The Best Free Movie Streaming Sites in 2023

In the list below you’ll find the very best free movie streaming sites. These are all completely safe and legal to use.

They allow you to stream new and old movies completely for free, without breaking the law, and often with no signup details required.

Using the table below, you can compare all of the top movie streaming sites we’ve tested based on their safety, advertising practices, video resolution, and more:

1. Crackle

The best free movie streaming site: over 1,000 free movies available in Full HD.

Pros	Cons
Extensive free movie library & exclusive content Legitimate ownership & licensing deals 1080p streaming quality No sign up required Professional user interface Monthly changes to catalog	Only available in the US A lot of low quality content Up to six ads at a time

Crackle is the best free movie streaming site. It has a large library of free movies with quality titles from all over the world, including Crackle Originals.

Unlike other free movie sites such as Peacock, SBS On Demand, or The Roku Channel, you can watch movies on Crackle without creating an account or entering any signup details.

Crackle legally hosts content from big studios like Sony Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and TriStar Pictures. Once run by Sony, Crackle is now owned by the US media company Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (which also owns the free movie site, Popcornflix).

It is a professional streaming service with a sleek website. Content streams in 1080p Full HD, which is better than the 720p quality you get when streaming on Tubi or SBS.

The movie library changes every month and is organized by genre. There’s a search bar if you want a specific title. You can also generate a watchlist, but only if you register an account.

The problem with Crackle is the number of ads. You’ll encounter up to six different non-skippable ads per break. At 30 seconds each, that’s three minutes per break. But this is what keeps Crackle free.

You’ll need a VPN to watch Crackle if you live outside the United States. While most VPNs we tested beat Crackle’s geo-restrictions, we recommend using ExpressVPN, which is the most effective VPN at bypassing video geo-blocks.

2. Peacock TV

Huge library of free movies owned by NBCUniversal.

Pros	Cons
Impressive movie catalog Full HD streaming quality Free content is well marked User-friendly website and apps Minimal ad intrusion NBCUniversal ownership	US geo-restrictions Account required Pre-roll ads English audio dub on international movies Free version no longer available to new subscribers

Peacock is a popular US streaming service owned by NBCUniversal. It has lots of excellent free movies available in Full HD quality.

Most new movies and Peacock Originals are paywalled, but there are also lots of great movies you can stream without paying, from cult classics to contemporary comedies. Free movies are marked by the absence of a purple feather.

However, Peacock dubs foreign-language movies and there are no subtitle options. If you’re a fan of international cinema you might dislike this.

Compared to other free movie sites, Peacock shows very few ads. Peacock only shows two minutes of pre-roll commercials and does not interrupt your viewing with mid-roll ads.

You can download the Peacock app or stream on its website, both of which are a pleasure to use. We do wish there was a way to find all the free movies under one category. Currently you have to scan and scroll the website.

You need to register an account in order to access Peacock content and you’ll need a VPN to do this if you don’t live in the US. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you can also choose from our list of the best VPNs for the US.

3. The Roku Channel

Excellent free movie library with Roku Originals available in Full HD.

Pros	Cons
Free movie library with Roku Originals 1080p Full HD video resolution Professional website & app No Roku device required Infrequent intrusive ads	US exclusive channel Interrupting mid-roll ads Roku account required Robust VPN detection Inferior interface to Crackle & Peacock

The Roku Channel is a free US streaming channel run by Roku Inc. It has licensing deals with a number of top movie studios, including Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and Paramount.

Alongside a premium subscription option, there is a large library of free and popular movies. The website and app is simple and polished and there are fewer intrusive ads compared to other free movie sites.

You don’t need a Roku device to stream The Roku Channel, but you do need to create a Roku account. When asked to insert payment details, simply close the window and your account will be generated anyway.

Unlike other free movie sites, The Roku Channel enforces VPN detection methods to stop streaming outside the US. However, we easily bypassed these VPN blocks using top-tier VPNs like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Windscribe.

4. Tubi

Free streaming site with lots of action, horror, and comedy movies.

Pros	Cons
Completely free movie streaming site Library of classic and modern films Owned by Fox Corporation No sign up or registration required Excellent user interface Good for fans of action, horror, and comedy	Mid-roll ad breaks 720p maximum picture quality Full library restricted to the US

Tubi is a legal, free, and professional streaming site owned by the Fox Corporation. It has an ad-supported movie catalog visited by 50 million users a month.

