I can’t remember the last time I downloaded a movie on my laptop or tablet. Both internet speeds and streaming services have improved so much in the past few years that I normally stream all my movies. My streaming habits have increased even more as it has become much easier to stream movies than download them, thanks to all the amazing streaming services out there. While paid options like Netflix offer a lot of amazing content including some of the best action movies and best heist movies out there, the free streaming websites offer quite a good selection of free movies as well. The best part is that all these services are completely legal, so you don’t have to worry about anything. So, if you are interested in streaming free movies, here are the 15 best movie sites that are legal and free.
There are a lot of websites that allow movie streaming for free. However, a lot of them don’t work, or show up a ton of intrusive ads, and some may even have viruses on them. So, in this list, we’ve included the best 15 movie sites for free movies that are completely legal to use and safe. You can use the table of contents below to navigate between the options.
1. YouTube Free to Watch Movies
YouTube has an entire category of free movies for its viewers. Dubbed the “Free to Watch” category, it offers a healthy selection of movies that you can stream without having to pay a dime. All these movies are ad-supported, so they basically work as any other YouTube video. I especially love the movie collection here as YouTube is offering some of the best movies that have ever been produced. At the time of writing this article, there are 360 titles featuring movies such as the Rocky series, Terminator, IP Man, Police Story, and more. If you love free movies, you should definitely check this out.
Availability: USA
Price: Free
2. Tubi
My favorite and probably my pick for the best movie sites is Tubi. While most of the other services offer movies that are pretty old, thanks to its partnership with movie studios such as Lionsgate, MGM, Starz, and more, Tubi gives you access to a ton of movies that are relatively new. One of the good things about Tubi is that not only does it work on a browser but it also has apps for various platforms including Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and more. To watch movies, you only have to register for a free account (no credit cards required) and you can watch hundreds of hours of free content.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free
3. IMDb TV
IMDb TV is one of the newest streaming services that allows users to watch movies and TV shows for free. Since IMDb is owned by Amazon, the service is available for free for all FireTV users. However, note that the service is only available in the US. So, if you reside anywhere else, this is not meant for you. The best part about IMDb TV is its collection of free movies and TV shows. While most of the free movie streaming platforms on this list deal with older content, IMDb TV offers a catalog of both old and new movies. Some of the movies that you can stream on IMDb TV include Memento, The Illusionist, Rain Man, Dune, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Jerry Maguire, and more. Apart from these, IMDb is also producing some original content that you cannot find anywhere else. IMDb TV’s content catalog makes it one of the best free movie streaming services in the world.
Availability: USA
Price: Free
4. Vudu
Vudu is a great place for streaming movies which are generally considered as paid offerings on other platforms. Vudu does that by showing ad-supported movies and generating income from ads. This is a win-win situation for both viewers and the company and makes Vudu a worthy contender for our list of best movie sites. Thanks to this approach, Vudu gives you access to movies such as Rocky, Predator, Undisputed, Warrior, and more. Vudu also features new movies (paid) just like iTunes or Google Play Store so you can keep your selection of free and paid movies in the same place. If you love movies, definitely check this out.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free with some paid titles
5. Kanopy
If you are looking for a free and legal movie streaming service that gives you access to the latest movies, then Kanopy is the service you should check out. The only condition for using this service for free is that you should either be a University student or professor or have a public library card. If you fulfill either of the criteria you can watch the critically acclaimed latest movies for free. To give you a taste of the movies hosted on this website, here are some of the movies you can watch on Kanopy right now: Moonlight, Lady Bird, Mr. Hublot, Captain Fantastic, Almost Adults, and more. Apart from the great content, you will also get a website that can rival Netflix in user experience. Kanopy also offers mobile and TV apps. This is the best free and legal movie streaming service on the planet. If you meet its sign-up criteria, you don’t have to look anywhere else.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free (University students and professors / Public library cardholders)
6. The Roku Channel
Roku is a pretty renowned name in the streaming industry, and most people living in the US probably have a Roku streaming device. However, did you know that you can stream free movies and TV shows via The Roku Channel? And you don’t even need a Roku device to access it — a web browser is more than enough. You get access to free movies, TV shows, and even Live TV that you can access from within your browser, or via a Roku app. The UI is neat, and there are plenty of nice movies and shows that can be streamed for free.
Availability: US, UK, Canada
Price: Free
7. Crackle
Another great place for watching free movies is Crackle. Originally known as Sony Crackle, it’s now an individual entity and will get you access to a ton of free movies along with high-quality original content. Not only that, but Crackle also features a good selection of anime movies which makes it great for anime lovers. I found the service to be best for the action and thriller genres of movies. Some of the movies hosted on Crackle include Babel, 30 Minutes or Less, Charlie’s Angles, Drive, and more. The service is only available in the US and in Australia, but it’s still one of the best movie sites out there.
