10 Best Ways to Watch Free Movies and TV Shows

From wonderful streaming sites to the best streaming services, we look at the best cost-free ways to watch TV series and free movies online.

Pluto TV for Old-School Style Watching

With the feel of traditional TV, Pluto offers content across channels that run like live television. That does mean, some on-demand content aside, you have to watch what’s on when it’s on. And with ads. But Pluto TV, owned by Viacom, has a ginormous selection of movies and TV, with content from Fox Sports, children's shows from Nickelodeon, music videos, and much more. Watch via their website, with the app, or cast to your TV.

Popcornflix for Movie Lovers

As you can probably guess by the name, Popcornflix is all about movies, with an amazing selection of award-winning films and classic indie gems. Flicks are split into categories such as thriller, horror, and action, with new arrivals regularly added. But Popcornflix also offers a nice selection of TV shows and webisodes. Watch on your web browser, or with the app on a mobile device or smart TV.

Tubi TV for Blockbusters

While Popcornflix might skew more toward the arthouse film crowd, Tubi TV is all about blockbusters. You’ll find a huge selection of big-budget films on Tubi, which is partnered up with film studios such as Paramount, MGM, and Lionsgate. With over 50 categories for the films, the choices can feel overwhelming, but Tubi breaks them down nicely with channels such as Full Moon Features and lists like Movie Night and Not on Netflix.

Crackle for Unique Content

Crackle also has a nice selection of blockbusters but stands out for its selection of movies you aren’t likely to find on any other streaming services. These include more obscure films and in-house content under the banner of Crackle Originals. There are some commercials here and there, but the ads aren’t overbearing. To watch movies and TV on Crackle all you need to do is sign up for a free account on their website or with the app.

FilmRise for More Than Films

You might suspect from the name that FilmRise has a laser focus on films, but the on-demand streaming service offers lots of TV shows too. With partners including MGM and Warner Brothers, FilmRise has access to tons of mainstream movies and television, with lots of reality TV, but also offers lots of independent films. You can watch via the app or cast content to your TV, but FilmRise also lets you watch full-length videos on its YouTube channel.

Plex Goes Global

While many of the top streaming services limit viewing to those living in North America, Plex doesn’t care where you watch from. While Plex’s free plan is limited compared to their paid version, you can still find lots of popular free stuff from their partners such as Warner Brothers, Lionsgate, Magnolia Pictures, and more. Plus, Plex has podcasts and web shows you aren’t likely to find on other streaming services.

Peacock for TV Favorites

You’ve probably seen some ads in the media blitz NBC Universal ignited with the debut of Peacock in July of 2020, advertising that’s going strong to this day. Peacock has a lot to boast about with TV hits including 30 Rock, The Office, Battlestar Galactica, and Downton Abbey, just to name a few among their massive selection. But there are also hundreds of movies in the mix. Most of the stuff on Peacock is free, but there are paid plans that offer even more content.

Hoopla Taps Into Libraries

A lot of folks don’t know you can borrow movies and TV programs from your local library. So, it's a safe bet to guess that even more folks don’t know you can do it online. Enter hoopla and its mobile app. With hoopla, you can connect with libraries that offer online content and check out a massive selection of movies and TV, as well as a lot of other content such as cooking videos, self-improvement programs, and more. And all without ads!

Vudu Beyond Rentals

We first met Vudu in 2004, back when free and easy streaming services were still far-off dreams. And Vudu was primarily a rental service back then. But they’ve changed with the times and now offer thousands of movies and TV shows for free, though the vast majority of their over 150,000 titles are still rental-only. Still, thousands of free films and shows via a web browser, app, or casting is a pretty good deal.

IMDb TV to Freedive

The grandfather of entertainment websites has launched to the forefront of free streaming with some help from its owner Amazon, which offers free movies and TV on desktops and via Amazon Fire TV devices. To access the IMDb TV Freedive content just ask Alexa to “go to Freedive” and you’ll get lots of unique titles.

So, do you really need to keep paying to watch TV and movies? Ways to watch movies online and free streaming sites for TV are growing by the day and just waiting for you to tune in.

Written by William McCleary for Knockaround.