25 Best Free, Legal and Safe Streaming Services to Watch Movies and TV Shows Online (2023)
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In the age of digital entertainment, discovering the best free streaming services in 2023 to watch movies and TV shows online has become a popular pursuit. Our comprehensive list of platforms caters to a wide range of genres, featuring comedies, dramas, horror, sci-fi, and action films. You'll find content from both renowned studios and independent filmmakers, providing an extensive library of older and independent movies. Keep in mind that all 'free' sites on our list are ad-supported, which means you may encounter varying degrees of advertising interruptions during your viewing experience.
To ensure a secure online streaming experience, we have carefully curated and verified the top free streaming sites listed below. However, we cannot guarantee their safety at the time you access them. As a precaution, we highly recommend using a reliable VPN (Virtual Private Network) before visiting these sites. A VPN not only conceals your streaming activities but also safeguards you against potential threats from website operators, hackers, and your ISP.
A Summary of Our Top Selections
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Top Choice: Tubi | Tubi offers a vast library of complimentary movies and series, encompassing popular titles. |
| Ideal for User Commentary: YouTube | YouTube showcases numerous free films with commercials, handpicked by the platform's team amidst its millions of videos. |
| Best for Superior Movie Quality: Vudu | Vudu delivers free high-resolution films, systematically arranged to allow you to view all offerings within a specific genre on a single page, complete with a 'Newly Free' section. |
| Perfect for Recognized Films: Freevee | Freevee, Amazon's no-cost movie streaming service, features an array of famous movies available to watch via ad-supported streaming. |
| Great for a Television-like Experience: Pluto TV | Beyond its on-demand movies and series, Pluto TV offers the chance to stream live TV channels and tune into radio broadcasts. |
| Ideal for Assorted Movie Offerings: Popcornflix | Popcornflix lets you enjoy free films on your television, computer, or mobile device, sans any account registration requirement. |
| Best for Discovering Flicks Across the Web: Yidio | While Yidio doesn't host any content, it does boast an extensive search functionality that helps you locate platforms for watching movies and series online at no charge. |
Please note: Streaming copyrighted content on free movie streaming sites is illegal, and you may face legal consequences if caught. Although we advise using a VPN when streaming movies online, it's essential to restrict your viewing to content within the public domain. We do not support or promote the use of pirated material.
If you are an Anime fan be sure to check out our list of 25 Top Anime Streaming Sites to Watch Free Anime. If you are a sports fan, you might want to have a look at our 25 Best Free Sports Streaming Sites. For music fans, we have compiled the 20 Best Free Sites to Download Music Legally. And for avid readers, we have compiled the 25 Best Sites to Download Books for Free. For staying in touch with friends & family, check out our 15 Best Sites and Apps to make free phone calls. As a Windows user you might be interested in our 12 Best Driver Update Tools. You a gamer? Check out the 8 Best Streaming Sites to Watch Video Gaming. For free and legal music streaming sites check out The 15 Largest Free Music Streaming Services.
So, without further ado, explore our expertly curated selection of the top 25 free streaming services to watch movies and TV shows online in 2023 (detailed descriptions are below the table; sorted alphabetically):
List of Best Free Movie and TV Show Websites to Watch Online
| Name | Content | VPN Friendly | Free Trial | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Prime | Unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Prime Video | No | 30 days | $8.99 (per month) |
| Apple TV | A streaming service featuring all Apple Originals | No | 7 days | $4.99 (per month) |
| Crackle | Free full-length movies, TV shows, and original programming | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Flixtor | A video streaming search engine that lists the best quality free streaming videos it finds. | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Hulu | Huge selection of great titles | USA, Japan | 30 days | $5.99/$11.99 (per month) |
| IMDb TV | Free video availability outside of United States varies | No | n/a | Free |
| Kanopy | Streams in partnership with public libraries and universities | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Midnight Pulp | Blood-soaked bikinis, demonic stalkers, evil houses bent on murder, and pure, unadulterated cheese | Yes | n/a | Free ($4.99/month w/o ads) |
| Moviestars | An indexing site where you can watch movies and TV shows for free | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Netflix | An extensive library of movies and shows | Yes | 30 days | $9.99-17.99 (per month) |
