With every new streaming service, it can feel like cord-cutting is really starting to cut into your wallet. But there are countless hours of free entertainment out there if you’re willing to look—no matter what device you use. Here are the best free streaming movie sites of 2019 and how to watch them at home.
The best free streaming movie sites of 2019
1) IMDB Freedive
Devices: Amazon Fire Stick, Roku, PlayStation, and Xbox One
Amazon’s IMDB Freedive is one of the newest free movie apps, but it’s started strong. While these services sometimes focus only on lesser-known or B-movies, Freedive is full of top-shelf movies and shows for the whole family. Classic titles like The Neverending Story, Groundhog Day, and The Terminator share space with modern hits like Paddington. You’ll also find award-winning movies such a P.T. Anderson’s Magnolia and Charlize Theron’s Monster.
Looking for TV? You’ll find sitcoms (Alf), Reality TV (Kitchen Nightmares), and thrillers (Fringe) represented. There are hundreds of titles to choose from, and IMDB Freedive has some of the least obnoxious ads in free streaming. You can access IMDB Freedive via the Amazon Prime video app.
2) Crackle
Devices: Amazon Fire, Roku, PlayStation, and Xbox One
Crackle has had quite the journey over the years, launching as one of the first free streaming services, eventually being sold to Sony and then Chicken Soup for the Soul last year. No, we’re not kidding. While its ownership may have changed hands, Crackle’s foundation as a reliable home for streaming entertainment remains strong as ever. Most of Crackle’s content is the form of movies, drawing from Hollywood titles like Zombieland, My Girl, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and smaller studio pictures. Heck, you can even find cult classics like the criminally underrated Southland Tales. The titles rotate monthly, but you can find our list of the best Crackle moves here.
The service also features an impressive number of classic TV, from News Radio to All in the Family. Crackle is also one of the only free services with its own original content. Make sure to check out their original series like Snatch or films like Joe Dirt 2. I wish its ads were less obtrusive, but Crackle is an incredible service.
3) YouTube
Devices: Roku, PlayStation, and Xbox One
Of all the services on this list, YouTube is the only one that isn’t technically designed for streaming movies. That just happens to be one of the things it does best. YouTube is packed full of movies, some for pay and even more for free. What you’ll be able to find it largely up to how clever you are at searching. (Here’s our guide on how to find full movies on YouTube.)
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Your best bet will be to type in the name or genre of the movie you’re looking for with “full movie” added to the end of it. In my experience, it’s easiest to find movies that are long out of print, since they’re least likely to be taken down via a copyright claim. That being said, always search for what you want first. You never know what will be on the site when you’re searching.
4) Pluto TV
Devices: Amazon Fire, Roku, PlayStation, and Xbox One
Nothing in the world of streaming media offers what Pluto TV does: a live 24/7 online TV package that rivals cable. While you won’t find many mainstream channels you know, there are over 100 channels of content to browse. That includes over 20 dedicated movie channels, hundreds of movies on demand, along with movies that air between shows on non-movie focused channels.
Best of all, Pluto TV understands the importance of genres, with dedicated channels focusing on action, horror, comedy, and more. Even with a paid streaming TV subscription, I still regularly use Pluto TV.
5) Vudu
Devices: Amazon Fire, Roku, PlayStation, and Xbox One
If you’re looking for the best online video rental marketplace around, Vudu is a strong contender. What you might not know is that Vudu is also one of the best free streaming movie services around. Its biggest selling point is its diverse selection across multiple genres. Horror fans can look forward to the Critters series, Annabelle, and Zombieland. In the mood for action? The Terminator, Ronin, and Patriot Games. Comedy fans get Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. There’s also a massive selection of dramas and family films to choose from. Add all that to Vudu’s abundance of $0.99 movie rentals, and the service is quite the killer app.
