So, you want to watch movies and TV shows without spending a single dollar? You might be surprised to hear that this is entirely possible! All you need to know is which websites provide high-quality content without overwhelming you with ads and pop-ups. This is why we have decided to bring you a list of the best free movie streaming sites of 2019!
Tech mistake | As you can imagine, doing a Google search and trying these websites on your own can be tricky and quite risky. That’s because people often search for free resources on the Web. As you can expect, this attracts a large amount of organic traffic. Thus, many of those websites contain malware. To make sure you’re staying away from dangerous viruses and scams, we have done our homework and we proudly present you our list of the best free movie streaming sites to visit right now.
We’ve closely inspected each of the following recommendations.
If you read individual descriptions carefully, you’ll see which ones require you to sign up. You should also know that the majority of our recommendations come with advertisements. These websites are free-of-charge and they need to support themselves somehow, after all.
We advise you against using ad-blocking software when visiting the following websites, as this can disable important functions like video playback. After all, watching a few ads here and there isn’t a big price to pay for streaming completely free movies, right?
Important Notice: Please, be aware that some of the following options are restricted to certain regions or countries. However, this is something that you can easily overcome by using a capable VPN tool, such as ExpressVPN. This VPN won’t only unblock any movie streaming website, but it will provide a throttle-free experience as well. And on top of that, it will fully anonymize your Web traffic.
So, here’s what you want to know. Here are the 15 best free movie streaming websites of 2019!
1. Sony Crackle
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Action, Anime, Comedy, Drama, Originals, Horror, Romance, Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1980s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD; Older movies in SD |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Smart TVs, PlayStation, Xbox, Roku, FireTV, Blu-Ray players |
Availability | The USA, Australia, Latin America, the Caribbean |
Registration | Not Required (USA, Australia); Required (Latin America) |
Visit | Sony Crackle |
Notice: Sony Crackle is available in the USA and Australia, free of charge. In other regions (Latin America, the Caribbean), the service is premium-priced, while it’s completely blocked in the rest of the world. Therefore, we recommend using ExpressVPN as this VPN can easily unblock Sony Crackle no matter where in the world you are.
Owned by Sony Pictures, Crackle is a completely free source of amazing movies and TV shows as well. Aside from bringing a highly polished UI, it features a very interesting library of titles. Even though you won’t find the latest blockbusters here, you’ll find several newer and older titles that definitely deserve your attention.
Crackle’s catalog includes content from the 80s, 90s, 2000s, and even 2010s.
Aside from bringing almost every classic movie imaginable, newly-released content will appeal to those looking for recent cinematography creations. Just like with Netflix and other movie streaming services, movies can be available for a limited time. And also, this website is ad-supported. This means that you can expect periodic interruptions during your stream, which aren’t that annoying, to be completely fair.
2. Tubi TV
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Action, Comedy, Thrillers, Drama, Documentary, Romance, Horror, Family Movies, Cult Classics & more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1980s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD; Older movies in SD |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Smart TVs, Comcast Xfinity 1, Amazon FireOS |
Availability | Everywhere except in the EU (European Union) |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Tubi TV |
Notice: Users in the EU, as well as those who want to access the American version of Tubi TV, can use ExpressVPN to unblock this service. If you need additional information, here’s how to watch Tubi TV outside the USA.
No matter if you like to watch recently-released movies or older classics, Tubi TV will meet your needs. Upon opening this free movie-streaming website, you will be greeted by a highly polished interface. Some of the featured movies will be displayed right away, as well as sections like the most popular, comedy, and horror flicks.
Aside from movies, Tubi TV also has an interesting library of TV shows that have their roots in drama, comedy, crime, action, and documentaries.
And when it comes to the available movies and TV shows, Tubi TV’s library spans from the 80s all the way up to the 2010s.
A large portion of this website’s library consists of independent movies and older classics. If that’s your thing, you will find that Tubi TV is the ultimate resource. It reportedly has more than 8,500 movies gained through partnerships with Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Lionsgate. And best of all, you can use this website without signing up for a new account. However, this option is still there for those who want high levels of personalization and custom recommendations.
3. Snag Films
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Politics, Foreign, Music, Drama, Comedy, Arts & Culture, Sports, Thrillers, LGBT, Biographies, Documentaries |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1920s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly in SD and below |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Amazon FireOS, Roku, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Chromecast, Smart TVs, Blu-Ray players |
Availability | Worldwide |
Registration | Not Required |
Visit | Snag Films |
Notice: Even though Snag Films is available worldwide, its content library can be severely limited in certain markets. This means that you can use a VPN, such as ExpressVPN, to access the American version of Snag Films and unlock its library completely.