Availability: US and Australia
Price: Free
8. Popocornflix
Popocornflix is a great place to consume movies. First of all, it’s available worldwide so it doesn’t face any content restrictions like Crackle or other restricted services mentioned on this list. Secondly, the website is very fast and provides very good streaming speeds which makes this ideal for streaming movies if you have an internet connection with lower speeds. Lastly, there’s also a good selection of movies here so you will definitely find something interesting to watch. Apart from featuring studio movies, Popcornflix also features a lot of indie movies which is great news for indie movie lovers. Overall, this is a great place to discover and watch movies.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free
9. CONtv
CONtv is another great resource for watching free movies and TV shows. While CONtv hosts all genres of movies, it seems to feature mostly horror movies. So, if you are a horror movie aficionado, this will fall right in your alley. The best part about CONtv is that apart from hosting movies and TV shows, it also gives users access to free comics. And while you need to register for a free account to watch movies and read some of the more popular comics like Star Trek, you can read most comics without any registration. I also love the UI of the website as it is easy to navigate. It also makes it easy to find the titles you are looking for. Overall, I find CONtv to be a great free resource for watching movies legally.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free
10. Top Documentary Films
If you are a fan of documentary films then this is the best movie site for you. Aptly named “Top Documentary Films” the service offers a big selection of documentary movies. The documentaries cover various topics such as art, nature, mystery, politics, sexuality, and more. I personally don’t follow documentaries too much so I cannot tell you about the quality of content here. However, if online reviews are any indication, this is the best place to watch free documentary films on the internet.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free
11. Free Movies Cinema
Free Movie Cinema is one of the best movie sites for indie and short films. Since the service holds mostly short and indie movies you get access to them just a few months after they are released which is something unheard of. The platform also offers studio movies but they are nowhere near as new as compared to indie or short ones. The movies cover a lot of different genres including western, zombie flix, war, SciFi, and more, so everyone will find something to watch here. If you love short movies, definitely check it out.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free
12. Pluto TV
If you’re looking for a free movie streaming website that can also stream Live TV for free, you should definitely take a look at Pluto TV. This website offers a very traditional TV-like interface. You get a channel guide for Live TV, and you can watch free movies on Live TV, as well as other things like sports. Pluto TV also offers on-demand streaming for movies, so you can easily find and watch movies that you want to see. Pluto TV has a nice selection of movies that you can stream, including titles like Hunger Games, Midsomer Murders, and more.
Availability: US, Europe, Latin America
Price: Free
13. MoviesFoundOnline
MoviesFoundOnline is one of the best free and legal movie streaming services that you can use to get your daily fix. Apart from feature-length movies, the website also hosts short movies, TV shows, documentaries, and more. While the list of movies doesn’t include A-list movies, it does bring both old and new movies. The website also hosts animated movies which adds an extra oomph to the service. What I love about this website is its collection of cult classics. If you love them then you are going to enjoy this service.
Availability: Worldwide
Price: Free
14. Disney+ Hotstar
This is for all the Bollywood movie lovers out there. Disney+ Hotstar is a name that needs no introduction. It’s an online streaming service that offers a great selection of movies both free and paid. While most of the new movies are paid for, the free collection of Bollywood movies here is not too bad either. Also, if a movie doesn’t do well at the box office, it generally is made available in a few months. Apart from Bollywood movies, you also get access to international movies, series, and more. If you love watching Bollywood movies on Netflix, definitely check this out. You can watch free movies with ads here, and if you subscribe, you also get access to Disney+, which is awesome!
Availability: India
Price: Free, Super Plan -₹899/year, Premium Plan ₹299/month or ₹1499/year
15. SonyLiv
Another great place to watch Indian movies, and definitely one of the best movie sites for regional movies and Hindi movies, is SonyLiv which gives you access to a ton of free and paid movies. Apart from Bollywood movies, the service also offers a great selection of Telugu and Tamil movies along with international movies. Just like Hotstar, you can find quite a lot of new movies here. I also love its streaming capabilities. While the website itself is not that good, the streaming speeds are very good. If you like Hotstar then you are going to love this one too.
Availability: India
Price: Free, LIV Premium Plans₹299/monthly, ₹699/6 months, ₹999/year and Mobile-only plan – ₹599/year
That ends our article on the best movie sites that are completely free and legal. I love streaming movies as it makes the whole experience so much simpler. Do check these sites out and let us know your favorite ones by writing in the comments section below. Also, if we missed a great service and you want to share that with us, don’t hesitate. Meanwhile, also take a look at some of the best movies to watch during the pandemic, and if you’re looking for some futuristic, sci-fi options, take a gander at our list of best artificial intelligence movies as well.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
We have mentioned the 15 best websites from Tubi Tv to Hotstar, where you can stream the movies legally without any problem for free above.
Well in this list, Kanopy is the best legal movie site for us as it allows you to stream all kinds of movies for free.
Yes! Popcornflix is one of the best legal movie streaming sites and it’s totally free to use.
none of them work properly or you have to connect to a tv or device what a bs selection of streaming sites
None of them available in The Netherlands.
You should try FairFan. I know it works for just about any country and will tell you where to watch anything, and there’s TONS of free movies and series on there.
OK! It’s alright! But, I am a music lover and old school listener. I am looking for my category. Where can i get my category of music lovers, like old school songs? Where can i get their sites as free as these once mentioned above? Because, I want to download free, and listen to them offline wherever or, whenever is convenient for me and entire members of my families. My best wishes, to the founder of these initiatives.
When I visit the websites it says only in the US or this item is not available in your region
What about the Internet Archive (archive.com) for great older movies?-seems very good to me and safe and legal and American based.
nice site thank
thanks for the downlow on free movies …been searching for this for very long time wind up with too much spam that pops up thereafter but these are good ones to get.
Good Post, do update the post. As hotstar, Sony TV, Voot.com as well as Zee TV having the option to watch movie free as well as paid.
eh doesn’t work for me but ill keep looking
Nice post,
Good information about movies.