We all know that paid TV services are very costly. Fortunately, there are numerous free movie websites that you can use to substitute your paid services. Thanks to these sites, you don’t to stress yourself about not being able to watch must-see or your favorite movies.
TV subscriptions are pretty expensive. This is why between 2012 and 2017, more than 10 million people stopped using paid subscriptions.
If you’re among these people who had to stop using traditional cable but would like to continue watching TV, there are several options available. You can now find free movie websites where you can access entertainment that will replace your paid services. This means that you no longer need to be stressed about not being able to watch must-see or your favorite movies.
Although people are always concerned that the quality of movies they get when streaming is bootleg instead of legitimate copies, you can find several lawful websites where you’ll be able to watch movies online.
11 Best Free Websites for Watching TV Shows and Movies Online
Not every one of the top websites for free movies are similar. There are those that have a lot of ads or a couple of other inconvenient features in them. However, this isn’t a big deal because you no longer need to pay a hefty cable bill.
1. Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Membership isn’t free (it costs $12.99 every month, or $119 every year), but if you already have membership, you’ll be able to watch many TV shows and movies for free. If you’re not a member and you’d like to join, you can sign up for the site 30-day trial and watch unlimited movies for free during this time.
Pros: Amazon Prime Videos comprises of a wide variety of movies that all the other websites that stream free movies. If you want to watch a certain category, you’ll probably get whatever you want through your Amazon Prime Video Membership for free. In case you can’t, you might be required to pay a small renting fee of about $3.99. The videos on the site are of excellent quality and there won’t be any commercials. Also, the content found on Amazon is original, including some popular titles like Good Omens, The Boys and The Man in the High Castle.
Cons: You have to buy an Amazon Prime membership before you can watch anything.
Related: 6 Clever Methods of Getting Cable TV for Free
2. Popcornflix
Popcornflix is another free streaming website for movies that popularly known.
Pros: Popcornflix comprises of an easy-to-navigate, smooth interface and the best part is you don’t need to login or open an account. According to the company, with just “two clicks” after getting on the site, you’ll be able to start watching movies. The company also features PopcornflizKids, which most families will likes because it contains shows which are child-friendly.
Cons: Popcornflix also contains an impressive number of movies and they’re all free, although they have limited categories. For instance, you’ll only be able to select from 52 options so that you can get stand-up comedy specials, where 12 are just old routines by Gallagher. You’ll also be forced to watch commercials after every fifteen minutes or more, and the movies don’t have the greatest picture quality.
3. Crackle
Crackle is a free movie streaming service provided by Sony. It can be accessed in different platforms like Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV Stick and Amazon Fire TV, and game consoles such as Playstation and Xbox One. You can also access the streaming platform in your regular browser.
Pros: You can watch some original shows on Crackle like Throwaways and Angel of Death, but the show will never be seen at the Emmy Awards. If you like the platform, you can create an account so that you’re able to save your progress and make a “Watch Later” list in different devices. However, you don’t need to create an account to be able to watch movies for free.
Cons: The picture quality on Crackle is grainy and the platform has periodic commercials. You’ll also experience some difficulty when looking for movies in particular genres, because Crackle only offers 6 categories to select from: Comedy, Action, Thriller, Anime, Drama and Crackle Original.
4. Facebook Watch
Facebook Watch and You Tube are very similar because brands and users can upload and create their own videos. The quality of videos is lackluster and the content offered is mostly funny clips of cats and kids, unless you look for particular original program on Facebook Watch. You shouldn’t expect to get any full-length videos on the platform. In addition, you’ll have to open a Facebook account to be able to watch the videos.
5. You Tube
You Tube is a popularly used platform where you can watch a wide variety of illegally-uploaded movies. However, you can also find original content and legal versions of movies.
Pros: While it’s not advertised widely, you can purchase access to reasonably priced copies of movies via the YouTube Movies and Shows section of the platform. For instance, you’ll find Men in Black: International at $5.99. The platform also has a limited selection with at least 200 free movies like Dances With Wolves and Super Size Me. YouTube has it own original content and some of it is available to people who don’t have membership on YouTube Premium.
Cons: The free YouTube version has frequent ads which you’ll have to put up with if you want to watch free movies. However, if you don’t want to see ads and would like to be able to view original content with full range on YouTube, you can purchase membership on YouTube Premium at $11.99 monthly. The membership comes with a trial period of one month where you’re given free access to watch movies and other content before signing up.
6. Yidio
Yidio isn’t a website that offers free movies. Rather, it’s an aggregator site that lets you know where you can get certain movies that you’ve always wanted to watch from.
Pros: If you’ve been looking for a particular movie and haven’t found it yet, Yidio is the website that will help you check whether the movie is available in any platform for free. The platform has an option that enables you to look for free movies only. Yidio comprises of an extensive list of movie categories that you can search and find what you were looking for.
Cons: While the site is free, oftentimes Yidio will give you suggestions to other paid movie platforms like Hulu and Netflix where you can find a certain movie or show.
7. Vudu
Vudu is an ala cart service for streaming movies from Walmart. While the site doesn’t have subscription fees, you’ll still need to pay a small fee for the content you want to watch. Vudu provides a complete section on the site with free movies.
Pros: There’s a wide selection of free movies available on Vudu. The movies can also be sorted out without difficulty such by year of release, Rotten Tomatoes score, or the production studio as well. Unlike other websites that offer free movies, Vudu also adds free movies on the platform regularly.
