9 Best Free Movie Watching Websites and Streaming Services
Written by
Emily Cahill
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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Remember when everyone canceled their cable subscription and flocked to affordable TV and movie streaming services like Netflix? Now there’s a paid streaming service for everything, and each costs more than the last. With that in mind, where can you find legal free movie websites and streaming services?
The Best Free Movie Websites and Streaming Services
Luckily, free movie websites are on the rise, granting you access to popular and niche films, both new and old. So, what websites let you watch any movie for free? Check out some of the top free movie apps below and choose the one that suits you best.
- Hoopla
- Pluto TV
- Tubi
- Rakuten Viki
- YouTube
- The Roku Channel
- IMDB TV
- Vudu
- Xumo
1. Hoopla
If you’ve got a library card, you’ve likely got a world of free movies open to you with Hoopla. Hoopla is a digital media service that can be accessed by those with a library card from a participating library.
- Streaming service viewing options: The Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku and via web browser
2. Pluto TV
Enjoy the feeling of scrolling through live TV channels to find the perfect movie? Pluto TV is the right option for movie lovers in search of that cable-TV-guide experience. With tons of genre-specific movie channels all available for free, users can scroll through to find exactly what they want to watch.
- Streaming service viewing options: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Hisense smart TVs, Samsung smart TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation, the Apple App Store, Google Play, Windows desktop app and via web browser
3. Tubi
There are no strings attached when you hop on Tubi to watch free movies. There is no subscription required and all the movies are ad-supported, but the ads are fewer than those that appear on cable. Tubi divides many of its films into collections to make it easy to find what you want. Its “Not on Netflix” section takes a shot at Tubi’s paid competition.
- Streaming service viewing options: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, smart TVs, Chromecast, the Apple App Store, Google Play, Apple TV, gaming consoles and Xfinity devices; also accessible via web browser
4. Rakuten Viki
If you’re a fan of Asian dramas, Rakuten Viki hosts some of the most popular ones out there for free. Viki hosts Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese and Thai media with a wide variety of international language subtitles so that everyone can enjoy these collections, including speakers of English, Portuguese, French, Romanian and Italian.
Viki also makes it easy to enjoy a watch party with friends on multiple screens simultaneously. Users can simply choose a show and send a watch party link to their guests for an instant remote movie night.
- Streaming service viewing options: Roku, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and via a web browser
5. YouTube
While most people think of YouTube as a digital content library from independent creators, it also hosts a wide variety of movies and TV shows, which you can buy, rent or stream for free with occasional ads. It has well-loved feature films like “Office Space,” “The Social Network” and “Seabiscuit,” just to name a few. Films are labeled with their ratings and run-time information, so consumers can make an informed choice about what to watch.
- Streaming service viewing options: Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, game consoles, smart TVs, Android TV, iOS and Android; also accessible via web browser
6. The Roku Channel
You may be familiar with Roku as a streaming device, but the device also hosts a proprietary Roku channel that is stocked with free movies. You just need to to create a free account for online viewing.
- Streaming service viewing options: Roku devices, Roku app, Fire TV, Samsung smart TVs and via web browser
7. IMDb TV
IMDb is good for more than just getting the details on movies — you can watch movies with it, too. Through a partnership with Amazon, IMDb now hosts movies on the Amazon Prime Video platform that anyone can watch, even without a paid Prime subscription.
- Streaming service viewing options: Amazon Fire TV, Prime Video, Echo Show, Android TV, Google TV, LG TVs, PlayStation, Roku, Xbox and Xfinity boxes; also accessible via web browser
8. Vudu
The movie ticket company Fandango is reaching the digital streaming market too with the Vudu app, a movie app that offers rentals, purchases and free movies for streaming. Powered by ads, Vudu hosts almost 10,000 free movies and TV shows.
- Streaming service viewing options: Smart TVs, game consoles, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, TiVo, Xfinity, Blu-ray players, apps from the Apple App Store, Google Play and the Microsoft Store; also accessible via web browser
9. Xumo
Xumo provides more than 190 channels, including a wide variety of movie channels, completely free. The movie channels center around specific themes, such as independent films on CineLife, Hollywood movies on Crackle and female-centered films on Her Movies. Xumo also grants access to network channels like Hallmark Movies & More.
Xumo movies stream live on these channels, giving the feeling of flipping through old-school cable. There are also some available for on-demand viewing for free.
- Streaming service viewing options: Options include smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, the Apple App Store and Google Play; also accessible via web browser
Are Free Movie Websites Illegal?
Whether or not a streaming service’s free movie selection is legal or not depends on the site. Some movie sites have illegally uploaded, unlicensed material. The person who reproduced the movie for upload is breaking copyright law. Some lawmakers are hoping to make this a felony.
But many free sites, like the ones included here, have all licensed their movies correctly. They remain free either because they are supported by ads like unpaid network television or because of specific library pay-per-use purchase agreements. So, stream away. It’s legal — and it’s free.
Bottom Line
So, now that you know where you can access just about all the movies and TV shows you can watch, explore each option and find the ones you’ve been hankering to see. All it takes is a few minutes and you can be watching just about anything that you can stream from anywhere.
FAQ
- What websites can I watch free movies on?
- There are many free movie websites and streaming services you can easily access. Some of the most popular include the following:
- – Hoopla
- – Pluto TV
- – Tubi
- – Rakuten Viki
- – YouTube
- – The Roku Channel
- – IMDb TV
- – Vudu
- – Xumo
- Is 123movies.com illegal?
- Yes, 123movies.com is illegal. Dubbed one of the most popular illegal sites by the Motion Picture Association of America, 123movies was shut down in 2018. Though it is not a legal site, the network is still active via clone sites.
- Is there a better site than 123movies?
- There are many legal free movie websites and streaming services where you can find just about anything that's available for streaming, like Hoopla, Tubi and The Roku Channel. While you may have to sit through some ads with a legal service, you can at least be confident that you're not accidentally downloading a virus.
Barri Segal and Caitlyn Moorhead contributed to the reporting for this article.