There are regional versions of Tubi available in Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand. But the US has the largest and best library. We recommend using a VPN if you’re outside the US.

Tubi is a great resource for fans of genre movies. It includes lots of action, horror, and comedy movies. There are some bottom rung movies, but lots of big and popular ones, too.

You don’t need to create a Tubi account to stream its movies. However, picture quality is restricted to 720p, which isn’t Full HD. Crackle, Peacock, and The Roku Channel all stream in 1080p, so that’s disappointing.

5. SBS On Demand

Australian broadcaster with an outstanding selection of free movies.

Pros	Cons
Top quality curation of movies Free on demand service Excellent user experience Frequent library turnover Public service broadcaster	Australia geo-restriction SBS account needed 720p resolution cap Pre-roll ads

SBS On Demand is the over-the-top streaming service of Australian broadcaster, SBS (Special Broadcasting Service). It has a large and high quality movie selection including Hollywood blockbusters, global art house picks, and much more. The turnover is frequent and the choices are always top quality.

However, SBS restricts the video resolution to 720p. You’ll also have to sit through a number of pre-roll ads.

You need to register an account to stream from SBS, which requires a VPN if you live outside of Australia. You’ll also need to insert an Australian ZIP code, but you can use any random one – we suggest searching Google Maps.

Based on our tests for the best VPN for Australia, we recommend using ExpressVPN.

6. Pluto TV

Thousands of free movies with no sign up required.

Pros	Cons
Huge free movie library Owned by Paramount Pictures No sign up necessary Polished website and Pluto TV app	480p (SD) picture quality Mid-roll ad interruptions US IP address required Dubbed foreign language movies only

Pluto TV is an ad-supported streaming service run by Paramount. It’s free, legal, and packed with thousands of free movies.

Pluto TV has one of the best free movie libraries in terms of quality and quantity. Its interface is similar to Crackle, with titles organized by genre.

It mimics the experience of watching conventional broadcast TV, with ad breaks throughout.

Pluto TV can’t claim a top spot due to its 480p image resolution cap. This is standard definition, well below the 1080p quality we want to see.

As with Peacock TV, Pluto TV dubs its foreign-language movies and offers no other audio options.

As a US exclusive streaming site, you’ll need a VPN if you live outside the US. But you don’t need to create an account to start streaming.

7. Freevee

Free movies on ad-supported Amazon Prime Video hub.

Pros	Cons
Lots of free movies and shows Original programming 1080p video quality Part of Amazon Prime Video Identical interface to Prime Video	Available in US, UK & Germany only Amazon account required Mid-roll ads

Freevee (formerly IMDb TV) is an ad-supported streaming hub integrated into Amazon Prime Video. Its content is nowhere near paid Prime Video quality, but there are lots of movie gems available.

You need an Amazon account to stream movies on Prime Video. But the Freevee hub library is large and contains original programs.

There are mid-roll ads throughout the movie stream, around every 20 minutes. But nowhere near as many as we experienced on free sites like Crackle.

Freevee is just as easy to navigate as Amazon Prime Video. This makes it one of the best user experiences of any free streaming site.

It is only available in the US, Germany, and the UK. If you’re outside these regions, you need a VPN to access it.

8. Channel 4

On demand UK streaming service with regular turnover of popular free movies.

Pros	Cons
Free movies from Film4 Professional UK broadcaster 80 high quality & popular movies Intuitive interface Frequent library turnover	UK IP address needed Non-skippable pre-roll ads Account registration needed UK postcode required

The UK’s Channel 4 has an on-demand service with excellent free movies. You only have to register an account.

Its movie section, Film4, offers a selection of top international cinema. To find movies go to Categories > Film. There are 80 movies at any given time and turnover is frequent.

A couple minutes of ads occur if you don’t pay for a premium account. These ads are more annoying than most because they pause if you leave the window or open another tab, forcing you to watch them.

To stream Channel 4 outside the UK, we recommend ExpressVPN.

9. Popcornflix

Free low-budget genre movies in 1080p with no sign up required.

Pros	Cons
Legit free streaming site 1080p Full HD quality No account required Good for fans of genre movies No dub on foreign-language titles	Canada & US geo-restrictions Pre-roll and mid-roll ads No drama or art movies

Popcornflix is a free over-the-top streaming service available in the US and Canada. Owned by the same company as Crackle, it’s packed with low-budget genre movies.

