18 best websites to legally watch free movies online

It might be time to say goodbye to Netflix, Hulu, or Disney Plus, especially if you’re trying to lower your monthly costs. You’d be surprised how quickly all of those services can add up and match your cable bill, especially in 2023 with all the constant price increases. It can be hard, with so many new shows and movies rolling out each week. Luckily, you can keep your spending in check and still get your TV and cinema fix. There are plenty of places online to stream movies and TV shows for free legally. The quality of shows and movies have also greatly improved since the pandemic, as more folks are looking for cheaper alternatives as paid streaming services continue to skyrocket. While we already have a guide to the best free streaming services, this list takes an even deeper look at other sources, including websites and more. 

Websites with free movies and TV:

Editor’s note: We will update this list as more free movies options show up online.

Hoopla

Many people don’t know that their local library card can get them more than just books. If your local library supports it, you can also gain access to a couple of different services that let you watch free movies online, and Hoopla is one of them. Hoopla features tons of free movies and TV shows online and through its mobile app.

Beyond movies, Hoopla also has tons of eBooks, comics, music, and audiobooks so that it can become your one-stop entertainment shop. Just keep in mind, Hoopla works kind of like a standard library, so you will only be able to borrow a certain number of movies, TV shows, or books, and you have a set time to finish them before you have to check them out again (if they aren’t checked out by another patron already).

Amazon Freevee

Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDb TV) is one of the best websites for movie lovers to catch up on all sorts of movie and celebrity-related content. It offers local movie showtimes and ticketing, trailers, movie critic and user reviews, personalized recommendations, and even a robust library of free movies online. The service comes bundled together with Amazon Prime memberships, too.

It features fun family favorites, but it also has many cult classics as well. Whatever kind of mood you are in, you can bet Amazon Freevee has something for you.

Movies Found Online

The name says it all. Movies Found Online doesn’t host its content, but instead, the website embeds free movies and videos from other sites into one location. Nearly everything on this website is independently made, and the selection includes narrative features, documentaries, and even short films. The website has a somewhat limited library compared to other sites on this list, but if you are looking for something out of the ordinary, you might find something on Movies Found Online.

Just be sure to keep your ad blocker on; Movies Found Online is prone to pop-ups here and there.

Popcornflix

Popcornflix is a straightforward video streaming service to watch free movies online. It hosts tons of films, TV shows, and documentaries. The service has been around for nearly a decade now, but the library seems to have made a recent move towards B-movies. It features a well-organized directory to quickly peruse the various genres you are interested in, including new arrivals, foreign films, and even Popcornflix originals.

Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a little bit of an oddball in this list. Not only can you stream thousands of hours of free movies online, but you are also free to download nearly everything on the website too. That’s because all of the content on the Internet Archive is either uploaded by users or falls within the public domain. Most feature films are more than 70 years old, but it’s the place for classic detective, sci-fi, horror, and silent films.

Kanopy

Just like Hoopla, all you need to get up and going with Kanopy is a library card. We can’t guarantee every library supports it, but Kanopy is a treasure trove of free movies online if yours does. You may also be able to tap into Kanopy’s library through your school or university.

You can access Kanopy online or through the service’s mobile app, and there are more movies than you could ever hope to watch. Plus, Kanopy’s movie selection is top-notch, featuring award-winning films from studios like A24.

Plex

Plex is a valuable tool for people who want to access their personal media library from anywhere in the world. But that’s not all it does. Plex now has its own online ad-support media library, so users can watch tons of free movies online without having their own collection.

This selection of free content fits seamlessly within the existing Plex interface so that you can access it either from the app or within a browser. Whether you’re already a longtime Plex user or you’ve never even heard of it, this new movie selection is worth a look.

Pluto TV

One itch most streaming services don’t scratch is the need to channel surf like you can on cable television. That’s where Pluto TV comes in. Pluto TV features tons of free movies, TV shows, and cartoons online and through the Pluto TV app, but it presents them in a way that’s more akin to classic cable.

Pluto TV has a section where you can stream content on-demand, but it also features more than 250 channels that you can tune in to watch at previously scheduled times. Naturally, that comes with a few downsides, but if you are looking for a nigh one-to-one replacement for your existing cable service, Pluto TV has you covered. 

Crackle

The Crackle streaming service feels like it has been around forever. It is one of the staples for budget-minded movie lovers looking for free online content. Like most other services on this list, it’s ad-supported, but Crackle’s library is more robust than others, and it is available in your web browser and through various smart TV and mobile apps. Whether you like watching your movies on your TV, computer, or smartphone, Crackle is there waiting for you to give it a shot.

Top Documentary Films

Are you in the mood for a documentary? Top Documentary Films has you covered. Whether you are looking for a film on human health, environmentalism, or outer space, there’s something here for you. It features some of the best documentary movies you can find online, covering a vast selection of topics, and it’s all completely free.

Some movies are only a couple of minutes long, while others are as long as any classic movie. So whether you have only 15 minutes or a few hours, you’ll be able to find something on Top Documentary Films.

Tubi

Tubi TV has been around since 2014, and since then, the service has grown to become one of the highest quality free movie streaming services you can find online. What’s excellent about Tubi is that it offers some of the overall best films on this list.

It also boasts various genres you won’t find on many other free services like LGBTQ, home and garden, reality TV, and musicals. It also has many hand-curated collections, so if you have difficulty finding what you want to watch, Tubi will help you narrow it down. There’s also a growing number of exclusive movies on Tubi.

Yidio

Like Movies Found Online, Yidio doesn’t host its own content. Instead, it aggregates online movies and TV shows from paid and free services into one easy-to-navigate UI. Because of that, Yidio’s library looks massive.

You can watch free movies directly from the website, and you can also browse content on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. So, if you have at least one of these streaming services, you should give Yidio a try.

YouTube

YouTube is chock-full of content creators, vloggers, and even original content. But what people might not know is that YouTube also offers a library of movies and TV shows beyond YouTube Originals. Within that online library, there is an entire selection of movies you can watch entirely for free.

Though the free library isn’t the largest on this list, you’ll find horror films, comedies, action flicks, dramas, and even children’s movies. So, the next time you check out the Android Authority YouTube channel, be sure to scout out YouTube’s free movie library.

The Roku Channel

You can watch a bunch of free movies and TV shows on The Roku Channel. The streaming service also gives you free access to Live TV. There is no subscription fee involved, and you can watch the free titles available on the service through your Roku device other streaming devices, or even a web browser. The service even has a few exclusive new movies you won’t find anywhere else.

Peacock

Peacock is a streaming service run by NBCUniversal. The platform lets you watch around 13,000 hours of content for free, including feature films and TV shows like This is Us, Law, and Order: SVU, and more. The only caveat is that you’ll have to watch some ads while binging for free.

ConTV

Previously called Viewster, ConTV is a fandom-focused digital streaming network. The website offers thousands of hours of programming, including free movies and TV shows across genres like horror, sci-fi, anime, martial arts, classical cinema, and more. It’s also got licensed content from many other studios. You’ll have to endure some ads while watching, but you probably guessed that already.

Vudu

Vudu is mostly known as a place to rent or buy digital movies and TV shows. However, it also has a growing number of films and TV series you can watch for free, with ads. Best of all, if you really like a movie you watch for free, you can always purchase it so you can watch it without ads and not have to worry about it disappearing from the free library.

Xumo

Xumo is owned by Comcast, which also owns Peacock. Xumo has a number of older and more recent movies to watch, although most are not as high profile or have as high review scores as you can find on Peacock. However, Xumo does have a small number of exclusive films to watch.