Naturally, you get what you pay for, so don’t expect all of the original, exclusive content that a paid subscription would provide—and yes, you’re probably going to have to forego the luxury of an ad-free viewing experience. But if you’re looking to shave a few dollars off your streaming budget, here are 15 services you can try!
Best Free Movie and TV Streaming Services
1. Freevee
2. The Roku Channel
This service promises TV and moviegoers an “always-changing selection of free movies, shows, live news, kids’ TV and more.” Apart from free films, the Roku Channel offers live TV and originals like Swimming with Sharks starring Diane Kruger and Kiernan Shipka.
3. Tubi
4. Pluto TV
The free streaming television service offers live and linear channels, in addition to movies and TV shows on demand. Featured shows include TV Land sitcoms and BBC Food.
5. Peacock
Yep: Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, has a free, ad-supported option that provides viewers with thousands of hours of programming—and in 2021, Peacock even featured live coverage of the Tokyo Olympics. Best of all, the streamer offers the first five seasons of The Office for free. (With a paid Peacock subscription, you get access to all nine seasons of TheOffice.)
6. Crackle
Crackle is an ad-supported video entertainment network that features full-length movies, TV shows and original programming. The service is available on several platforms, including connected TVs, mobile devices, set-top boxes, video game consoles and online. Get ready to stream The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Carol Burnett Show, That Girl and more.
7. Kanopy
While free, users will need a public library or university card to take advantage of Kanopy’s catalog of ad-free movies, like Parasite and Moonlight, as well as documentaries, award-winning foreign films and series. To get started, just enter your library card information, or if you are a registered student or faculty member of a participating university, you can sign up with a valid university login.
8. Popcornflix
No subscription is required to stream movies and TV shows on Popcornflix. The site notes that the service is 100 percent “legal” and has “way fewer ads than regular television.”
9. Hoopla
Like Kanopy, users of this digital media service will need a library card to “borrow” movies and TV shows to watch on their computer, tablet, phone or TV. With thousands of titles to choose from, including 13 Going on 30, Maid In Manhattan, Sweet Home Alabama and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Hoopla puts “your public library at your fingertips. Anytime. Everywhere!”
10. XUMO
11. YouTube
The video-sharing platform isn’t just for adorable animal clips and music videos. YouTube also has a limited section of free shows and movies with ads, including The Princess Bride and Mrs. Doubtfire.
12. Vudu
While Vudu, the official movie and TV store on Roku, offers thousands of movies and TV shows to rent or buy, there are programs and films that are free for viewing with ads.
13. Yidio
Yidio, which is short for “Your Internet Video,” is a platform that allows users to search shows and movies from different services like Netflix, Hulu, etc., but it also has a section for free films that, according to the site, “might be part of the free movie catalog on a free movie site that also offers pay to stream films, such as Hulu. They might be available on an all-free site such as Crackle or Snagfilms.” The Yidio site notes that the free movies do “not require a subscription, a rental fee or a purchase of any kind.”
14. Reelgood
The free app acts as a TV Guide for streaming platforms. Reelgood pulls from various streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Disney+, Prime Video, plus free services so viewers can see what’s available in one place.
15. DistroTV
No registration is required to enjoy DistroTV. The service, available online, as well as via Roku, FireTV, Android and iOS, offers free movies, TV shows and documentaries. Next, check out our favorite Disney Channel Original Movies heading to Disney+.