Similar to Tubi, Popcornflix features kung-fu, horror, western, and disaster movies.

The library is well presented and organized, with a welcoming and easy-to-use interface. There are pre-roll and mid-roll ads, which can be annoying.

Unlike with Crackle and Pluto TV, Popcornflix shows foreign-language movies in their original audio. As Crackle and Popcornflix share movies, you can find subtitles for the same movie on Popcornflix.

You don’t need an account to begin streaming, and you can rest assured that Popcornflix is a completely legitimate free streaming site. You just need a VPN with a Canadian or US server.

10. Crunchyroll

The best free movie streaming site for anime.

Pros	Cons
Large anime library plus originals 1080p Full HD available Legit Sony ownership No sign up necessary Available in many regions	Anime only Lots of ads Regional content differences

Crunchyroll is a free streaming site for fans of anime. It has a huge library of top quality content (including exclusive originals) available without any sign up required. This is made possible by ads — lots of ads.

Sony owns Crunchyroll, so you know it’s legal and legitimate to use. Its website is professional and well-made, similar in design to Crackle.

It’s available in many countries, but the best Crunchyroll library is in the US, followed by Canada, and the UK. Full HD is the default streaming quality.

A VPN will enable you to unblock all of Crunchyroll’s content. It will also allow you to stream more anime on Japanese Netflix.

11. Vudu

US streaming site with the largest free movie library.

Pros	Cons
Over 11,000 free movies Free movies are easy to find NBCUniversal & Warner Bros ownership Lots of thrillers, action, horror, and comedy Subtitles available Simple Netflix-style interface	VPN needed outside of US Doesn’t stream in Full HD Vudu account required VPN detection methods Ad-supported

Vudu is a streaming service run by Fandango but owned by NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. You can buy digital movies but there is a very large selection of free content, too.

With over 11,000 movies to choose from, Vudu has the largest free movie catalog. This is thanks to ads, which you have to sit through before the movie starts.

With so many movies available, it’s unsurprising that there is a lot of low-quality content on Vudu. But there are lots of movie gems, too. It specializes in horror, action, comedy, and thriller movies, but there’s a large variety in general.

Vudu makes the free movies easy to filter for, and you can sort them further into release date, popularity, and recently added. The website is simple but a little unsophisticated. It’s basically an infinite-scroll interface unless you use the search bar.

You do need to create a Vudu account before you can access its content and it requires a VPN outside of America. Vudu blocks a lot of VPNs, but you can see which VPNs work in the table further down the page.

12. ABC iView

Australian broadcaster with local and international favorites.

Pros	Cons
Completely free & legal Selection of 40 popular movies Frequent turnover of movies Emphasis on Australian cinema Excellent UI	720p maximum resolution Restricted to Australia Account & Australian ZIP code needed Limited selection of movies

ABC iView is a professional, intuitive, and easy-to-use streaming site from Australian state broadcaster, ABC. It’s completely safe and legal to stream.

It shows movies and TV shows from all over the world, including Hollywood movies and British dramas. It’s particularly good for fans of Australian TV and movies, with a dedicated section for local movies.

You can find the movies by going to Channels & Categories > Movies. The selection of movies on ABC iView is limited to 40, which is half as many as the UK’s Channel 4. But you’re never wanting for choice as its library is constantly changing.

You need to register an account by inserting an Australian ZIP code, but this is quickly done. You’ll also need to connect to an Australian VPN server if you don’t live in the country.

13. CTV

Canadian on demand streaming service.

Pros	Cons
Quality selection of movies Bell Media ownership Professional Canadian broadcaster Regular library turnover Don’t need to register an account Good UI and user experience	Canada geo-restriction A lot of pre-roll and mid-roll ads Banner ads

CTV is an on demand streaming site from a privately-owned Canadian broadcaster. It has a range of quality free movies. You don’t have to register an account to stream movies.

Its movie selection is diverse, with old and new movies, and various genres to choose from. Content is topical and always changing.

The library is sorted by genre, actors, and themes, making choosing a movie easy. The website is professionally designed. However, picture quality is capped at HD, not Full HD.

There are a couple of pre-roll ads before your movie streams and up to four mid-roll ads at any given ad-break. There are also annoying banner ads.

If you live outside of Canada, you need a VPN with Canadian servers to stream movies, but this is easily done. With 244 servers in three Canadian cities, we recommend the best VPN for Canada, NordVPN.