| Paramount+ | Thousands of episodes, live TV & exclusive originals, CBS Sports – all in one place. | Yes | 7 days | Starting at $4.99/month |
| Plex | 20 000 free full-length movies, TV shows, podcasts, and live TV | Yes | n/a | Premium option ($4.99/month) |
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| Pluto TV | 100s of TV channels with 150 000+ hours of content | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Popcornflix | 1500+ movies in different categories | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Reelgood | Browse, search, and watch TV & Movies from over 150 services | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Roku Channel | Free movies, TV shows, and live TV | Yes | Buy/Rent | Free |
| Soap2Day | Watch free movies online in high quality HD | Yes | n/a | Free |
| SolarMovies | Large selection of movies and TV Shows across a variety of genres | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Tubi | Free streaming of shows and movies and live TV | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Vudu | Although a rental site, they have a large selection of free movies and shows | Yes | Buy/Rent | Free |
| Xumo | A popular destination for free LIVE and on-demand streaming entertainment | Yes | n/a | Free |
| YES! Movies | Movies and TV Shows across a variety of categories & genres | Yes | n/a | Free |
| Yidio | A cross platform search and discovery app for TV Shows & Movies | Yes | n/a | Free |
| YouTube | A curated list of free full-length movies | Yes | n/a | Free |
Reviews of the 25 Best Sites to Watch Free Movies and TV Shows Online
Amazon Prime Review
Amazon Prime is a rival of the streaming giant Netflix, and it offers thousands of shows, movies, and cartoon/anime options that you can stream anywhere at any time.
The Prime Video membership costs $8.99 per month and eligible persons can get a reduced membership of $5.99/month. Even if you decide that's not for you, you can enjoy your 30-day free trial.
Crackle Review
Crackle is a legal and free to use video streaming service provider featuring full-length movies, TV shows, and original programming. It features a big selection, including recent films.
It is available on a wide variety of platforms including connected TVs, mobile devices, set-top boxes, video game consoles and online.
On the downside, it is available only in the US and its territories.
A closed captioning toggle is available directly from the video player for all users, but if you sign up for a free account, you can also enable parental controls.
Flixtor Review
A video search engine that lists the best quality free streaming videos it finds.
Great selection of free TV shows and movies.
User-friendly interface, good search functionality and smooth playback.
Hulu Review
Hulu is an online streaming service owned by The Walt Disney Company and Comcast. The site is home to one of the largest streaming galleries of content among premium online content platforms.
With Hulu, you can dowmload titles and play anime on any device you own, iPhone, Tablet, or laptop.
Hulu has a 30-day free trial period, after which you need to pay.
IMDb TV Review
Watch thousands of free movies and TV shows anytime with the IMDb TV app. This free movie streaming site is owned and operated by Amazon
They constantly update their library with new titles from an array of genres including comedy, drama, romance, thriller and original shows.
No paid subscription necessary. IMDb TV is always free.
Kanopy Review
Kanopy streams thoughtful entertainment to your preferred device with no fees and no commercials by partnering with public libraries and universities. Everyone from film scholars to casual viewers will discover remarkable and enriching films on Kanopy.
Kanopy is different from other free movie streaming websites because you need a valid U.S. library card before you can watch their diverse catalog with new titles added every month.
It's completely free and there are no commercials.
Kanopy Kids includes educational and engaging videos for children of all ages.
Midnight Pulp Review
Midnight Pulp has become one of the country's largest distributors of American horror, cult and thriller films and TV shows. It also features a massive collection of rare and hard to find anime in HD quality.
You can watch your favorite gory slasher films and horror movies of yesteryear online for free, but a premium subscription at $4.99 per month lets you get rid of those pesky ads.
Only very basic filtering by show/movie and country – you can sort by newest, most popular and alphabetically.
Moviestars Review
Moviestar is a more recent indexing site, featuring an excellent library of free movies and TV shows.
Anoying pop-up ads.
Limited filtering options by genre, country, years.
Netflix Review
No list on online movies would be complete without Netflix of course. Watch Netflix on your smartphone, tablet, Smart TV, laptop, or streaming device, all for one fixed monthly fee. Plans range from $8.99 to $17.99 a month. And there is a free 30-day trial.
Netflix has an extensive library of shows and it has invested lots of money into its own programming, producing original series and movies, as well as making big-ticket licensing acquisitions.