Cons: You’ll have to create an account and keep watching ads periodically so that you can access the free content on the site.
8. Tubi
Tubi is one of the biggest websites that offer free movies that’s available out there. If you’re not already familiar with it, make sure you check out the website.
Pros: Tubi comprises of more than 12,000 TV shows and movies to watch. Actually, the company states that their catalog is two time larger than that of Netflix. You’ll also be able to browse different niche topics easily, which includes categories like “Not On Netflix” and “Full Moon Features.”
Cons: Just like most free movie websites, Tubi earns its money by streaming ads in movies. The site doesn’t have as many blockbusters or new releases like other competing movie websites. Although there are a wide selection of movies to choose from, you won’t be able to find anything new from high-dollar productions.
9. Free Movies Cinema
One of the less popular websites for streaming free movies is Free Movies Cinema. However, if you’d like to watch movies from different genres, it’s a great option.
Pros: The site doesn’t require a registration fee to watch movies and there are also no ads.
Cons: All the movies that are found on the site are off-beat titles which you most likely haven’t even heard of before like Born of Hope, a pre-lord of the Rings fan film and The Fast and the Furious (1955). The user interface on the website is a bit chunky and you’ll face some difficulty while browsing for movies because of the poorly-designed website and small thumbnails. While the site is known as Free Cinema Movies, you’ll have to pay for some movies and shows like the series Origin.
10. Top Documentary Films
You can easily find documentaries on most websites that offer free movie streaming services. However, this website is highly recommended for people who particularly like this genre.
Pros: If you really like learning new things, Top Documentary Films is one of the best websites where you can view different kinds of documentaries from. The site comprises of a list of the Top 100 documentaries which are labelled in specific sub-genres like History or Science. you won’t be required to subscribe to anything and platform doesn’t have any commercials as well. Every documentary on the site has a detailed description on it.
Cons: The website doesn’t have any of its own documentaries. It’s rather an aggregation site that lists documentaries that can be found on other websites like YouTube. However, all the titles available on the site can also be found on other sites for free. The advantage of using the site is that all the documentaries can be found in one place and you can also access them quickly and without any difficulty. The video quality of each documentary varies and is determined by how and where the videos were originally hosted.
11. The Roku Channel
One of the most popular online movie streaming services that can be connected to the TV is Roku. However, the company also features a less popular service known as Roku TV channel.
Pros: If you own a Roku device, it possibly came inclusive of this streaming movie channel where you can get a wide selection of more than 10,000 movie titles for free. You don’t really need a Roku device to be able to access this channel because it can also be found on the internet. However, you’ll be able to navigate what is offered on The Roku Channel when using the device.
Cons: The Roku Channel doesn’t feature the latest box-office movies. There are also a lot of ads on the platform although the company states that they are not as many as the ones found on a traditional ad-supported TV.
Related: Alternatives for Cable TV: How to Stop Using Cable TV and Save A Lot of Money
Free Movie Site FAQs
Being able to access free movies isn’t an easy task, and people normally have many questions. The following are some of the common questions that are asked.
Is it legal and safe to watch free movies online?
This depends on the site you’re using. Most websites that offer free movies have pirated copies of the movies and often different malwares and other viruses can get to the files that you’re using. This is why you need to use reliable websites like the ones that have been listed here, instead of googling where and how you can watch free movies and selecting random websites.
In addition, never give your credit card number to any website unless you’re certain that it’s legit, like Amazon or Netflix.
Do you need to sign up before you can watch free movies?
There are free movie sites such as Amazon Video and Facebook Watch that require users to create an account before they are able to watch free movies. You can opt for other websites such as Top Documentary Films and The Roku Channel which don’t require any signing up.
Make sure that you don’t give your credit card number to any website that offers free movie streaming online unless you’re very certain that the website is legitimate.
Avoid Bootleg Copies and Free Movie Download Websites
You can download copies of pirated movies from free movie download websites directly on a computer, but by doing so, you’re risking the possibility of getting stiff fines. The government isn’t likely to go after everybody who does this individually, according to Limewire and Napster, but it good to be on the good side of the law.
In addition, there are a couple of disadvantages of downloading bootleg copies. These types of websites are normally operated by criminals and most of the files you’ll get from the site have malware and viruses which can affect your computer, leaving you with more issues.
Having said that, it’s better to be safe and use reputable websites for streaming movies like the ones mentioned on our list. When you watch your movies from reputable websites, you’re not using or downloading pirated copies. This will help protect your computer from viruses and malware.
Related: 8 Ways to Find Affordable Movies Tickets
Other Ways to Get Free Movies to Watch (or at Affordable Prices)
There are other places where you can get movies from. If the movie you’re looking for has a unique title that is difficult to get, you’ll possibly find it by using other means. You can get a wide selection of movies from libraries. If your local library doesn’t carry the title you’re looking for in hand, the Interlibrary Loan feature often takes requests for such situations.
Similarly, you can opt to sign up for free trials on websites such as Hulu and Netflix. These trial periods will help you figure out whether you like the streaming services, and if so, they are affordable options for entertainment.
Getting low-cos or free movie streaming options can take a little more work compared to buying an expensive DVD, but in the long run, you’ll get whatever you were looking for.