14. My5

Video-on-demand service of the UK’s Channel 5.

Pros	Cons
Good selection of classic and modern movies Legitimate British network owned by Paramount No payment info or account required Excellent UI & video resolution Frequent movie turnover	UK exclusive Lots of pre-roll ads Limited library of 40+ movies

My5 is the video-on-demand service of the UK’s Channel 5. It has a selection of free classics and new movies in a library with a regular turnover.

Like with ABC iView, My5 is limited to around 40 movies at any given time. To find the movies go to the menu and select Browse > Movies.

My5 is completely free and you don’t even need to create an account. But there are a lot of ads. Streaming one movie we were forced to watch seven pre-roll ads.

To stream My5 outside the UK, we recommend that you pick one of the best VPNs for the UK.

15. Disney+ Hotstar

Bollywood blockbusters for free.

Pros	Cons
Free Bollywood movies Disney ownership Ads are quite short No account needed 1080p resolution on Safari and Edge browsers	India geo-restriction 360p low resolution on Chrome Robust VPN detection methods Free movies are unmarked Pre-roll ads

Disney+ Hotstar is India’s version of Disney+, but it has a lot more content than the US. Hotstar lets you stream selected Bollywood movies for free. You don’t even have to create an account.

Hotstar’s ads are relatively unobtrusive. The website interface is fine, but free movies aren’t marked.

We find that most Indian movies can be streamed for free but Hollywood blockbusters require a premium subscription.

One problem with Hotstar India is its video resolution cap. You cannot stream above low definition (360p) on Google Chrome without a paid subscription. This is extremely unusual.

Instead, we recommend that you stream Hotstar on the Safari browser — the picture quality jumps to 1080p.

Not many VPNs work to access Hotstar. To watch Hotstar outside of India, we recommend ExpressVPN and its ‘India via Singapore’ server.

16. Rakuten Viki

The best free streaming site for Asian movies.

Pros	Cons
Plenty of free movies Best for fans of Asian movies No account needed Not many ads Free movies are marked	Maximum 720p resolution Tough anti-VPN geo-blocks Ad blocker detection US residents only Cannot filter library by free movies

Viki is an American streaming service that specializes in Asian entertainment. It has over 30 million visitors per month. There is a premium subscription available alongside free movies from Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan.

You can stream from Viki without needing to create an account or sign up.

The website is professional, but you cannot filter by free movies. As a result, you’re forced to scan through the library looking for them.

Viki streams in HD quality. This is fine, but we’d like to see movies in Full HD. On the flip side, the ads are less frequent than other free sites, with only one ad per mid-roll break. Viki can detect if you’re using an ad blocker, so you have to turn it off in order to stream.

Viki is a US-exclusive platform. You need a VPN to access it if you’re not based there. Based on our in-depth tests, we discovered that only NordVPN works to access Viki.

17. Filmzie

Ad-supported free streaming site.

Pros	Cons
Legit free movie site No subscription or fee Account is optional Transparent ownership Full HD quality videos	Inferior selection of movies Ad-supported Ad blocker detection US residents only Cannot filter library by free movies

Filmzie is a free streaming site with transparent ownership and movies that are available to stream in Full HD.

The library is not the best we’ve seen. It’s made up mostly of low-budget and obscure action and horror. But there are a number of hidden gems that you can stream without needing to create an account.

Filmzie is available in many regions, including the US, UK, Germany, France, and more. If you’re outside a permissible region, most VPNs work to access Filmzie.

18. CBC Gem

Free movies via the Canadian Broadcasting Channel’s on-demand service.

Pros	Cons
Free Canadian streaming site Owns distribution rights Legitimate broadcaster Emphasis on local Canadian movies Geo-blocks easily bypassed	Hit-or-miss selection of movies CBC account needed No category or genre filter Basic scroll-down navigation Canadian IP address required

CBC Gem is the on demand streaming service of the public Canadian broadcaster, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Channel). It’s completely free to stream – you just need to create an account.

If you live outside of Canada, you need a VPN with Canadian servers to create a CBC Gem account. We recommend choosing from the list of the best VPNs for Canada, but most VPNs get around CBC blocks.

The movie selection is a mixed bag. There are popular movies and obscure movies in equal measure, with a special emphasis on local Canadian movies and filmmakers.

The movie library is not well organized and the interface is a basic scroll down. It’s not even obvious how you find CBC Gem’s movies. To do so, first go to Shows > Films.

