Trying to find where to watch free movies online? We understand. This is a moment where every dollar needs to stretch further than before, and we're already paying for too many streaming services.
This is why we're making the complete guide for how to watch free movies online. From the latest heavy-hitter on the block to the niche services that still offer free flicks, we've got your tab covered for the next movie night.
- The 63 best Netflix shows and TV series
- The best streaming devices
- How to watch Love Actually online
Just one note about the programming we're listing below: these services are always changing the movies you can watch for free. That being said, each service has stuck with a similar level of quality and variety, so we believe these recommendations will stay true even as films come and go.
Watch free movies online with Peacock
- Registration required: Yes
- Supported devices: Roku, Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Apple phones and tablets, Chromecast, Comcast Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex, LG TV, Playstation 4, Vizio TV, Xbox One, web browsers
The films available at NBCUniversal's mighty Peacock streaming service will make you think you should be paying, which is why it's our first and top pick. Peacock has a ton of movies that you may have excitedly paid to see in theaters, and it's impressive. Titles include Knocked Up, I Am Legend, Love Actually, Eternal Sunshine and Big Lebowski.
And what makes Peacock better is that it's really good at curating content. Its front page for February has rows for romantic comedies for Valentine's Day, anti-Valentine's day horror and thriller movies, a row for films with Black leads for Black History Month. Most importantly: there's a Rotten Tomatoes-Approved row, so you can get some semblance of a quality assurance. And you can even keep watching when you're overseas with a Peacock VPN service.
Peacock's only flaw is its lack of an Amazon Fire TV app. Also, watch out for the purple feather icon, as it's an indicator of movies only available for those on the paid Peacock Premium plan.
Try it now: Watch Peacock
Watch free movies online with Tubi
- Registration required: No
- Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android, Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and web browsers
Tubi is a streaming service that makes you click a lot to find its best stuff. Spending time on its website, I eventually found the 1990 Christopher Walken and Laurence Fishburne film King of New York, the great horror flick It Follows and the excellent Train to Busan.
Dig deeper, and you'll discover the fantastic Japanese thriller movie Battle Royale, Donnie Darko, Memento, The Imitation Game and the animated version of Ghost in a Shell. Even Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is in there.
Then there's a lot of movies in Tubi, though, that you've never heard about — with good reason. Those include Thor: End of Days, which has nothing to do with the MCU, and Titanic 2. But for every Get The Gringo starring Mel Gibson, you'll find something great like Ghost World.
Try it now: Watch Tubi
Watch free movies online with IMDbTV
- Registration required: Yes
- Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick and via the Amazon Prime Video app on Android phones and tablets, Apple TV, Apple phones and tablets, Chromecast, Playstation 3 and 4, Roku, Xbox One and 360, smart TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, web browsers
If you own a Fire TV stick or television, you'll have a really easy time finding free movies online through IMDbTV. Built right into the Fire TV OS, with its own row on the home screen, IMDbTV is a source of free movies online (and TV shows too).
You'll find some seriously fun movies here, with the likes of Speed and Wet Hot American Summer, as well as drama classics like My Girl and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. And while you'll find other interesting movies such as Trainspotter 2, there's a lot of stuff packed in here.
For example: IMDbTV offers the 2017 version of Bring It On, not the version from 2000 starring Kirsten Dunst. Then there are all the "American Pie Presents" movies, where Eugene Levy earned a paycheck for being the only person you'll recognize.
Try it now: Watch IMDbTV
Watch free movies online with Crackle
- Registration required: Yes
- Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Android phones and tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, Chromecast, LG TV, Playstation 4, Vizio TV, Xbox One, web browsers
Sony's Crackle service also offers a great way to watch free movies online, and it beats Peacock on supported devices with Amazon Fire TV locked in. And while it's got some great movies: Key & Peele's movie Keanu, Layer Cake starring Daniel Craig and Will Smith's film Concussion — these films don't scream top-shelf material the way that Peacock's do.
The more you poke around, though, the more you find some great gems. The David Fincher film Zodiac is on Crackle, as is the classic 1974 film Chinatown. Plus, both of the Charlie's Angles films are up for free.
Crackle also has free TV shows and original programming, if that's what you want to see.
Try it now: Watch Crackle
Watch free movies online with Pluto TV
- Registration required: No
- Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android and Android tablets, iPhone and iPad, macOS and Windows apps, web browsers
Pluto may be more well known for its TV content, but it's got great movies too. There, you can watch high-quality films such as Clueless, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut and The Aviator.
In the Most Popular Movies section, you find fun romps including Nacho Libre, Clue: The Movie, House Party, and Space Balls. Pluto also picks out great movies such as Jackie Brown, Road to Perdition and The Faculty.
As is the case with many of these sites where you find free movies online, there are some films you'll know to skip. Those include From Dusk Til Dawn 2, The Passion of The Christ and Bridget Jones's Baby.
Try it now: Pluto TV
Watch free movies online with Roku Channel
- Registration required: No
- Supported devices: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, iPhone, iPad, web browsers, select Samsung smart TVs, web browsers
Roku Channel has a few great movies, such as Armageddon, Enemy of The State and The Bodyguard. But after a couple of movies in the tier below that (The Net, the 1978 version of Halloween and City of Angels) you start to run dry.
The Family Night section isn't as strong, but it's got some highlights, including 1988's Hairspray and All Dogs Go to Heaven. Things dry up quickly in this section, with movies like Ernest Goes to School and Agent Cody Banks: Destination Lounge.
The Roku Channel's biggest problem is that it's missing section-based navigation. All I really want from the app is a tab to see all of its movies, but you're instead just scrolling through row after row of theme-based clips of movies.
Try it out: Watch Roku Channel
Watch free movies online with Vudu
- Registration required: Yes
- Supported devices: Roku, Chromecast, PlayStation, Nvidia, Xbox, iOS, Android, web browsers and LG, Samsung and Vizio Smart TVs
Vudu isn't a strictly free streaming service, so you might get very excited when you log in. Unfortunately, you can only stream those movies that have "Free With Ads" tags. Fortunately, there is a 'Free movies only' button.
But when you click that button, you may see that the offerings are sparse on high-quality. The Boondock Saints (2000) and I Am Not Your Negro (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) are two of the best we found in our testing. There's even Ideal Home, a movie co-starring Paul Rudd and Steve Coogan, which looks like it has potential.
Vudu's got a lot of films that look like schlocky action or horror movies, which may be what you want. It's also got its fair share of movies where the best we can say is that they're designed to titillate. Films such as Dirty Teacher, Hope Lost and Whipped.
Try it now: Watch Vudu
