How to Watch Free Movies Online (Safely)

Table of Contents

How to Watch Free Movies Online in 2024: Legal Options

Free streaming sites are rather tantalizing, but concerns about viruses and copyright laws are always in the back of your mind. In this post, we’ll explain how to watch free movies online safely with a VPN.

Written by Kit Copson (Writer, Briefing Editor)

Reviewed by Sandra Pattison (Writer, Editor)

Facts checked by Jasna Mishevska (Lead Fact-Checking Editor)

Last Updated: 30 Sep'24 2024-09-30T21:11:35+00:00

All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.

Key Takeaways: Watch Free Movies Online

Go to NordVPN’s website and sign up at a 73% discount.
Download NordVPN.
Connect to a server.
Start streaming.

Best VPNs for Watching Free Movies:

NordVPN — Unrivaled protection and blazing-fast connections. You can sign up for NordVPN with a 73% discount and use the 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.
Surfshark — Affordable protection for the whole family. Surfshark’s two-year plan offers 86% off on the first two years with three months free.
ExpressVPN — Seamless security for the tech-shy. A 49% discount is available for users who choose ExpressVPN’s extended subscription options.

Facts and Expert Analysis – How and Where to Watch Free Movies Online

There is a huge selection of legal free streaming sites online. The best free streaming sites include Tubi, Pluto TV, IMDb TV, YouTube and The Roku Channel.
Most free movie streaming sites are ad supported, so if you’re going to use them, be prepared for interruptions.
To access free sites in geo-blocked locations and protect yourself online, we recommend using a VPN. NordVPN is our top recommendation, closely followed by Surfshark and ExpressVPN.

Best VPN for Streaming Free Movies

In recent years, both veteran and up-and-coming streaming services have been making life easier for movie buffs and Saturday night viewers alike. If you’re looking to save a few bucks, read on to find out how to watch free movies online securely and anonymously.

Major streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are known and loved for their massive content libraries, but sometimes they simply don’t have the movie you want. As well as this, streaming sites — especially if you subscribe to a few of them — can be a bit of a drain on your wallet.

As a result, more and more people are searching for free movies online.

Unfortunately, most legal free streaming sites are limited to certain locations. Because of that, you’ll need a VPN to get past the geoblocks and enjoy the free content. We recommend NordVPN for this purpose, but there are other great streaming VPN alternatives like Surfshark or ExpressVPN.

Meet the experts

Kit Copson (Writer, Briefing Editor)

Kit Copson is a writer and briefing editor at Cloudwards, with over two years of expertise in streaming services and entertainment. With a BA in English & Creative Writing from Birmingham City University, Kit’s background as an English teacher uniquely positions her to convey complex information in an engaging and understandable manner. Beyond her professional pursuits, she’s an avid animal lover, a film enthusiast with deep roots in the VPN world from her time in China, and a writer whose work is featured in various publications including PetKeen, Excited Cats, and Hepper.

More about Kit Copson

Sandra Pattison (Writer, Editor)

Sandra Pattison, a seasoned writer and editor at Cloudwards for over five years, specializes in VPNs, streaming services and children’s online security. Her journey in the tech world, starting with Cloudwards, has seen her contribute to several well-known tech publications while leveraging her personal experience as a parent to better understand the world of online safety. Outside of work, her interests range from photography to enjoying movies and playing The Sims.

More about Sandra Pattison

Learn more about our editorial team and our research process.

08/02/2022

Updated to include more information about the risks involved in using some free streaming sites and to share recommendations for safe free movie sites. We also show you how to use a VPN to watch free movies online.
10/28/2022

Added NordVPN as a second VPN recommendation.
10/01/2024

We verified the steps and updated the ranking to reflect current VPN performance, features and pricing.
updates

Is It Legal & Safe to Watch Free Movies Online?

In some cases, yes. There are plenty of great options for streaming movies and TV shows completely free online, but more on that later.

Of course, there are less legal ways to watch free movies online, such as illegal movie sites. We have plenty of resources on this topic, from everything you need to know about torrenting to tools you can use, including Stremio and Kodi. In short, there are many free illegal streaming sites out there where you can stream anything you can think of, but in this article we’ll focus on ones that are legal.

If you do decide to go digging in the dirt for a good illegal streaming site, you should make sure to protect yourself with a virtual private network (VPN) as well as some antivirus software. However, we suggest sticking to the list of the legal websites listed in this article because they have more than enough movies to watch and the risk just isn’t worth it.

Should I Use a VPN to Watch Free Movies & TV Shows Online?

Definitely. You can tighten up your security when watching free movies online with a trustworthy VPN service. When connected, a VPN sends your data through an encrypted tunnel and masks your IP address, making it impossible for hackers, snoopers and even your internet service provider to view your online activity and personal information.