19. RTBF Auvio

Belgian broadcaster with a selection of free English-language movies.

Pros	Cons
Well-made streaming service Reputable ownership No pre-roll ads 1080p video resolution Streams in original language Belgian ZIP code needed	Limited quantity of movies Mid-roll ads No English subtitles on French-language movies

RTBF Auvio is an on-demand streaming service run by the public company, the Belgian Radio-Television of the French Community.

IIt has a selection of free-to-stream movies. There are no pre-roll ads when selecting a movie and you can watch it in Full HD.

RTBF has a lot of French-language content but no English subtitles are available. On the flip side, it’s refreshing that, on what English content it does have, RTBF retains the original English audio and does not dub it into French.

Some European streaming sites like RTVE Play (Spain), Tivify (Spain), and RaiPlay (Italy) we don’t recommend as they only show dubbed movies.

20. Bounce TV

Free movies shown on airtime schedule.

Pros	Cons
No annoying ads Legit website and ownership No sign up required	US-only geo-restriction Runs on an airtime schedule No search bar or category filters

Bounce TV is a free US streaming site that highlights African-American stories and stars. But there’s a lot of diverse content.

Unlike many other free streaming sites, Bounce TV is not an on-demand service. It works on a schedule, so you have to tune in at a certain air time to catch the movie you want. This takes power away from you as the user, but it remains completely free and legal.

The website interface is serviceable but lacking polish. There isn’t a search function or the ability to filter by genre. But we are pleased by the absence of annoying ads.

To watch Bounce TV outside of the US, you’ll need a VPN. If you want a free VPN, we recommend PrivadoVPN.

21. Kanopy

Free movie streaming site for students.

Pros	Cons
Aimed at students Free 1080p movies & documentaries Account registration not needed No georestrictions or advertisements Transcript feature Available as an app	Library card or student email required Content determined by institution Limited and niche library

Kanopy is a streaming service for universities and libraries. It hosts a collection of movies and documentaries that are completely free to stream as long as you have a library or student card.

The movies available depend on your institutional affiliation. This means that content can be very limited.

But there are no ads or georestrictions. You can stream Kanopy from anywhere, including via its app, which is available on a number of devices, such as Fire TV Stick and Roku.

22. CONtv

Free “B” movies available to stream.

Pros	Cons
Legal and free to use Free movies are not geo-restricted Good for fans of geek culture and cult “B” movies Comic-Con behind the scenes content No annoying ads	Slim selection of free movies Niche interest Terrible web design

CONtv is an over-the-top streaming service that targets geek culture. It features low-budget horror, fantasy, and sci-fi movies. You can also read digital comics and stream comic-con content.

Most content requires a paid membership, but there is a selection of free movies that hardcore genre fans might appreciate. To find these go to free in the menu bar.

These free movies are available to stream in many regions. We connected to a selection of VPN servers and could stream them from different IP addresses. The paid content disappears, though, and is only available in the US.

The design and user experience of the site is sorely lacking. Large, pixelated images fill the screen and there can be up to six ads while streaming. We didn’t enjoy using CONtv.

The free movie streaming sites listed below do not meet our strict testing criteria. The websites are poorly designed, ads are invasive, and they often host illegal movies that they do not have the distribution rights for.

Some of these websites are also known to host malware. If you do end up visiting any of these websites, be sure to avoid security threats by using a VPN.

We’ve listed the details of the most common, unofficial movie streaming sites in the table below:

123Chill

Free movie site with a library that’s too good to be true.

Pros	Cons
Easy-to-use website Large library of new movies No subscription required	Hosts pirated movies Camera-recorded movies Malware detected Unknown ownership

123Chill looks like a legitimate and professional movie streaming site, with lots of new movies available.

Movies are organized by country and there’s a search bar, making titles easy to find.

However, most of its content is hosted illegally. For this reason, we don’t recommend clicking on the available streams.

On top of that, we detected malware in our tests. 123Chill is not safe to use.

123Movies

Popular free movie site operating from Vietnam.

Pros	Cons
Simple interface Huge library of movies Excellent picture quality	Illegal streams Unsafe to use Suspect Vietnamese operation Runs through mirror sites

123Movies is one of the most famous free movie streaming sites in the world. At its height, it received up to 100 million visitors per month. But its content is not legal to stream.

