Although streaming movies for free might sound synonymous with piracy, there’s a bevy of free, legal streaming content on the internet. In fact, there’s almost an overabundance of streaming services.
Whether you’re looking for movies or television shows, finding streaming video is totally feasible. It just requires you to search in the right places. With that in mind, here are the best free movie streaming sites to check out.
What to Expect From These Streaming Sites
There’s a ton of free and legal video online, so you’ll find a real mix of content. A healthy portion of the movies available to stream for free are public domain. Because these films have lapsed in ownership and fallen into common property, many sites host such video treasures.
But it’s not just B-movies available to stream online; many big budget releases can also be found. Often, these are ad-supported. Like watching a movie on television, you’ll have to sit through limited commercials. Nevertheless, movies are usually presented uncut. Just don’t expect to see the latest releases.
Instead, you’ll mostly see movies dating back anywhere from a few months to many years. Additionally, you can find some original productions, such as the Snatch TV series on Crackle. Need help figuring out what to watch next? These sites will help you find what to watch next.
1. YouTube
It’s no surprise that YouTube ranks among the best free movie streaming sites you can find. There’s a ton of free films to pick from, including many public domain films from channels such as the aptly titled Public Domain Films and Public Domain Cinema. Furthermore, sites such as Popcornflix host full movies via YouTube.
There’s a fantastic mix, from gems like Plan 9 From Outer Space, to action movies such as Recoil with Danny Trejo and Steven Austin, cult classics including Curse of the Puppet Master, and more. You may have to dig for what you most want to watch, but for those with patience, YouTube is a treasure trove of free, legal streaming cinema.
2. Crackle
Boasting a solid array of syndicated content and original productions, Crackle is a must for any film buff. Its rotating selection varies, but you’ll find quality movies such as action comedy Hot Fuzz, gothic horror flick Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the masterful 1988 remake of The Blob, Rodney Dangerfield comedy Back to School, and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Aside from films, Crackle features television shows such as Blue Exorcist, Seinfeld, and even original programming like its Snatch original series. With its robust lineup of movies and shows, we think Crackle is one of the best free Roku channels.
3. Viewster
Although it’s anime-centric, there’s a mix of movies you can find on Viewster. Notably, Viewster features a robust line up of documentaries, films like Street Fighter II, and Lily C.A.T. Plus, you can legally stream shorts and television series including Murder Princess.
4. Vudu Movies on Us
While Vudu is best known for its digital video rentals and sales, the Vudu Movies on Us section makes it one of the best free movie streaming sites. With a comprehensive array of movies such as Bull Durham, Showgirls, and Return of the Living Dead, it’s a fantastic service.
Vudu Movies on Us operates in a similar way to Crackle by providing full, uncut movies with limited commercials. Through hosting films with ads, Vudu is able to offer free movies and TV shows.
You still need to register for a Vudu account to use this service, but it’s totally worth doing so. Moreover, you can use your account to activate digital copies of movies and shows, as well as buy and rent movies from Vudu.
5. SnagFilms
For a free Netflix alternative, check out SnagFilms. With unique categories such as “Before they were stars” and “Athletes & their triumphs,” SnagFilms specializes in fresh content. The library of more than 2,000 videos includes films, shows, and documentaries. Additionally, there’s a portion of original comedy shorts.
There’s a fantastic classic movies category as well. Don’t expect a ton of well-known fare, but for under the radar movies and more, SnagFilms is a gem.
6. PopcornFlix
Like Crackle, PopcornFlix presents full movies with limited ads. Here, you’ll find a range of movies in a rotating selection, from Sunset Boulevard and A Clear and Present Danger to Murder on the Orient Express and There Will Be Blood.
Flicks are segmented into categories such as popularity, genre, new arrivals, and staff picks, making PopcornFlix easy to use. With a beefy lineup and excellent navigation, PopcornFlix is an awesome choice for free, legal movie streaming.
7. Tubi TV
Providing free movies and shows, Tubi TV is a fantastic service. Here, you’ll be able to view newer movies including Lords of Salem, A Most Wanted Man, and Bulletproof Monk, as well as older titles such as sci-fi cult classic The Running Man.
Helpfully, Tubi TV offers a “Leaving Soon” category so you can stream movies and shows before they become unavailable, and thus prioritize your streaming queue. You will need to register to watch mature content, but creating an account is painless enough.
8. Pluto TV
Because Pluto TV features a live TV section, it’s easily one of the best free movie streaming sites. You can stream from the likes of Pluto Movies, Fox Sports, and specialized channels like Classic Movies and Horror 24/7. Plus, there’s an on-demand video library for instant movie watching.