6) Shout! Factory TV
Devices: Roku
ShoutFactory rescues genre TV and movies from oblivion, grabbing B-movie favorites and video-store gold whenever the rights are up in the air. While ShoutFactory offers a paid service on Amazon Fire, Roku users can enjoy most of the company’s great streaming content for free on this ad-supported service. Blending old episodes of MST3K, odd TV shows, and movies like Sleepaway Camp, Night of the Demons, The Plague Dogs, and Piranha, ShoutFactory TV creates the perfect channel for a night of beers with your friends. Most of this content is silly fun, but it’s still fun. And did I mention it has the original Japanese version of Power Ranger? If anyone has ever described your tastes as campy, ShoutFactory TV will feel like meeting up with an old friend.
7) Roku Channel
Devices: Roku
Roku’s free channels are a big part of what drive users to its service, and now the company is curating one of the best ones out there. The Roku Channel is relatively new to the service, but it’s already making an impact in a big way. Mixing news, weather, and entertainment along with standalone premium channels, the Roku Channel aims to be an entertainment catch-all. What might surprise you is just how good the free movies it offers have been.
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The selection changes every month, but previous months have offered Terms of Endearment, Rudy, Marie Antoinette. Lethal Weapon, Young Adult, Legally Blonde, Reservoir Dogs, and more. If the free offerings don’t move you, try a premium one. Roku Channel allows users to subscribe to premium movie channels directly from within the app, offering all the biggest names from HBO to Epix.
8) Tubi
Devices: Roku, PlayStation, Xbox One, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, and TiVo
It’s easy to get jealous of Roku users when looking at lists of free movie services since it has more than anyone else. Thankfully, there’s Tubi, which works with nearly every major streaming device. Drawing from lesser-known mainstream movies like Rango and indie titles such as In the Electric Mist, Tubi brings how the ups and downs of free streaming.
If you’re OK with browsing to find gems there’s plenty to like. Anger Management, Losing Isaiah, Hustle & Flow, Running Scared: There are hundreds of hours of great titles. Where Tubi will surprise you is its indie lists, from Daniel Radcliffe’s white-power thriller Imperium to the drugged slasher sleeper Shrooms. Tubi is at its best when you make a little extra effort to discover its charms. Don’t write it off before you search through Tubi’s available titles.
9) FilmRise
Devices: Roku, Xbox One, Amazon Fire
FilmRise, like Tubi, is another service that gives non-Roku users a taste of the free Roku movie experience. If you’re looking for today’s latest blockbusters you’ll be disappointed, but users who enjoy classics will have plenty to chew on. What other service gives you The Passion of the Christ, Raging Bull, Donnie Darko, Back to School, and more all for the price of a few ads?
TV fans should also make time for FilmRise, thanks to its unbeatable broadcast archive. There’s the classic 60s Batman, Unsolved Mysteries, 3rd Rock from the Sun, the UK version of Shameless, and tons of other series to enjoy. There are even reality shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars. FilmRise is also the only service on this list to have a specific section for concert films, something that will be sure to have the music fans out there singing along at home.
10) Vidmark
Devices: Roku
For genre fans looking to get the most out of free streaming movie services, Vidmark is a must have. Sadly, it’s currently only available for Roku users. Drawing its name from the classic Vidmark home video label, this service keeps its namesake’s dedication to all things action, horror, and sensual alive. Low budget T&A titles like Warrior and Bad Girls From Mars alive alongside classic horror landmarks such as Gothic and Lair of the White Worm. Catch up on Nick Cage’s latest direct to video action movies (they’re shockingly good) or dive into comedies like Mystery Team and Meatballs.
Vidmark’s documentary section is a constantly surprising source of entertaining goodies. Over the last year, they’ve featured The People vs George Lucas, Chris Rock’s vital Good Hair, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, and Rick Hauser’s almost lost to time The Secret World of Erotic Art. If you lost entire afternoons as a kid watching Sci-Fi network movie marathons Vidmark is going to feel like a warm hug, but even newbie genre fans should give it a shot. Vidmark is truly one of Roku’s biggest sleeper services.