This is one of the oldest and one of the most respected movie repositories. You won’t find the latest Hollywood blockbusters here but you will find numerous interesting documentaries. Aside from documentaries, there are indie films and a nice selection of TV shows as well. Snag Films’ library includes titles from the 1920s all the way up to the 2010s.
The home page of Snag Films features categories like Immigrant Stories, Political Battlegrounds, History Lessons, and Climate Change. All of the movies found here come with an important educational aspect to them. Find something interesting to watch and click on that movie poster. The movie will begin playing without any ads. In addition, you don’t even have to create an account. When it comes to indie documentaries, this is definitely one of the best free movie streaming sites.
4. Popcorn Flix
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Romance, Mystery, Western, Documentaries, Foreign films |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1930s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Older movies in SD; Newer titles in HD |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire OS, Xbox One, Roku, Apple TV |
Availability | The USA, Canada, Latin America, the Middle East, Russia, and China |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Popcorn Flix |
Notice: Popcorn Flix is only available in select markets, so it’s advisable to use a reliable VPN application to overcome this obstacle. Our recommendation would be ExpressVPN, so make sure to learn how to watch Popcorn Flix outside the US.
This is a long-standing free movie-streaming website that has recently gone through an overhaul, modernizing its online presence. Right now, it brings a polished UI design that’s easy to use, and a large catalog of older movies and cult classics.
Popcorn Flix can be the perfect choice if you are looking for movies from the nineties. There are newer titles as well, but they are mostly B-list movies. In general, you can find titles from the 1930s up to the 2010s. Make sure to explore your way around this website as we are sure you’ll find at least a few dozens of interesting titles. This is also a good way to rediscover movies that might have gone under the radar. And let’s not forget that aside from movies, Popcorn Flix also offers a nice selection of TV shows as well.
5. Classic Cinema Online
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Animated, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Family, Musical, Sci-Fi, Shorts (Newsreels), Western, Holiday |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1930s to the 1970s |
Video Quality | Mostly SD and below (for really old movies) |
Supports | Web (accessible from any Web-connected device) |
Availability | Available worldwide |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Classic Cinema Online |
A lot of beloved movies from the Golden Era of Hollywood are now publicly available, free of charge. Unsurprisingly, you can find some high-quality movie streaming websites that present this type of movie. However, our favorite is ‘Classic Cinema Online’, which provides a clutter-free experience and it doesn’t serve annoying ads either.
As its name says, this free movie website is focused on older movies. These come from the 1930s to 1970s, and all of them are brought from different sources on the Web, which are legally hosting them. Another nice surprise is that there are no ads, providing you pleasurable user experience.
In general, this website relies on third-party streaming services. That’s why you often see embeds from YouTube and similar websites. As long as those websites host the movie you want to watch, you can watch it without any issues. There’s no registration required, and there are no annoying ads either. And also, this website comes with a nice discussion panel where you can express your thoughts and impressions.
6. Viewster
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Anime, Action, Horror, Comedy, Drama, Korean Drama, Animated, Romance, Thrillers, Documentary, Musicals |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1960s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD; Older movies in SD |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Smart TVs, and Roku |
Availability | Worldwide |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Views |
If you’re into B-movies and anime, in particular, you’re going to love what Viewster offers. There is a sizeable content library that can be played without registering for an account. Also, this service offers movies from the 1960s up to the recently released titles – with a heavy emphasis on titles from the 2000s and 2010s.
Unlike other options in this article, Viewster has decided to invest in original content. Similar to how YouTube Red (now called YouTube Premium) operates, there are several original exclusives. These are webisodes that can be played as soon as they appear on the website. Many of these webisodes are about anime, cosplay, and art in general. Aside from this type of content, Viewster also has a nice library of B-list movies coming from various genres. And there are French, German, and Spanish movies as well.
7. Vudu
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Action, Anime, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Musicals, Westerns, Foreign, Horror, Classics, Animation, and more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1980s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | The latest movies come in 720p HD; Older titles in SD |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Smart TVs, PlayStation, Xbox, TiVo, Roku, Chromecast, and Apple TV |
Availability | Only in the USA |
Registration | Required. |
Visit | Vudu |
Notice: To access this service’s free library outside the US, you’ll need to use a VPN to access Vudu. For this purpose, we recommend ExpressVPN, which has been confirmed to work with this service.