Paramount+ Review
Stream thousands of episodes, live sports & exclusive originals – all in one place. Access hundreds of iconic movies, from award-winning classics to hit releases. Watch exclusive originals. Hit Comedy Central shows. Try it Free. Hit MTV shows. Current & past TV shows.
After the 7-day free trial plans atsrt at $4.99/month with limited ads and $9.99/month without ad interruptions. The Paramount+ with Showtime bundle is $11.99/month.
Catch sports action action with CBS Sports like the NFL, UEFA & more, along with highlights, replays & expert analysis on CBS Sports HQ.
Stream on your favorite devices including Apple, Android, Smart TVs, Playstation PS4 and PS5, and more.
Plex Review
On Plex you can choose from thousands of movies, shows, sports and music documentaries, AMC series, Live TV and more.
Ad supported and always free.
Stream on your favorite devices including Apple, Android, Smart TVs and more.
Pluto TV Review
Pluto TV features 100s of free channels of hit movies, binge-worthy TV shows, the latest breaking news, live sports and more. Anytime. Always for free. No signup.
1000s of free on-demand movies. Everything from the latest hit movies, to full seasons of your favorite shows.
Pluto TV is a legal online streaming service that offers free streaming channels and on-demand content from major media networks. It also offers premium channels as part of a paid subscription.
Popcornflix Review
Stream free movies and TV shows across all your favorite devices! Popcornflix is 100% legal, no subscription required, and way fewer ads than regular television.
The Popcornflix menu is just three buttons along the top of the page. Home, Movies, and Series.
Popcornflix is a legal and licensed platform. The movies and TV shows on Popcornflix are sourced from legitimate content providers, which means users can watch without violating copyright laws.
When watching a few movies at Popcornflix, you usually start off with an ad at the beginning, with more commercials sprinkled throughout the video.
Reelgood Review
Created by the developers of Popcorn Time, the renowned streaming service fixes privacy and copyright infringement issues by stitching together content from various free and paid legal platforms. The end-result is a lawful TV guide for the streaming age.
ReelGood came up with a solution of integrating 250 streaming services in a single interface, making it incredibly simple to watch favorite TV shows and movies online. From Starz, FX, Showtime, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime, Netflix, CBS, Cinemax, CrunchyRoll, to a free source bundle that includes shows/movies from sources like Crackle, ABC, Fox, NBC, Disney, viewers have a massive library of watchable content in one platform only.
Reelgood is completely free to use. Certain services they connect to, like Netflix for example, require a subscription however.
They currently have streaming apps for iPhone, Android, LG Smart TVs, Anroid TV, and Fire TV.
Roku Channel Review
The Roku Channel is a popular destination for streaming free movies and TV series online.
Roku uses all legal free and paid channels to provide media, so legality is not an issue.
You can add The Roku Channel to your Roku TV or streaming player or stream all the movies free to your computer or mobile device.
You can browse through the usual genre lists or search for actors and directors to find movies they're associated with, plus browse trending videos and titles that were added in the current month.
Soap2Day Review
The Soap2Day site has a huge list of free movies which are spread evenly into various categories like Action, Horror, Adventure, Fantasies, Musicals, Biography, Drama, Comedy and much more.
You can stream free movies and TV shows in high quality, interrupted by ads of course.
SolarMovie Review
SolarMovie has loads of high-quality links for both free movie streaming and free TV shoes.
By signing up for a free account you can receive updates and more.
Limited filtering options by category, genre, and country.
Tubi Review
Tubi is the largest free movie and TV streaming service in the US, supported by ads. The platform works spectacularly well across all devices and provides quality content in high resolution.
Tubi is a 100% free and legal streaming service. They monetize by showing short ad breaks during their movies and TV shows.
You can stream movies, TV shows as well as anime in high quality, with an ad block shown every 15 minutes.
Tubi Kids is a section for streaming shows and films suitable for kids, with categories just for preschoolers and other kids, including Toon TV, LEGO, and Friendly Monsters films. You are also able to set parental controls for your kids.
Vudu Review
Vudu offers more than 200 000 new releases and catalog movies and TV shows to rent or buy, including the most extensive collection of 4K UHD titles, plus thousands of titles to watch for free – no subscription required.
Vudu is also the official movie and TV store on Roku, the world’s leading streaming device and Smart TV OS platform
Vudu is safe and legal.
