks, and more. The service works in the U.S. and many international locations.
Pluto TV’s on-demand movie library is relatively small and rotates frequently, but it offers just as much variety as its live movie channels. It is also available on a ton of devices, including Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku devices, and more. To find out more about Pluto TV, see our full guide to the service.
Tubi
Another up-and-comer, Tubi offers both free movies and TV episodes. No matter which device you use, you’ll likely be able to watch Tubi. It’s available on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xfinity X1, Samsung smart TVs, Sony smart TVs, PlayStation, Xbox, and the web.
As with the vast majority of services on this list, you’ll need to watch a few commercials, but that’s what keeps the service free. Tubi boasts a programming lineup of more than 275,000 movies and TV episodes. Hit films like Titanic and The Godfather are there, as well as cult classics like Terrifier, The Thing, and more.
Sling TV Freestream
There are several tiers to watching films and TV shows on Sling. While it has access to a lot less, as its title suggests, Sling TV Freestream is a free, ad-supported platform that offers over 500 live TV channels, including ABC, CBS, and ESPN.
It also has a digital library featuring over 40,000 shows and movies, including The Walking Dead, Chicago P.D., Mad About You, Point Break, Hush, and Train to Busan. Users can even subscribe to other streaming services from Sling TV Freestream, including AMC+, Discovery+, MGM+, and Showtime.
Kanopy
Just like Hoopla, Kanopy is free to use and commercial-free if you have a library card. Originally founded in 2008 in Australia as an educational tool, Kanopy now offers a library of over 30,000 films through its partnerships with more than 4,000 libraries.
There is a heavy focus on independent, free movies and documentaries (the company even has access to A24 films), but you’ll find a wide range of titles available. Kanopy is available internationally, but the content may vary by location.
Top Documentary Films
Love documentaries? So do we. You know what they say: truth is stranger than fiction. The aptly titled Top Documentary Films is hands down the best site for documentaries. Not every selection is movie-length, but a good documentary doesn’t have to be long — some of the best are under 60 minutes.
Boasting a library of over 3,000 films, the site features a simple, straightforward layout that categorizes all its films by subject matter, making it easy to find something of interest right away. The content isn’t hosted by the site; it’s curated and embedded from other sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion, etc. It’s available internationally, but not all content will work in every location.
Archive.org
Chances are you’re reading this article because you’re looking for a place to watch brand-new movies online. While there’s nothing wrong with that, you definitely shouldn’t ignore all of the fantastic older films the internet has to offer. Archive.org offers a veritable treasure trove of classics you’ve probably never heard of, as well as a handful that you’ll recognize.
The Archive, also home to the famous Wayback Machine, features silent films, black-and-white horror flicks, obscure sci-fi movies, and a diverse assortment of other films. They may not have all the fancy CGI we’ve all grown so accustomed to, but the occasional throwback is a great way to mix things up.
Open Culture
Open Culture is designed to be your one-stop shop for all things free and cultured. The site offers hundreds of free online classes, thousands of free e-books, and hours upon hours of lectures from prominent figures such as Carl Sagan and Leonard Bernstein.
It also offers a vast selection of free movies, ranging from silent films and Hitchcock-helmed projects to Westerns and film noir. The site even houses some early shorts by legends like Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick. Open Culture may be difficult to navigate, but with more than 4,000 free movies available, it’s definitely worth the slog.
Shocker Internet Drive-In
Shocker Internet Drive-In is a bit niche, and its website looks something straight out of the ’90s, but it’s a great resource. The site is updated weekly with featured horror classics, which are then made available for free download as WMV files at the website’s Snack Bar.
The site is a fun little blast from the past, with weekly showings presented like a digital drive-in. If you miss the old days of the internet when it was more like the Wild West and everything was less polished, this might be for you.
