Where to Watch Free Movies Online
When you start looking for free movies online, it won't be long before you start coming across less-than-reputable websites. Some may actually require paid memberships or subscriptions while others provide access to pirated content. Still, there are several websites, apps and streaming services that you can use to watch movies and TV shows legally and completely free. Among them are Crackle, The Roku Channel, IMDb TV, Tubi, Vudu and more.
If you're looking for a full list of free ways to watch movies that you'd normally have to pay for, you probably won't find it on this list. Instead, I've compiled 12 completely legal and free ways to watch movies online — most of which are ad-supported. Note that "Ad Pain" is rated from low to high based on the length and frequency of disruptive advertisements.
If you're looking for an entirely ad-free experience, be sure to check out Kanopy or Hoopla, which are powered by educational institutions.
| Streaming Service | Best For | Powered By | Ad Pain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kanopy | Documentaries and Educational Content | Libraries and Universities | None |
| Hoopla | Top Hollywood Hits; Offline Viewing | Libraries | None |
| Crackle | Classic Shows, Comedy Movies, Star-Studded Favorites | Advertisements | High |
| IMDb TV | Hit TV Shows and Top Hollywood Hits | Advertisements | Average |
| Pluto TV | Live TV | Advertisements | Average |
| The Roku Channel | Reality and Live TV | Advertisements | Average |
| Tubi | Reality TV and Kid Shows | Advertisements | Low |
| YouTube | Family and Kid Shows | Advertisements | Average |
| Popcornflix | Independent Films | Advertisements | High |
| Vudu | Hidden Gems | Advertisements | Average |
| Crunchyroll | Anime | Advertisements | Low |
| Yidio | Variety | Other Websites (Aggregator) | Varies |
When you visit one of these websites or download the apps, you may have to create a free account to continue. Still, you shouldn't have to download anything or enter any payment information to gain access to the free content. At most, you might have to disable your ad blocker if you're watching online.
Kanopy
Genres: Classic Cinema, Comedies, Drama, Documentaries, Independent Films, World Cinema
Best For: Documentaries and educational content
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
Kanopy partners with thousands of public libraries and universities to provide ad-free shows and movies. You can use your library card or school email address access content on your TV, mobile phone, tablet or online. I entered my library card number and then used my name and email address to create a Kanopy account.
Once you're signed in, you can watch up to five films per month. In the top-right corner of the screen, you'll see a number indicating how many "credits" you have remaining for the month or how many programs you can watch. You can enjoy unlimited plays in the Kanopy Kids section.
Kanopy is available as a mobile app on iOS, Android and Amazon Fire devices. You can also access the TV app via Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Telstra TV or Chromecast. If you don't have access to any of these devices, you can also connect your computer to your television using an HDMI cable to watch Kanopy on your TV.
For more information on how to get started and what's available, be sure to check out our Kanopy Review.
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Hoopla
Major Genres: Action & Adventure, Children's, Comedy, Documentary, Family, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thrillers
Best For: No advertisements, offline viewing
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
Hoopla is the digital service of Midwest Tape, which is a leading provider of entertainment and media to public libraries across North America. You'll find digital videos (movies and TV shows) as well as music, audiobooks, ebooks and more from more than 1,500 libraries.
Hoopla works just like a public library, which means you can instantly borrow digital movies at any time using your library card. If you don't already have an account, you sign up for free online. You will need to log in to be able to "borrow" anything.
After you find a title you're interested in, you can see the movie details and description as well as ratings from other Hoopla users. When you're ready to check something out, just click "borrow." You'll see a message letting you know how long you'll have access to the title (typically 2-3 days) and whether it's available for streaming, downloading or both. The title will be automatically "returned" when it's due back.
Once you've borrowed a movie or show, you can watch it at any time without advertisements. Subtitles are also typically available. In addition to movies and TV shows, Hoopla also provides access to audiobooks, ebooks, music and more.
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Crackle
Major Genres: Action, Classics, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Reality, Original, Documentary
Best For: Classic shows, comedy movies, star-studded favorites
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website) and TV (TV app/casting).
You'll find both old and new shows/movies in a wide variety of genres that feature hidden talent as well as famous names. As I scrolled through the featured categories, I recognized The Rock, John Travolta, Ashton Kutcher, Steve Carell, Gene Wilder, Chase Elliott and more. There's something for everyone at Crackle with plenty of featured categories including "Automobiles, Trains and Planes," "Summer Kickback," "Home School," "Documentary" and "Classic."
This free-to-use entertainment network is available on many popular platforms including web browsers, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, Roku, Android and Apple devices. For a full list of supported devices, visit the website.