A basic filter allows you to sort movies by a small selection of genres and then by most watched or release date.
Xumo Review
Xumo is a popular destination for free LIVE and on-demand streaming entertainment with over 190 different channels to choose from.
Xumo is 100% free and legal. It provides a safe and fast streaming experience for users.
The site features a large selection of free movies and full-length seasons of TV shows.
Some channels, including ABC News Live, beIN SPORTS XTRA, CONtv, Dove, HSN, NBC News NOW, QVC and others, have linear, live streams.
XUMO and XUMO-powered applications such as Channel Plus and LG Channels are available in the contiguous United States, Canada, France, Germany, UK, Italy, Spain, Brazil and Mexico.
Yes! Movies
Yes!Movies has a large selection of free movies and TV shows.
Clean interface with limited filter options. Search by genre or country.
Lots of ads...
Yidio Review
Yidio (short for "Your Internet Video") is an online video guide that allows you to easily search & discover over 1 million TV Shows and Movies across hundreds of premium free and paid content services like Netflix, Hulu & Amazon all in one place.
Yidio is legal and safe.
Yidio users can access content from over 180 different content providers across Yidio's iOS, Android, Kindle, and web streaming apps.
The site makes it easy to sort shows and films by genre, when they were released, MPAA rating, decade, IMDb rating, as well as the site they're hosted on. Beyond standard genres like action and drama, Yidio features Art House & International, Special Interest, Indie, Faith & Spirituality, Disaster, and Neo-noir.
YouTube Review
YouTube The site is full of unofficial movies that are uploaded by regular users, but they tend to be low-quality, difficult to find, and are subject to copyright takedowns. The sub-Reddit Full Movies On YouTube is one helpful way to locate these movies.
However, YouTube has its own curated list of new and popular movies that are free to watch (with ads)
YouTube is legal, but it has strict guidelines that users must follow because some content isn't permitted due to legal or copyright reasons.
Of course you can also rent or buy full-length movies on YouTube.
What Are Free TV and Movie Streaming Services?
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. Streaming refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content itself.
Streaming is an alternative to file downloading, a process in which the end-user obtains the entire file for the content before watching or listening to it. Through streaming, an end-user can use their media player to start playing digital video or digital audio content before the entire file has been transmitted.
Streaming copyrighted content can involve making infringing copies of the works in question. Please check the legal stautus of anything you are considering to stream. If you are streaming movies and TV shows that are hosted within a public domain then it’s legal.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What are the legal implications of using these streaming websites?
When looking for streaming websites, all responsibility falls on you to check the copyright and legal status of the content(s) you access. Streaming copyrighted content on free movie streaming sites is illegal, and you may face legal consequences if caught. We highly recommend using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) before visiting these sites to ensure a secure online streaming experience.
2. Do all the listed streaming sites require a subscription?
No, not all streaming sites on this list require a subscription. For example, Crackle, IMDb TV, Kanopy, Plex, Pluto TV, Popcornflix, and Reelgood offer free content. Some sites like Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, Midnight Pulp, and Paramount+ offer a free trial before charging a subscription fee. Please check each site for specific details.
3. What types of content can I expect to find on these sites?
The sites listed offer a wide variety of content, including comedies, dramas, horror, sci-fi, and action films. They feature content from both renowned studios and independent filmmakers, providing an extensive library of older and independent movies. Some sites also offer live sports, music documentaries, and anime.
4. Can I watch these streaming services on my mobile device or smart TV?
Yes, many of these streaming services can be streamed on a variety of devices including mobile devices, smart TVs, set-top boxes, video game consoles, and more. Check each site for specific device compatibility.
5. Are there any ad-free streaming options available?
Many of the free streaming options are ad-supported, meaning that you may encounter advertising interruptions during your viewing experience. However, some services offer ad-free viewing for subscribers or premium members. Kanopy, for instance, offers ad-free streaming. Check each site for specific details on ad-free options.
6. Can I use these streaming services outside the US?
Some of the listed streaming services may have geographic restrictions. For instance, Crackle is only available in the US and its territories. Check the individual site for specific details on regional availability.
7. Are there parental controls on these sites?
Some streaming sites, like Crackle, provide parental controls if you sign up for a free account. Always check the specific site for such options.