You have probably heard about Vudu before, as this is a popular premium-priced streaming service owned by Walmart. However, what you don’t know is that there’s a sizeable library of free movies. The best thing is – this library is often updated with new and highly interesting titles.
We recommend Vudu if you’re into newer movies.
There are plenty of titles released in the 2000s and even 2010s. However, you’ll also find some beloved films from the 80s and 90s. This gives you plenty of titles to watch, all free of charge. And on top of that, there’s a very interesting selection of TV shows as well.
No matter what’s your favorite genre, you’ll certainly find something interesting. At the moment, there are some well-known titles like Anabelle, Jeepers Creepers, Anaconda, Big Fish, and numerous others. All of these can be streamed free of charge, with occasional ads. Cult Classics
8. Movies Found Online
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Cult Classics, Family, Independent, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller, and more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1900s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Depending on a selected source (SD/HD) |
Supports | Web (accessible from any Web browser) |
Availability | Worldwide |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Movies Found Online |
Acting as a movie repository, this website uses legal sources only. In the majority of cases, you’ll get to watch movies posted on YouTube – that are completely legal and free of charge. And there are plenty of public domain movies that are usually older titles with expired copyrights. Some of the available titles come from the 1900s and they span all the way to the freshly-released films.
Movies Found Online comes with an easy-to-use interface. You can browse different genres using the main navigation bar at the top. The homepage is also doing a good job of featuring recently added titles. Users are free to give ratings and share their opinions. This means that Movies Found Online is not just one of the best free movie streaming sites, but a highly active community as well. Cult Classics
9. Retrovision
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Adventure, Action, Comedy, Classics, Cartoons, Crime, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Westers, and more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1930s to the 1980s |
Video Quality | Mostly SD and below |
Supports | Web (accessible from any Web browser) |
Availability | Worldwide |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Retrovision |
Next on our list of the best free movie streaming sites, we have Retrovision. It could be said that this is a niche website because it focuses on classic titles (from the 30s to 80s), with a big highlight on British cinematography. Cult Classics
The homepage of Retrovision is filled with interesting ting suggestions on what to watch. Each movie or TV show title brings a short overview, so you can get to know them before watching. At the moment, you can use Retrovision to watch titles such as Abbott and Costello, Bonanza, several movies by Lucille Ball, and more.
There’s also a helpful comments section if you want to share your opinion with other visitors to this website. The only downside is that Retrovision hasn’t been updated in a while. Still, plenty of fully-working titles await.
10. Pluto TV
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Action, Anime, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Western, Sports, Romance, Family, Animated, and more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1920s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD |
Supports | Web, iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Kindle/Fire, Roku, Apple TV, PlayStation, Xbox, Smart TVs |
Availability | Only in the USA |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Pluto TV |
Notice: To watch Pluto TV outside the US, you need to use a VPN. If you want our recommendation, you should go with ExpressVPN which is specialized in this type of service. Cult Classics
When it comes to on-demand content, you can find plenty of online sources. This is why we wanted to include something different, like Pluto TV. This free streaming service acts as a traditional television where you simply tune into what’s on air. In other words, Pluto TV connects you to dozens of content providers, all from a single place – and without you having to pay a single dollar.
Once you open Pluto TV, you will get to see dozens of different channels. Among those, there are options for movies and TV shows as well. Click on any channel and the live stream will begin to play. If you take a closer look, you’ll find channels dedicated to older movies (from the 20s to the 80s), and some channels cater to audiences looking for newer titles (from the 90s to freshly released picks).
11. HotStar
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Movies & TV Shows Genre | Indian (Bollywood) movies, Action, Drama, Sports, Family, Crime, Romance, Biography, Documentary, and more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1960s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV |
Availability | Only in the USA, Canada, and India |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Hotstar |
Notice: Hotstar is region restricted, so you’ll have to unlock its library by using a VPN outside the USA, Canada, & India. To make this happen, you need to use an application such as ExpressVPN and connect to a server in India. Then, visit the website and it will be fully blocked. Cult Classics
This is a great choice for those looking for Indian cinematography. HotStar is entirely dedicated to Indian movies and TV shows, and as such – it acts as a streaming portal. Lately, this service has been adding Hollywood movies as well, expanding its library at a rapid pace. In addition, there is a dedicated section for live sports as well.
