Updated on: April 25, 2024
Short on time? Here’s the best free movie streaming site in 2024:
- YouTube. YouTube provides access to tons of free movies in countries like the US, France, and the UK. You get access to many popular genres, and you don’t need to create an account to watch movies. I also recommend using a good VPN (like ExpressVPN) with YouTube to enjoy a safe streaming experience.
Using free movie streaming sites is usually risky, as a lot of platforms illegally stream copyright content. What’s more, there are also tons of shady free streaming websites out there too, and interacting with them could compromise the security of your device.
That’s why I put together this list of 9 100% legitimate free streaming sites. All the websites I mention here are legal to use, and they also provide free access to tons of movies. Plus, most of them don’t require you to create an account to start watching movies.
In addition, I also recommend 3 good VPNs to use while watching movies, so that you’ll be able to protect your data and privacy while streaming.
It’s against the law to stream unauthorized copyrighted content. At SafetyDetectives, we don’t encourage violating copyright laws. Even though the VPNs we recommend don’t log your online activities, we still strongly recommend following all applicable laws and regulations.
9 Best Free Movie Streaming Sites in 2024
1. YouTube
YouTube is my go-to site for streaming free movies online. It provides free access to movies in various countries, including the US, the UK, and France. You get access to tons of movie genres, including Romance, Horror, Documentary, Animation, Western, and Family. You don’t need an account to watch movies, and the site’s streaming speeds are good. That said, keep in mind all the free movies are ad-supported.
2. Crackle
Crackle is 100% free, but it’s only available in the US. The site has dozens of movies spanning 30+ categories, including Mystery, Reality Show, Black Entertainment, Lifestyle, Crime, Comedy, and more. You don’t need to create an account to watch movies, but you’ll have to put up with unskippable ads. On the plus side, the site’s streaming speeds are good, and I also like how sleek the interface looks.
3. Tubi
Tubi lets you stream thousands of movies for free in the US, Canada, and Australia. You don’t need an account to use the site, and I like how user-friendly the interface is. The movies feature ads, which are displayed roughly every 15–20 minutes when you watch a movie (and only last up to 2 minutes). Tubi has movies from many genres, but I especially like how you also get access to foreign films.
4. Plex
Plex is 100% free and available in pretty much all countries (though the selection of movies might vary depending on your location). The site provides access to 50,000+ movie titles and tons of movie genres, such as Action, Crime, Animation, Sci-Fi, and Thriller. Plex features ads but doesn’t require you to sign up to watch movies for free.
5. Rakuten TV
Rakuten TV is mostly good for streaming free movies in Europe, as the streaming site is available in most European countries. The site lets you watch movies for free without having to sign up, though its free content is ad-supported. My colleague from the UK uses this site pretty often, and he told me its streaming speeds are really stable — plus, he really likes how you can find a lot of cult classics on this platform.
6. SBS on Demand
SBS on Demand has a large library of free movies, but it’s only available in Australia. It boasts over 15,000 hours of videos, and it provides access to movies spanning dozens of genres, including Classic, Biopics, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Family, War, Musical, and Martial Arts. You’ll need to create an account to use this site, but doing that is pretty easy. SBS on Demand displays 3 categories of ads, and I like how you can choose to opt out of one of them.
7. Fandango at Home (Formerly Vudu)
Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) has tons of movies but is only available in the US. The platform displays ads, and you also need to create an account to use this site. There’s tons of variety with hundreds of movies, and I like how videos always load fast. However, I think the interface could use an update, as it looks a bit outdated compared to all of the other sites on my list.
8. Pluto TV
Pluto TV has thousands of free movies and is available in the US and several European countries. You can choose from both on-demand movies and live movies. It’s great that you don’t need to create an account to use the platform, but keep in mind it displays ads. Also, I really like how easy it is to navigate this site. I especially like how each movie category has its own subcategories — for example, the Sci-Fi category contains multiple subcategories, such as Space Stories, Classic Science Fiction, and Godzilla.
9. BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer is great for free access to British movies, but keep in mind the site is only available in the UK. You will need to create an account to use it, but BBC iPlayer doesn’t display any ads. My colleague from the UK also told me you will need a TV license to watch movies on this site.
Are Free Movie Streaming Sites Safe?
Here’s a quick guide to streaming movies safely:
- Choose a trustworthy streaming site. Pick a free website that only streams content legally (doesn’t broadcast copyrighted content without permission). All the sites mentioned in this article are safe, but I like YouTube the most.
- Download & install a VPN. Subscribe to a VPN that has good streaming support. I personally like ExpressVPN the most since it works with 100+ streaming sites. After you create your account, just download and install the VPN on your device (this shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes).
- Start streaming. Open the VPN app and connect to a VPN server, the access your desired free movie streaming site. And that’s it — you can now stream movies securely, as the VPN will encrypt your streaming traffic, making it unreadable.
This depends on the free movie streaming site you’re using. If it’s a legitimate free platform, like the ones mentioned in this article, you should be fine — these websites legally stream content and also take proper security measures to protect your data.
There are free risky streaming sites that might illegally stream copyrighted content. In most countries, only the owners of the site would face legal repercussions. However, in places with very strict copyright laws, even the website users might face fines.
In addition, many free sites might also contain malicious links. If you access them, you might risk infecting your device with malware. Plus, most free movie streaming sites are ad-supported — while this is understandable, shady free streaming sites might not check the ads they use, and this might result in their visitor being exposed to malicious ads.
Usually, the best way to stay safe while streaming online is to either use a legitimate free movie streaming site or just sign up for a paid streaming service. The next best thing is to just use a VPN.
A VPN will encrypt your data, which means it makes your traffic 100% unreadable — this way, nobody can spy on it. Also, a VPN will hide your IP address, which prevents all sites from using it to track your location. And some really good VPNs also come with extra security tools, including ad and malicious site blockers.
The main reason to use a VPN for streaming movies is to secure your traffic. VPNs encrypt your data, making it completely unreadable. This way, your internet service provider (ISP) and cybercriminals can’t monitor your streaming habits.
VPNs change your IP address, too. This protects your privacy, as streaming sites can’t use your IP address to determine your location. Also, advertisers can’t associate your streaming preferences with your IP address.
And, finally, VPNs also prevent bandwidth throttling. This is when ISPs intentionally slow down users’ speeds when they engage in data-heavy activities (like streaming for hours on end over the weekend). Since VPNs prevent your ISP from seeing your traffic, it won’t be able to selectively throttle your streaming speeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free movie streaming site?
My top pick is YouTube, as it provides free access to tons of movies spanning dozens of genres, including Horror, Animation, Family, Western, and more. And I also like how you don’t need an account to watch the movies, and how the site has very good video load times. The only downside is that the free access is ad-supported (though this is very common with free movie streaming sites).
Is it safe to use free movie streaming sites?
It depends on the site you’re using — for example, the websites I mentioned in this article are all legitimate and safe to use. But there are shady free movie streaming sites out there. They usually stream movies illegally, so using them might land you in legal trouble. Plus, some such sites might also contain malicious links that could harm your device.
Are free movie streaming sites legal?
There are legitimate free movie streaming sites out there that are perfectly legal to use, like the ones I mention in this article. They have partnerships and sign contracts with copyright holders to stream content on their platforms, and also use ads to financially sustain their business model. That said, there are also free sites out there that illegally broadcast copyrighted content — I strongly recommend sticking to the sites I recommend in this guide to avoid ending up on such shady platforms.
Do I need a VPN for free movie streaming sites?
I personally recommend using a VPN when using free movie streaming sites to protect your data and privacy. VPNs encrypt your traffic, which prevents anyone from spying on it. Also, VPNs hide your IP address, so websites can’t use it to see your real location. The best VPN to use for streaming is ExpressVPN, as it’s compatible with 100+ streaming sites and has super-fast streaming speeds.