With Crackle, you don't have to create an account to start streaming. But if you want to save any films to watch later, you will have to log in. Creating an account is easy and free; simply click "sign in" on the homepage to get started.
Whether you create a free account or start watching right away, you'll still have to sit through a few advertisements. That means you will have to disable any ad blockers before streaming online. According to the website, running commercials with available programming allows Crackle to ensure that the service remains free in the U.S. and Australia.
Before a movie begins, you'll see a couple of ads. After it starts, you'll have periodic commercial breaks throughout the film. The video in the screenshot above is one hour and 40 minutes long, and you can see that there are eight advertisement breaks after it begins. During the ad breaks, I had the option to choose whether I wanted to interact with an ad for 30 seconds or watch regular ads for a normal break (around 2.5 minutes).
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IMDb TV
Major Genres: Comedies, Chills & Thrills, Action & Adventure, Romance, Documentaries, Sci-Fi, Family, Drama
Best For: Hit TV shows and top Hollywood hits
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
Owned by Amazon, IMDb TV is another free, ad-supported streaming video resource. You can access content on the IMDb app, the IMDb website, the Amazon Prime Video app and Amazon Fire TV devices.
You'll have to log in to access free IMDb TV content, but you can create an account for free. Alternatively, you can log in using your Amazon, Facebook, Google or Apple account to access the content. Once you're logged in, you'll be able to stream available movies and shows, add videos to a watchlist and save your place if you need to pause the video and resume watching at a different time or on a different device.
No matter how you choose to log in or which device you use, know that videos on IMDb TV can't be purchased or downloaded to be watched offline. That means you will have to watch a few advertisements. In the video pictured below, you can see that there are six ads in this 90-minute movie.
When I visited IMDb TV, I found several popular titles in the "Recently Added" section including "Shrek," "Eat Pray Love" and "Seabiscuit." Other popular titles included "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," "Life of Pi" and "3rd Rock From the Sun." In addition to hit TV shows and top Hollywood releases, you'll also find IMDb TV originals and a whole section of "Hidden Gems."
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Pluto TV
Genres: Comfort Movies, Sitcoms, TV Dramas, Action, Comedy, Drama, Family, Indies
Best For: Live TV
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
On Pluto TV, you'll find hundreds of free TV channels and thousands of free movies. The internet television service offers free, ad-supported content that includes both live TV and on-demand titles.
With both the live channels and on-demand titles, you'll see periodic advertisements in the same way that you would with traditional TV. In my experience, ads tended to pop up around every eight minutes.
You won't need to create an account to begin streaming content, but it's free to sign up for one if you want. An account allows you to keep track of your favorite movies and channels as well as receive updates on new content.
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The Roku Channel
Genres: Family, Adventure, Drama, Reality, Anime, Sports, News
Best For: Reality and live TV
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
You don't have to have a Roku device in order to access The Roku Channel. It's also available on a web browser as well as iOS, Android and Amazon Fire TV devices among others.
I used the computer to access The Roku Channel's website. I was immediately prompted to sign in or create an account to access premium subscriptions, continue watching movies where I left off, and get personalized recommendations. Still, an account isn't required to stream content. I did have to disable my ad blocker before watching anything though.
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Tubi
Genres: Action, Classics, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Family Movies, Foreign Films/TV, Indie Films, Kids' Shows
Best For: Reality TV and kids shows
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
Tubi is an ad-supported streaming service that's owned by Fox Corporation. You'll find thousands of movies and TV shows that you can stream legally and free via Tubi.
To get started, visit the website online or download the app using one of the following types of devices: Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Xfinity X1, Xbox, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV or PlayStation. For a full list of supported devices and how to stream Tubi, visit the website.
In addition to on-demand movies, Tubi offers on-demand shows from TV channels including A&E, Fox, Lifetime and more. I found several popular reality shows including "The Bachelor" and "Dance Moms" as well as quite a few older films including "Ernest Goes to School," "The Temptations" and more.
When you find a movie or show you'd like to watch, you can click play to immediately begin streaming. I didn't run into any ads on the videos I watched, but you can expect them to pop up a few times throughout the movie or show. You will have to disable your ad blocker to begin streaming.
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YouTube
Genres: Animated/Kids, Documentaries, Comedies, Action & Adventure, Romance, Classics, Horror, Drama
Best For: Family and kids programming
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
If you can access YouTube, you can access free videos. In addition to original content uploaded directly by users, you can also check out a wide variety of movies available on YouTube. While YouTube TV requires a subscription, there are select titles that you can watch for free.
To see the current selection of movies that are free to watch, visit this YouTube page. You'll find several popular kids' titles, documentaries and classic favorites. While you won't have to create an account in order to browse or watch select free movies, you may have to sign in to verify your age if the title is rated R.