At the moment, Hotstar has an emphasis on the latest movies that come from Bollywood. And knowing that Indian movie studios produce thousands of movies per year, you’ll find plenty to watch. You can also dig deeper and find movies released in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and newer. And also, we’ve tried all three versions of Hotstart (for the USA, Canada, and India), and we strongly recommend you to visit the Indian version. Not only does it have plenty of free movies, but it also brings a larger library than you’ll find with the other two versions.
12. Open Culture
Quick Facts | |
Movies & TV Shows Genre | Classics, Action, Comedy, Animation, Drama, Horror, Wester, Martial Arts, and more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1920s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Depending on a source (HD/SD) |
Supports | Web (accessible via any Web browser) |
Availability | Worldwide (some content might be restricted) |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Open Culture |
Created by Dan Colman, Open Culture is a rich source of Web-related resources. This website isn’t only about movies, as it brings audiobooks, courses, textbooks, ebooks, and more. However, we do feel this is one of the best free movie streaming sites due to its thoughtfully curated library that includes movies from the 1920s all the way to the 2010s.
Upon opening the movies section of Open Culture, you’ll see a list of highlighted films. They all come with short descriptions and you can find curated collections as well. Open Culture was made by someone passionate about collecting free Web sources. And as you can imagine, many of the films found here are actually links to other websites. Cult Classics
13. Documentary Heaven
Quick Facts | |
Movies & TV Shows Genre | Documentaries |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 2000s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD; Some titles come in SD |
Supports | Web (accessible via any Web browser) |
Availability | Worldwide |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Documentary Heaven |
Now, something for those who like thought-provoking content. Documentary Heaven simply had to find its place among the best free movie sites. The main reason for this lies in its content. Entirely dedicated to documentaries, this website features movies you won’t find anywhere else.
Even though documentaries aren’t a new format, they went through a fast development in the 2000s and 2010s – so you’ll find plenty of movies from those eras on Documentary Heaven. If you’re into the latest released titles, you’ll in luck since this resource specifically targets movies released in recent years. Cult Classics
To get started, we recommend taking a look at the ‘Top 100’. As you’ll see, this website collects media from all over the Web. This means that some movies might not be available, but you shouldn’t stop there. A large portion of the library is fully functional and you can stream the available content with no annoying ads. And lastly, this website is accessible from anywhere on the planet, so there are no restrictions whatsoever.
14. Top Documentary Films
Quick Facts | |
Movies & TV Shows Genre | Documentaries |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 2000s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD; Some titles come in SD |
Supports | Web (accessible via any Web browser) |
Availability | Worldwide |
Registration | Not required |
Visit | Top Documentary Films |
Very similar to our previous suggestion, Top Documentary Films is a repository of documentaries from all over the Web. It relies on a huge number of sources and brings legal movies that you can stream. Many of those titles were released in the 2000s and 2010s. Cult Classics
You can browse numerous sub-categories or simply go for the most popular titles. We have tested close to a dozen movies, and all are playing without any buffering. Also, many titles are offered in HD, which was a nice surprise. And finally, there are no annoying ads, which is always an important benefit. Cult Classics
15. Kanopy
Quick Facts | |
Movies & TV Shows Genre | Classic Cinema, Independent, Drama, Comedy, Romance, Horror, LGBTIQ, Thriller, World Cinema, and more |
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Content Age (Eras) | From the 1920s to the 2010s |
Video Quality | Mostly HD; Older movies in SD |
Supports | Web, Android, iOS, Chromecast, Roku, Amazon Fire OS |
Availability | Only in the USA |
Registration | Required |
Visit | Kanopy |
Notice: If you have access to Kanopy (via your library card) and you plan on traveling abroad, you can still enjoy this service by using a VPN. A capable tool such as ExpressVPN should be able to help you watch Kanopy from pretty much any country in the world.
We’ll end our list of the best free movie streaming sites with Kanopy. What you need to know is that this service is a bit different. To access it, you need to have a library card from one of the 4,000 libraries in the US. All major colleges are covered, so why not take advantage of this offer?
Kanopy brings over 30,000 films (from the 1920s to 2010s) from various categories. Many of these are educational movies with numerous awards under their belts. There are no annoying ads or popups – just like with premium-priced services.
This is where we conclude our article on the best free movie streaming sites. In case there’s anything you’d like to say or add, feel free to post a comment. And if you know of other interesting websites, make sure to let us know. Cult Classics
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The article was originally published here.