VPNs are also great for streaming, as they allow you to change your IP address and access content that’s geoblocked in your location. For example, if you wanted to watch something in the American Netflix library that’s unavailable on Netflix where you are, you would simply connect to a U.S. VPN server. It also helps you access free streaming services that are unavailable in your country.

In short, a VPN should be a crucial piece of security software on everyone’s device, whether you’re using WiFi at home or public WiFi. If you’re using unofficial free streaming sites, we also highly recommend that you use antivirus software and an ad blocker. Some VPNs offer ad blocking and antivirus protection as a feature.

How to Watch Movies Online Free With a VPN

Now we’re going to show you how to access free movie websites with a VPN. For this tutorial, we’ve picked Tubi, a popular, legal and safe American online streaming site for free movies and TV shows. It’s not available outside the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Australia, so read on to find out how to access geoblocked free streaming websites from anywhere using the best VPN for Tubi TV.

The 12 Best Free Movie Streaming Sites

Now for the fun part. If our Tubi tutorial has piqued your interest, you’ll be pleased to learn that it’s but one of many great free streaming sites that are perfectly safe and legal.

These services are ad based though, which is the trade-off for being able to watch content for free. There’s no way to get rid of those, we’re afraid, but we’re still massively impressed by the content selection on these free movie websites.

1. Tubi

We consider Tubi to be one of the best free services currently out there. It’s available in the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Australia (and everywhere else with a VPN) and doesn’t require a subscription to watch. Tubi is ad based and home to thousands of free movies, free TV shows, foreign films and documentary movies, so you’re sure to find something for everyone.

2. Pluto TV

What if we told you that you could watch live TV channels and some of the world’s most famous movies — like Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan — completely free? We didn’t believe it either at first, but we gave NordVPN a run with Pluto TV and found a huge selection of great movies.

Pluto TV is available in the U.S., Germany, Canada, Austria, U.K., Australia and Switzerland. It recently launched in Sweden, Denmark and Norway together with AVOD service Viafree. Pluto TV, like Tubi, is ad based. If you’re outside these countries, you’ll need the best VPN for Pluto TV to access the free streaming channel.

3. IMDb TV

IMDb TV lets you watch online movies and TV shows, which it hosts on a range of platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Freevee. It is a U.S. streaming site, so make sure you connect to a U.S. server to watch the movies and shows. Just a hint — groundbreaking series Mad Men is one of IMDb TV’s current offerings. You’re welcome.

4. Vudu

If you create a Vudu account, you can watch a selection of movies and TV shows for free as long as you can tolerate ads. We were pretty impressed with Vudu’s selection — a few notable movies we spotted were Snowpiercer and Under the Skin. Be sure to connect to a U.S. server when using Vudu.

As of 2024, Vudu is known as “Fandango at Home” as a result of NBCU Universal’s rebranding attempt. But don’t worry — this will not influence your movie-watching experience, because all of your favorite TV shows and movies will remain in the platform’s library.

5. YouTube

No free content post would be complete without trusty old YouTube. Luckily, watching movies on YouTube doesn’t necessarily mean poor quality — there are some movies and shows you can watch for free with ads. Best of all, YouTube is available in most locations worldwide.

6. The Roku Channel

By far, the Roku Channel is one of the best places you can watch movies and TV shows online for free. You don’t even need a Roku device to enjoy it — simply go to The Roku Channel’s website in your browser and stream from there. It’s available in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, so hop on a VPN server in one of these locations.

7. Crackle

If you’re looking for something new to watch this weekend, Crackle has a pretty decent selection of movies and TV shows. We were impressed by how many genres Crackle has and its foreign film selection in particular, for which it has dedicated an entire category. It’s an American movie streaming site, so you’ll need to connect to a U.S. server.

8. Peacock TV

Peacock is a paid and free streaming service. If you sign up for an account, you can gain access to a wide selection of free content, including Minions and 1917, two hit movies we found on the first page. Peacock is only available in the U.S. and a few other locations, so you’ll need a VPN if you’re outside somewhere it’s available.

9. Disney Plus Hotstar

Disney Plus Hotstar is an Indian streaming service. Unfortunately, you can only subscribe if you have an Indian phone number and payment method, but you can watch some free content without an account or subscription.

Make sure you use a VPN with Indian servers, like NordVPN, Surfshark or ExpressVPN. We have a comprehensive guide on how to watch Hotstar from anywhere.

10. Popcornflix

Another great option to bookmark is Popcornflix. Though its movie genre list isn’t quite as extensive as some of the other free streaming sites we’ve shared, it has a decent selection of movies and TV shows. Popcornflix is available in the U.S. and Canada, so by now, you know the drill — you’ll need to connect to a VPN server in one of these locations.