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Popcornflix
Genres: Drama, Action, Horror, Thriller, Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Family, Foreign Films, Documentaries
Best For: Independent films
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
The site mostly features independent films, which makes it a great place to look for hidden gems. Once you decide on a movie or show, you can begin streaming instantly after one or two previews.
You won't be required to create an account in order to stream media on Popcornflix, but you will have to pause or disable any ad blockers. The advertisements work more like an ad you would see while playing a game online, and you have the option to skip some ads after a brief preview.
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Vudu
Genres: Comedy, Horror, Family & Kids, Action, Adventure, Classic Films, Crime & Suspense, Drama, Documentaries
Best For: Hidden gems
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
Formerly owned by Walmart, Vudu is now a digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media. You can rent and buy films from Vudu, but you'll also find a selection of free movies and TV shows that you can stream with ads.
To begin watching videos on Vudu, you'll need to create a free account using your name and email address. Once you're logged in, you can instantly stream any title labeled "free with ads."
When you select a movie or show you're interested in, you'll generally have to watch 2-3 advertisements before getting started. After that, you can expect advertisements to pop up periodically throughout the video. You can choose between SD and HDX video qualities, and most titles come with optional closed captions.
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Crunchyroll
Major Genres: Anime (action, adventure, comedy, drama, thriller, and more) and Drama (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and more)
Best For: Anime
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website) and TV (TV app/casting)
Crunchyroll is a WarnerMedia company that streams anime in more than 200 countries and territories. If you're a fan of anime, this is the free streaming resource for you. You'll find both popular titles and Crunchyroll originals available for free.
Scrolling through popular anime shows, I saw over 1,100 episodes of "One Piece," over 140 episodes of "Black Clover" and over 90 episodes of "My Hero Academia" at the time of writing. Other popular titles include "Attack on Titan," "Naruto" and hundreds more. The majority of the content has Japanese voice acting with English subtitles, but there are a few shows that are dubbed in English.
While you don't need to create an account in order to stream content via Crunchyroll, you will see advertisements prompting you to pay for a premium membership. The membership lets you watch unlimited ad-free shows, get access to new episodes an hour after they premiere and download shows for offline viewing. Still, you can stream online for free (with ads). Just note that the newest episodes may not be available immediately.
When you choose a video, you'll be able to start streaming it online instantly without having to log in. If you want to add the video to a queue to watch later, you'll need to create a free account. I didn't have to disable my ad blocker to begin streaming, and ads appeared only a couple of times in a 25-minute episode.
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Yidio
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Kids & Family, Horror, Crime, Mystery, Animation
Best For: Variety
Platforms: App (phone/tablet), Computer (website), TV (app/casting)
Unlike the other websites on this list, Yidio is a video aggregator that compiles links to videos and TV shows available on other streaming services.
Instead of seeing a media player and watching a video directly on Yidio.com, you can instantly search for titles across a variety of other platforms including Tubi, Vudu, Crackle, The Roku Channel and over 100 more.
While you will see videos from paid-only streaming services like Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, Netflix and others, you can filter your results by free movies or free TV shows.
For most of the video links on Yidio, you can watch online via any web browser, with your smartphone or tablet, using a streaming media player or on game consoles. For a quick reference of which streaming services are supported on which devices, check out this resource from Yidio.
You don't need to create an account to use Yidio, but signing up for one is free if you'd like to keep track of your favorites. Once you've found a video you want to watch, simply click the title to see where it's available for free.
If you have a specific title in mind, Yidio is a great resource to check and see if it’s available for free online.
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Final Thoughts
Ultimately, any of these websites are worth checking out if you’re looking for free movies online.
If you're looking for popular names in Hollywood and hit TV shows or movies, check out Crackle or IMDb TV. If you have a library card, you can visit Hoopla or Kanopy for a completely ad-free experience. Crunchyroll is a great resource for watching free anime shows and movies, while Tubi and YouTube provide access to a great selection of movies for families and kids.
For Live TV, check out Pluto TV and The Roku Channel. If you’re more interested in independent films and hidden gems, you might find something you’ll enjoy on Popcornflix or Vudu. Finally, if you have a specific title in mind, check Yidio to see if it’s available for free on any of these websites.
No matter where you decide to watch free movies online, just make sure you're doing it legally and safely. While you may have to disable your ad blocker online or enter your email to create a free account, you shouldn't have to download anything to your computer or enter any payment information.
What are your favorite websites for watching free movies? Let us know in the comments below!
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The post 12 of the Best Places to Watch Free Movies Online appeared first on Clark Howard.