The 8 Best Free Movie Streaming Apps in 2024
found the most respected and reliable apps to stream free movies from, favoring features like good selection and navigation. One thing to note? Most of these apps come with ads which is how free streaming is made possible. Now, on to the winners that made the list!
Kanopy: Great for library or university members
Almost all of these free streaming apps will require you to sit through ads. Kanopy, however, is a rare exception. Not only is it ad free, it’s also fee and membership free. The catch? You can only access it if you have a public library card or university account.
What we love: No ads! Has several genres, including kids movies. You can also set parental controls.
What we don’t love: Only library or university members can access.
YouTube: Great for one stop content
Most people already use the YouTube app for free video content. Funny cat vids, favorite music videos or content creators, that sort of thing. It’s an easy next step to take advantage of their free movie selection. True, the movies come with ads, but let’s be honest, YouTube already makes you sit through ads for most of their videos anyway. While we’re on the subject, here’s a handy guide for watching YouTube videos on Linux.
What we love: You get most of your video needs filled in one app, rather than having multiple apps for multiple types of video content.
What we don’t love: Browsing is a hot mess. No intuitive browsing capabilities.
Roku: Great for original content
Roku is a device or smart TV that you can use to access all your streaming apps in one place. Along with this convenience is the Roku Channel, which has a lot of the movies and series you already know. They also provide plenty of original content as well as live television.
What we love: Access to live TV, like news channels, plenty of worthwhile original movies, and the convenience of the actual Roku device, itself. Recently, they’ve expanded their hardware offerings. Read about Roku’s new home monitoring system.
What we don’t love: You must own a Roku first, which limits who will have access. Lots of popular content requires “premium subscriptions” at a cost.
Redbox: Great for organized content
Redbox may be known for it’s pay to rent options, but its “Free On Demand” offerings are handy too. Unlike some of these apps, the genres are easy to navigate and intuitive to find. While it may have limitations on what movies it offers, you can always shell out some money to digitally rent more popular titles.
What we love: No sign in or membership required. Easy to navigate. Can always pay to rent if need be.
What we don’t love: Limited selection, especially compared to other streaming services.
Crackle: Great selection
A lot of free movie streaming apps don’t have a lot to offer in terms of selection. Crackle is one of the best, however, as far as giving you a decent library of options. With 30 genres, including specialized ones like British or Black entertainment, there are plenty of titles to peruse, even some original ones.
What we love: Well organized, lots of choices, original content
What we don’t love: While there are plenty of titles you’ve heard of and love, there is a lot of B content that just doesn’t look that good…And by a lot, we mean a lot.
Vudu: Great blend of free and paid for content
Vudu is part of Fandango, which is a company known for selling movie theatre tickets. Consequently, Vudu gives you access to a lot of very new movies to stream at home, some which are even still in theatres! Yes, you’ll be paying for these new releases, but there are plenty of movies you can watch for free with ads. If you want one place to find older, free movies and also new movies you can pay to watch from home, you can find the best of both worlds here.
What we love: One account will give you a huge variety of watching options without having to jump from app to app. You can choose to pay for a title or look for a free one.
What we don’t love: Ok, we’re gonna get real here. There appear to be a number of adult films available on this platform. Be aware and take advantage of kid friendly filters before perusing the movie list with your family.
Freevee: Great for big name movies
Amazon Prime is a paid-for streaming service but Amazon also owns Freevee, which is similar but without the fees. While it does require ads to view films and TV shows, it still has a good selection of A-listers that you’ve actually heard of, even if they are a little bit older releases. You don’t need to sign up for your free account either, though it’s a better user experience if you do.
What we love: No membership or accounts required. Big name features and a growing library of original content. With so many options, you may even decide you don’t need Netflix anymore. If you find yourself in that boat, here’s how to easily cancel your Netflix subscription.
What we don’t love: Content library can change quickly so watch what you like while you have the chance. Original content still needs to expand to be worthwhile.
Pluto TV: Great for more than just movies
Pluto TV is owned by Paramount, so they have a really good selection of both television shows and film. This free app does require ads, no surprise there, but they also have a watch live option that most other services lack. They have hundreds of live channels, and by live we mean live. As in you have to sit yourself down on the couch and watch it while you can, old school style. Fortunately, they also have on demand options where you can watch at your leisure without worrying about rushing.
What we love: The movie list is a little bit older but you’ll recognize tons of these titles. Besides that, the television selection is wonderful! If you’re alright to watch things live, it can open up selections you didn’t realize were available to you. You really get the best of all worlds with this. Live cable-like TV, and on demand convenience.
What we don’t love: If something is live-only, you’d better clear your schedule if you really want to watch it. There are no pause or rewind options for live mode. It’s back to the good old days where you rushed to time your bathroom breaks with commercials.
As you can see, free options are gaining traction. Gone are the days when the streaming scene was dominated by only a few choices, and paid for ones at that. In fact, read here for 5 surprising streaming trends in 2023, including the rise of free streaming. Netflix, Hulu, Prime, and Disney+ are still major contenders, but for the budget conscious, they may be on their way out. If that’s the case for you, here’s an article about the best alternatives to Netflix you may want to browse.