How to watch free movies online: The 10 best websites for streaming
- You can watch free movies online through a number of streaming service websites and apps.
- Some streaming sites offer a mix of free and paid content, while others are free with ads.
- Pluto TV is an ad-supported streaming service with free on-demand content and live programming.
We live in a world with an embarrassment of riches when it comes to streaming channels, but subscribing to Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Amazon Prime and a half-dozen others can be as pricey as an old-fashioned cable subscription — or worse.
The antidote to endless streaming subscriptions are free movies online. Here are 10 of the best options for watching movies for free.
The Roku Channel: Best for channel surfing
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Roku isn't just an excellent streaming media device; the company also has a free streaming channel that you can access from any Roku device or the web. Here you'll find an impressive array of TV shows and feature films you can stream for free.
The selection isn't enormous, but there's a mix of classic and contemporary movies (like The Sandlot and the John Wick trilogy) to choose from. There's no need to create an account (though you can if you want to) and ads, while present, are not overly intrusive.
YouTube: Best for all-around video content
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YouTube offers hundreds of free movies (with ads), making it a convenient one-stop shop for all types of video content. YouTube is also one of the few sites where the content is rated by users and you can read comments about the movies as you watch them.
The best part about YouTube is that all the free movies are arranged in a single category.
Vudu: Best for easy browsing
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Vudu is the streaming video arm of Fandango that offers both free and paid videos. It's easy to find the free content thanks to a Free link at the top of the page. There, you'll find thousands of movies, both new and old, popular films, and schlock.
The site also does a great job of sorting the movies into categories like Aliens and Outer Space, New Releases, and Thrilling Suspense, for easy browsing.
Crackle: Best for original content
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Crackle has been around a long time — it got its start in 2004. And unlike some other streaming channels, Crackle is 100% free, offering all its content at no cost (with ads), so anything you see on the site you can watch without paying.
You can browse movies and TV shows by genre, alphabetically, or search for a specific title.
Popcornflix: Best for binging
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Popcornflix is another completely free video streaming site, offering about 2,000 movies in a variety of categories. It's available as an app for a variety of devices, and you can also watch in a web browser. There's no account required; just open the website, select a movie and start viewing.
Many of the entries at Popcornflix fall into the category of guilty pleasures (like 2-Headed Shark Attack) and cheap knock-offs of mainstream properties (like Atlantic Rim and Almighty Thor) but there's something charming here about the movies you can binge for free with limited ads.
Pluto TV: Best for streaming the classics
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Pluto TV is a little different than most streaming video services. In addition to being able to watch movies and TV shows on demand, it also streams live programming that you access in a program guide as if you were watching cable or satellite TV.
You can jump into programs in progress after browsing the dozens of categories arranged like channels, or switch to the On Demand tab, and start any of the thousands options that are, arranged into easily browsable categories. No catch here! It's all free, supported by ads.
Freevee: Best for rating movies
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Freevee is an ad-supported video streaming service owned by Amazon. You can stream Freevee content through a number of devices via the Amazon Freevee app, Prime Video app or by using your web browser.
On Freevee, you'll find a selection of completely free movies and TV shows, including original titles that are available exclusively on the platform.
Tubi: Best for less ads
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This free streaming service has thousands of movies and TV shows, which you can watch online or on a number of devices including Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, Playstation, Samsung Smart TVs, and Sony Smart TVs.
You don't need a subscription, and Tubi boasts the fact that they have fewer ads than cable. Like Pluto TV, Tubi has both on-demand and live programming. There's also a kids' section of the website with family movies and TV shows to watch with your little ones.
Peacock: Best for premium streaming
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Owned by NBCUniversal, Peacock is a premium streaming service that has episodes of your favorite NBC, Bravo, and Telemundo shows the day after they air on TV, exclusive originals, live sports, and thousands of hours worth of TV shows and movies.
Premium plans start at $4.99 per month, but a limited amount of content is available on the platform for free — no credit card needed. You do, however, need to create an account with your email address and password.
Plex: Best for creating a watchlist
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No subscription is required to watch Plex's more than 50,000 free on-demand titles and 250 Live TV channels. You can use the Plex app to access their content on pretty much any device (Apple, Android, Smart TVs), or go to the Plex website on your computer.
Movies and TV shows are sorted by categories, and there are special tabs for their most popular titles and ones that are leaving the platform soon. You can also use the search bar to find a specific movie or TV show, and keep track of things you want to see later with their Watchlist feature.