11. Open Culture

If you’re into classics, silent films, film noir and more, Open Culture is the place to be. It’s an educational site, so its movie selection will certainly appeal to film buffs and old souls who enjoy celebrated classics. It’s also got a great selection of modern films, so there’s a bit of something for everyone.

The Best VPNs for Streaming Free Movies Online

There are many VPNs available, but you should ensure you opt for one with strong security and a strict no-logs policy to stay secure online. This is especially important if you plan on using an illegal streaming website or torrent. Lets start with our favorite VPN, NordVPN.

1. NordVPN — Best VPN for Free Movies Online

Best VPN for Streaming Free movies

Pros

Fastest speeds
Excellent security & privacy
Accesses services easily

Cons

Clunky mobile UI map

Bypass regional restrictions instantly — get NordVPN at 73% off with a 30-day guarantee.

NordVPN is our top VPN and an affordable option too. It can access streaming services with ease, and it has no problem streaming from free services and websites too. NordVPN is the fastest VPN you can get, as you can see from our ongoing speed tests, and it provides an excellent streaming experience.

Plus, it has some of the best security features on the market, meaning you’ll be safe no matter where you stream from. You can read more in our NordVPN review, but you can also test it for yourself using the 30-day money-back guarantee.

30-days money-back guarantee

Basic

*The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
Unlimited GB
10
Yes

1-month plan, 1-year plan

$59.88 billed every year

Save 61%

2-year plan + 3 months

$3.09/month

$83.43 billed every 2 years

Save 76%

Plus

*The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
Unlimited GB
10
Yes

1-month plan, 1-year plan

$71.88 billed every year

Save 57%

2-year plan + 3 months

$3.99/month

$107.73 billed every 2 years

Save 71%

Ultimate

*The prices are charged in the first billing cycle only. Renewal prices vary.
Unlimited GB
10
Yes

1-month plan, 1-year plan

$95.88 billed every year

Save 50%

2-year plan + 3 months

$5.99/month

$161.73 billed every 2 years

Save 62%

2. Surfshark — Best Budget VPN for Free Movies Online

Pros

Strong security suite options
Solid security
Excellent speeds

Cons

Site may collect your real IP
High latency on close servers
No Mac/iOS split tunneling

Expand your streaming horizons — sign up for Surfshark and enjoy 86% savings.

30-days money-back guarantee

Surfshark Starter

Unlimited GB bandwidth, Unlimited devices, Secure VPN, Ad blocker, Cookie pop-up blocker. Plans renew: $231.75 for one year, $417.15 for two years
Unlimited GB
Unlimited
Yes

1-month plan, 15-months plan

$44.85 billed first 15 months and 12 months thereafter

Save 80%

2-year plan + 3 months

$2.19/month

$59.13 billed every 2 years

Save 85%

Surfshark One

Everything in Starter, plus Antivirus protection, Identity protection, Email Breach and Credit Card Alerts, Online Alias Plans renew: $239.25 for one year, $430.65 for two years.
Unlimited GB
Unlimited

1-month plan, 15-months plan

$50.85 billed first 15 months and 12 months thereafter

Save 78%

2-year plan + 3 months

$2.69/month

$72.63 billed every 2 years

Save 83%

Surfshark One+

Everything in One, plus Data removal Plans renew: $269.25 for one year, $404.65 for two years
Unlimited GB
Unlimited

1-month plan, 15-months plan

$91.35 billed first 15 months and 12 months thereafter

Save 66%

2-year plan + 3 months

$4.29/month

$115.83 billed every 2 years

Save 76%

3. ExpressVPN – Best User-Friendly Option for Free Movies Online

Pros

Excellent speeds
Watertight security
Gets into free streaming sites

Cons

Expensive

Watch without borders — try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days and get 49% off.

ExpressVPN Plans

Unlimited GB
8
Yes

30-days money-back guarantee

1-month plan, 6-months plan

$59.94 billed every 6 month

Save 22%

15-months plan

$6.66/month

$99.95 billed first 15 months and 12 months thereafter

Save 48%

Final Thoughts

We’re not going to lie; we found a fair few movies in the process of writing this post that we’re going to have to check out ourselves. To reiterate, we highly recommend using legal free streaming sites for better quality and security all around.

Whichever site you’re using, a reliable VPN like NordVPN can really broaden your horizons streaming-wise and ensures you stay anonymous and secure online. There’s no need to hesitate — NordVPN’s 30-day refund policy allows you to experience its benefits firsthand without any long-term obligation.

What do you think of our top free streaming site recommendations? Are there any we’re not aware of that you can share with our other readers? Any that we should avoid at all costs? If so, please drop them in the comments and let us know your experience. Thanks for reading!