10 Best Free Movie Apps of 2021 - GOBankingRates

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Remember when everyone canceled their cable subscription and flocked to affordable TV and movie streaming services like Netflix? Now there's a paid streaming service for everything, and each costs more than the last.

Luckily, free movie apps are on the rise, granting you access to popular and niche films, both new and old. Check out some of the best free movie apps below.

1. Hoopla

If you've got a library card, you've likely got a world of free movies open to you with Hoopla. Hoopla is a digital media service that can be accessed by those with a library card from a participating library.

Hoopla hosts feature and television films such as Lifetime's "Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace," "The Boxcar Children" and "Nights in Rodanthe."

Viewing options and app availability: The App Store, Google Play, Amazon Appstore, Chromecast, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Roku and via web browser

2. Pluto TV

Enjoy the feeling of scrolling through live TV channels to find the perfect movie? Pluto TV is the perfect option for movie lovers in search of that cable-TV-guide experience. With tons of genre-specific movie channels all available for free, users can scroll through to find exactly what they want to watch.

Pluto offers channels focused on genres ranging from romance to crime movies and thrillers for interested users to flip through.

Viewing options and app availability: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Hisense smart TVs, Samsung smart TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation, the App Store, Google Play, Windows desktop app and via web browser

3. Tubi

There are no strings attached when you hop on Tubi to watch free movies. There is no subscription required and all the movies are ad-supported, but the ads are fewer than appear on cable.

Tubi divides many of its films up into collections to make it easy to find what you want. One such collection is "Movie Night," which is filled with films like "Pretty Woman" and "Brokeback Mountain." Another collection, "Not on Netflix," takes a shot at Tubi's paid competition, keeping users up to date on the content they won't get from the streaming giant.

Viewing options and app availability: Options include Roku, Amazon Fire TV, smart TVs, Chromecast, the App Store, Google Play, Apple TV, gaming consoles and Xfinity devices; also accessible via web browser

4. Viki

If you're a fan of Asian dramas, Viki hosts some of the most popular ones out there for free. Viki hosts Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, Chinese and Thai media with a wide variety of international language subtitles so that everyone can enjoy these collections, including speakers of English, Portuguese, French, Romanian and Italian.

Check out films like "My Last Love," "Closer to Heaven" and "Till the End of the World" on Viki.

Viki also makes it easy to enjoy a watch party with friends on multiple screens simultaneously. Users can simply choose a show and send a watch party link to their guests for an instant remote movie night.

Viewing options and app availability: The App Store, Google Play, Roku, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and via web browser

5. YouTube

While most people think of YouTube as a digital content library from independent creators, it also hosts a wide variety of movies and TV shows, which you can buy, rent or stream for free with occasional ads. It has well-loved feature films like "Failure To Launch," "Hotel Rwanda" and "Seabiscuit," just to name a few. Films are labeled with their ratings and run-time information, so consumers can make an informed choice about what to watch.

Viewing options and app availability: Options include Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, game consoles, smart TVs, Android TV, iOS and Android; also accessible via web browser

6. The Roku Channel

You may be familiar with Roku as a streaming device, but the device also hosts a proprietary Roku channel that is stocked with free movies. You don't even need to create an account for online viewing.

Viewing options and app availability: Roku devices, Roku app, Fire TV, Samsung smart TVs and via web browser

7. Peacock

NBC's streaming service Peacock hosts a wide variety of free films to watch. You do not need a credit card or a TV provider account to make a Peacock profile.

Browse through films like "John Wick," "The Croods" and "Meet the Parents."

Viewing options and app availability: Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, LG smart TVs, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung smart TVs, Vizio TVs, Xbox, Cox boxes, Xfinity boxes, the App Store, Google Play and via web browser

8. IMDb TV

IMDb is good for more than just getting the details on movies — you can watch movies with it now, too. Through a partnership with Amazon, IMDb now hosts movies on the Amazon Prime Video platform that anyone can watch, even without a paid Prime subscription.

Watch popular movies, such as "Jennifer's Body," "How To Train Your Dragon" and "Wild," with ads.

Viewing options and app availability: Amazon Fire TV, Prime Video, Echo Show, Android TV, Google TV, LG TVs, PlayStation, Roku, Xbox, and Xfinity boxes; also accessible via web browser

9. Vudu

The movie ticket company Fandango is reaching the digital streaming market too with the Vudu app, a movie app that offers rentals, purchases and free movies for streaming. Powered by ads, Vudu hosts almost 10,000 free movies.

Among its catalog are hit films like "Train to Busan," "The Imitation Game" and "Beyond the Lights."

Viewing options and app availability: Smart TVs, game consoles, Roku, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, TiVo, Xfinity, Blu-ray players, and apps from the App Store, Google Play and the Microsoft Store; also accessible via web browser

10. Xumo

Xumo provides over 180 channels, including a wide variety of movie channels, completely free. The movie channels center around specific themes, such as independent films on CineLife, Hollywood movies on Crackle and female-centered films on Her Movies. Xumo also grants access to network channels like Hallmark Movies & More.

Xumo movies stream live on these channels, giving the feeling of flipping through old-school cable. There are also some available for on-demand viewing for free.

Viewing options and app availability: Options include smart TVs, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, the App Store and Google Play; also accessible via web browser

Good To Know

You may have come across some movie sites and had to ask, "Is this legal?" The answer is that it depends on the site. Some movie sites have illegally uploaded unlicensed material. The person who reproduced the movie for upload is breaking copyright law. Some lawmakers are hoping to make this a felony soon.

But free sites like the ones included here have all licensed their movies correctly. They remain free either because they are supported by ads like unpaid network television or because of specific library pay-per-use purchase agreements. So stream away. It's legal — and it's free.

About the Author

Emily Cahill is a writer with over three years of experience creating digital content. Previous to that, she worked as a freelancer in publishing while attending Trinity College for English/Rhetoric. She specializes in SEO-driven content that highlights the unique properties of a product or service while making them digitally "findable," particularly for the finance, geek culture, and lifestyle niches.