123Movies operates from Vietnam and is part of a larger network of free and legally dubious streaming sites that includes GoStream, GoMovies, and MeMovies.

The original URL closed a long time ago, but 123Movies continues to operate through mirror sites. Various versions of the site have been shut down by the FBI and Vietnamese authorities.

It has a good-looking website which is super easy to navigate, but we detected malware in our tests. 123Movies is neither safe nor legal to use.

AZMovies

Popular free website with malware and ads.

Pros	Cons
Daily updates Thousands of movies Completely free	Illegally-hosted contents Bad UI Malware Annoying ads

AZMovies is popular because it hosts a lot of new and exciting movies, but it doesn’t own the distribution rights to this content. Streaming from AZMovies is likely to be illegal.

On top of that, the user experience is bad. The website is poorly designed and there are a lot of ads, too. There’s no reason to use AZMovies, and no safe way to do it, either.

Cineb

No malware detected, but movies are hosted illegally.

Pros	Cons
No malware No sign up required Large library of new movies	Intrusive ads Terrible website No copyright or distribution rights

Cineb receives nearly one million visitors per month. This is due to the amount of movies that you can stream for free.

However, its website is too basic and unprofessional to consider using. More importantly, none of Cineb’s content is legal to watch.

At least we didn’t detect malware when running Cineb through our tests. But we don’t recommend using it for legal reasons.

FMovies

Notorious free movie site contains malware.

Pros	Cons
Large library of new movies Nice website Full HD available Millions of monthly visitors	Illegally hosted movies Malware & ads Banned in numerous countries History of blocks Clone sites

FMovies attracts millions of visitors each month because it allows users to stream and download movies for free. But it doesn’t have the necessary legal agreements to do so.

The FMovies website looks legit and is easy to navigate. But the site is riddled with controversy. Lawsuits have been brought against it and it’s banned in Australia and Scandinavia.

In America, the FBI has listed FMovies as one of the worst offenders in its ‘Notorious Markets’ list. Indian ISP’s have also been ordered to block the site.

It continues to operate through a number of mirror sites. We don’t recommend using any for legal reasons, especially as we detected malware on some of the popular URLs.

FlixTor

Pirate film website with malware.

Pros	Cons
Lots of movies available Relatively few ads	No distribution rights Basic website interface Taken down numerous times Servers are often full Suspect copycat sites Operates on a number of domains

FlixTor isn’t safe to use. It’s content is pirated and the website has malware. It remains popular because you can stream the latest movies.

There are a number of different FlixTor sites on the web and there’s no way to know if they are run by the same people.

The website has been taken down a number of times and continues to run through mirror sites. You can’t trust FlixTor.

There are lots of movies on FlixTor but its website is basic and the content is pirated. We found malware by scanning the most popular URL. You should avoid FlixTor at all costs.

GoStream

Malware and cam-recorded movies.

Pros	Cons
HD streaming available Content is categorized Updated regularly	Movies are pirated Cam-recorded movies Annoying ads Contains malware

GoStream contains malware, intrusive ads, and hosts pirated movie files. It’s not safe to stream from.

The GoStream library is impressive, and well organized by genre and country. But these movies are not legally hosted, so streaming them could get you in trouble.

There are a number of GoStream domain URLs available, but all are equally unsafe.

MoviesJoy

Not much joy to be found on malware-infested free movie site.

Pros	Cons
Lots of free new movies Simple search function Daily updates Android app available	Illegal hosting of movies Poor quality cam-recorded movies Failed malware checks Pop-up ads Identical to GoStream & MyFlixer

MoviesJoy contains the very latest movies and a large back catalog. It works primarily as a search function.

MoviesJoy is stripped-back and simple to use. There is an Android app available and most movies stream in HD.

The problem is that none of the films are legally licensed. There are a lot of poor quality, cam-recorded movies and lots of pop-up ads.

MovieStars

Free movie site with an unreasonable level of intrusive ads.

Pros	Cons
Simple interface 1080p quality available Subtitles available	No legal rights High level of ad intrusion Content is not up to date Malware on site

MovieStars is a free movie streaming site riddled with pop-up ads. It doesn’t update its library frequently and it contains malware.

MoviesJoy is stripped-back and simple to use. There is an Android app available and most movies stream in HD.

The MovieStars website is very similar to most other illegitimate streaming sites, with a search bar tool and a list of the most recently added titles. It’s simple enough, but the movies are not legally sourced.