With the live television aspect, Pluto TV is a must-have for cord-cutters.
9. Classic Cinema Online
As the name suggests, Classic Cinema Online focuses on older, classic content. Even its website aesthetic captures a decidedly retro vibe with a backdrop of red theater curtains. You can find classics such as Casablanca, Jane Eyre, and The Wasp Woman.
However, the inclusion of movies such as Muscle Beach Party does call into question the definition of “classic cinema.” Nevertheless, Classic Cinema Online is pure gold for old school movies.
10. Veoh
On Veoh, you’ll be able to stream tons of movies and shows. There are a lot of older films, such as Nosferatu. It’s akin to YouTube in that Veoh hosts user-submitted content and videos from established sources like CBS.
Since Veoh boasts a solid filtering system, you can select options such as language and video length to find what you want to watch. Veoh ranks as one of the alternatives to YouTube. Just beware of the popups.
11. Stremio
Whereas many free movie streaming websites offer content from one site, Stremio combines several elements. It’s a content aggregator, streaming service, and torrent client all rolled into one.
Thus, Stremio is a comprehensive platform which touts a bevy of home theater PC needs. Its robust search feature is similar to JustWatch, and add-ons for the likes of Netflix, FilmOn, and YouTube mean you can sync with your favorite video-on-demand services.
Streaming channels vary from Disney Channel offerings to Unbox Therapy, and more. Stremio gets bonus points for its cross-platform clients and torrenting capabilities.
12. Yidio
Although Yidio might not be a content host, it’s an excellent aggregator of free streaming movies and TV shows.
The way Yidio works is that it redirects to third-party sites such as Amazon Prime, Netflix, and more. As such, certain films and shows do require a subscription. Thankfully, listings for free movies and TV shows provide access to video that’s mostly libre.
Unfortunately, not everything in the free categories is actually free. Clicking on some titles prompts you to sign up for a free trial. Still, Yidio makes finding free movie streams far easier than checking individual sites.
13. The Roku Channel
Don’t be fooled by The Roku Channel. While it’s available for Roku streaming devices via an app, you can watch on the web too. In a few clicks, you can stream anything from Bad Boys to Ghostbusters.
The selection rotates, and there are helpful categories including Edge of Your Seat Thrillers, TV, Family Night, and LOL Hits. As expected, you’ll have to sit through ads, but ad-supported means free, right?
14. Kanopy
Libraries are most often associated with books, but I recall regularly renting classics on VHS from my local library. Kanopy lets you stream tons of movies for free with a library card. So long as you have a compatible library card, you can watch hundreds of free movies and TV shows including recent releases such as Loving Vincent.
15. Free Movies Cinema
As the name suggests, Free Movies Cinema features, well, completely free legal streaming movies. Unlike many sites, the selection touts not only classics like Death Race 2000 and Plan 9 From Outer Space, but also short films.
There’s also a robust smattering of fanmade movies such as Uncharted, based on the video game series, Han Solo: A Smuggler’s Trade, and Voldemort: Origins of the Heir.
16. Big Five Glories
With the subtitle “a tribute to classic movies,” you can probably already guess that Big Five Glories is mostly dedicated to public domain cinema. Here, you’ll find mostly older fare such as The Old Dark House, Charlie Chaplin classic The Kid, and noir gems like The Scar.
The front page features a “now playing” section, and you can sort by rating to find quality flicks to stream.
17. Retrovision
Over at Retrovision, you’ll find loads of content similar to what’s available on Big Five Glories or Classic Cinema Online. Essentially, it’s packed with older, public domain, free streaming films. Watch golden flicks like Bonanza – Blood of the Land, The Last Man on Earth, and The House on Haunted Hill.
Site organization is pleasant with a sidebar highlighting genres such as film noir, crime, and cartoons, as well as specific actors or characters.
18. Top Documentary Films
If you’re looking for free documentaries online, try Top Documentary Films. Specializing in documentaries, you’ll find a varied selection including Cosmos, Hubble’s Universe, and Zeitgeist. Browse the top 100 documentaries and recently added movies, or peruse by genre.
You Just Need to Know Where to Look
If you know where to look, you can find loads of sites for (legal) free movie streaming. However, note that your ISP can secretly throttle your video streaming speeds.
In that case, you should use a VPN like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, or Hotspot Shield to restore your video streaming speeds. A VPN is also good when you want to download videos off the internet.
Use this link to get three FREE months when you sign up for one year of ExpressVPN, our preferred VPN.
Read the full article: The 18 Best Free Movie Streaming Sites
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