Clicking anything on MovieStars forces a pop-up ad, meaning everything has to be clicked twice. Even without clicking anything MovieStars contains a lot of intrusive and annoying ads.

MyFlixer

Contains multiple malware files and has no legal distribution rights.

Pros	Cons
Large library of latest movies Genre and country filter Search bar tool No ads	Multiple malware files detected Camera-recorded pirate movies No distribution rights for content

MyFlixer shares an identical interface to other free streaming sites like GoStream and MoviesJoy. Unfortunately it’s just as bad and unsafe to use as those.

MyFlixer has a library of the very latest movies, which is updated daily. You can use the search function to find specific titles or filter by genre, country, and even the IMDb Top 250 movies list.

However, a lot of the new movies are cam-recorded, so the quality is terrible. There are HD options, but none of the movies are legal to watch as MyFlixer doesn’t have the distribution rights.

On top of that, we detected multiple malware files – more than any other free streaming site. You should avoid MyFlixer.

Putlocker

Famous free movie site operates via untrustworthy mirror sites.

Pros	Cons
Long-standing free movie site	Banned in lots of countries Lots of mirror and clone sites Unknown operations Movies are hosted illegally

Putlocker is a famous free movie streaming site. It’s been around for over 10 years and, at its height, was one of the most popular websites in the world with millions of visitors daily.

Putlocker is no longer a single website. Rather, it’s a name that lots of free movie sites use. It’s unknown who runs these many mirror sites, or whether they are the same people who first established Putlocker.

The original Putlocker domain was blocked by a UK high court order and alternative URLs have been blocked in a number of countries.

None of the Putlocker domains are safe or legal to use. Our tests detected malware on the most popular alternative URLs.

SpaceMov

One of the worst free movie websites.

Pros	Cons
Sorted by category 1080p available	No legal distribution rights Terrible website Horrible banner ads Malware found

SpaceMov is one of the worst free movie streaming sites. It’s illegal to stream from and not safe to use. Our tests detected malware files.

Although 1080p streams are available, the SpaceMov website is awful to look at and use. It’s filled with crude and intrusive banner ads and malware.

StreamLord

Slow-to-update free streaming site with pop-ups and malware.

Pros	Cons
Good picture quality Featured content is out of date	Pop-up windows Content updates are not as comprehensive Bad website design

StreamLord is an ad-free free streaming site. However, its movies are not legal to stream.

Clicking around the StreamLord website will force open multiple annoying pop-up windows.

StreamLord’s featured content is well behind what’s on offer from other free movie streaming sites. For example, StreamLord forefronts content like The Mandalorian, Breaking Bad, and Mr Robot. Many titles can even be streamed on legal free movie sites.

We advise caution using StreamLord as we detected malware and many of the pop-ups are suspicious.

Soap2Day

Malware-free but visually unappealing free movie website.

Pros	Cons
No malware Well organized library Frequent updates	Visually unappealing website Questionable legal status Pop-ups

Soap2Day is a popular free movie site but it doesn’t have the legal licensing rights to any of its content.

As a result, the original Soap2Day domain was shut down and it now runs via questionable proxy websites.

The site interface is visually plain and text-based, lacking polish and usability. There are pop-ups but nowhere near as many as we’ve seen on sites like MovieStars.

Soap2Day organizes its content via useful filters, including multiple genres, release date, IMDb rating, and most popular. There’s a ‘Similar Movies’ feature with each title, too.

Soap2Day doesn’t contain malicious malware, meaning it’s safer than other free movie streaming sites. But we can’t recommend it due to its questionable legal status.

SolarMovie

Malware, pop-up ads, and double clicks make SolarMovie a frustrating experience.

Pros	Cons
Thousands of free movies Recent movies available HD available	Cam-recorded movies Pop-up ads & double clicks Malware

SolarMovie is an extremely popular free streaming site. It allows users to stream thousands of movies free of charge, in HD, and without needing to sign up.

You can browse SolarMovie’s large library by genre, country, or its search bar tool. The user experience isn’t bad save for the pop-up ads which force open a new tab, making you click every link twice.

SolarMovie doesn’t have licensing or distribution rights to the movies it hosts. It’s not legal to stream and it also contains malware.

VidCloud

Malware-free movie site with a poor content library.

Pros	Cons
No malware detected No sign up required	Poor content library No genre or category filters

VidCloud has one of the worst libraries of any free movie site. It’s better for TV shows than movies. Either way, VidCloud does not have legal permission to show any of its content.

We didn’t detect any malware on VidCloud, but the website itself is extremely basic. It only lists recently added files. There is no genre or category filter.

Vumoo

Malware-riddled free movie library with no filter options.

Pros	Cons
Free movies Infrequent ads No account needed	No copyright or distribution rights Featured content is out-of-date Malware found

Vumoo looks more professional than most other free streaming sites and its library is regularly updated with the latest movies. No account is needed and there are less pop-ups compared to other free streaming sites.

However, the Vumoo movie library isn’t organized at all. There is no option to sort by genre, nation, or year. You’ll only find endless pages of movies in the order they were added. The feature content is out of date, too.

Vumoo has fewer intrusive ads compared to most other free streaming sites. But it does not have the distribution rights to its copyrighted content, so streaming on Vumoo could land you in legal trouble.

We found malware when scanning Vumoo, so we recommend avoiding it for security reasons, too.

YesMovies

Horrible user experience and out-of-date movie library.

Pros	Cons
Popular free movie site No account needed	Lots of alternative URLs Multiple clicks on links Outdated library No legal rights to content Malware

YesMovies doesn’t have the legal rights to its free movie content and we detected malware on the site.

The YesMovies library appears to be randomly organized and slow to update. Old films sit alongside new movies and the recently-added movies are not that recent.

You can search movies by genre and release year but be prepared for lots of strange pop-ups when clicking anything. We were forced to click on links two or three times.

The safest way to stream movies online for free is to use a VPN. The right VPN will encrypt your web traffic, hide your IP address, and can even block malware and other forms of malicious content.

The best free movie sites are also geo-restricted to particular countries. If you live elsewhere, you’ll need a VPN to obfuscate your real location and access these geo-blocked sites with a local IP address.

To use a VPN safely, sign up to one of the services we recommend below. You’ll need a service with fast speeds, wide server coverage, and preferably a suite of additional security features such as ad blocking and malware scanning.

Once you’ve signed up, simply connect to a VPN server and navigate to the streaming website you’ve chosen. If you don’t need an IP address from a particular country, we recommend connecting to the server nearest to your geographic location for the best speeds.

In the video below, we use ExpressVPN to safely stream free movies on Tubi:

Which VPNs Work to Unblock Free Movie Streaming Sites?

VPNs are a valuable tool for streaming content online – especially if the streaming site you need is restricted to users in a particular country. In this case, you can use a VPN to change your IP address and unblock that content from overseas.

Unfortunately, not all VPNs work to unblock popular streaming sites. If the site identifies that you’re using a VPN, it will block your traffic or show you content from your local library instead.

You can see our full research data on which popular VPNs work with each free streaming site in the table below. If you want to unblock free content on any of these platforms, simply scroll through the table to find a VPN service that works to access it.

As you can see, NordVPN and ExpressVPN are the best VPN services to stream free movies online.

NordVPN unblocks 100% of the listed legal free streaming sites with the exception of Disney+ Hotstar. NordVPN also comes with a malware and ad blocker as part of its subscription package, which can be useful when browsing websites you’re not familiar with.

ExpressVPN also has a 95.24% success rate. The only site it cannot access is Rakuten Viki.

The worst performing is Astrill VPN, which only accesses 52.38% of free streaming sites.

The hardest streaming site to unblock is Vakuten Viki, followed by Disney Hotstar. On the other side, Peacock, Pluto TV, Cruncyhroll, CBC Gem, and Popcornflix worked with every VPN we tested, including free VPNs.

Windscribe Free is the best free VPN for free movie streaming sites, scoring an 71.43% unblock rate.

Is Popcorn Time Still Working?

Popcorn Time is no longer operating. This has been the case since January 2022. It was discontinued due to legal challenges and a lack of use.

Popcorn Time once operated as a piracy-based alternative to paid subscriptions. While traditional torrent clients only allow users to watch a file once it has finished downloading, Popcorn Time allowed users to stream content as soon as the file began downloading.

The original site was shut down shortly after it started in 2014. It was then “forked” many times over, meaning that it was replicated and clone software was created.

However, with the rise of other free movie streaming sites and the legal hounding of the developers by movie studios, the project was eventually abandoned.

Some sites continue to use the Popcorn Time name, but they have nothing to do with the original service or its developers.