26 Free Online Movie Websites Like Crackle, YouTube and Hulu

This list of 26 free movie websites like Crackle, YouTube & Hulu can help you save money by dumping cable or pricey monthly subscriptions. Check out these sites and other Roku/Fire/Smart TV apps.

One of the biggest budget busters is overspending on recreation. We recently did a “dinner and a movie” date night. If we hadn’t had movie gift cards and a restaurant coupon we would have spent $60. There has to be a better way to spend time together without spending a fortune.

We love cocooning at home after a long day of work. After selecting a good movie, we sit on the couch and share a fresh fruit smoothie or a bowl of popcorn. While we still get movies and TV shows movies from our public library, but using apps on our Roku/SmartTV, Tablet, Laptop or phone has opened a whole new world of free viewing.

To help us remember the best options, we compiled this list of free movie websites like Crackle.

Our list of Movie Websites Like Crackle, YouTube, and Hulu.

1. Crackle

Commercials: Yes

Crackle is Sony’s free video streaming service. They offer movies, series, and original content. Supported devices include smart TVs, streaming media players, mobile devices, and gaming consoles.

They also have apps for streaming movies:

• Android
• iOS

Because Sony Crackle is offered for free, they will show advertising in both movies and TV shows to make money.

Commercials are interspersed throughout the movies, but you can see when they will appear in the play bar (little tick marks show their placement). There are about 7 or 8 commercials in each 2-hour movie.

• Captions: Crackle does provide closed captions by clicking on the gear icon.
• Video Quality is high (what would you expect from Sony) – and streaming is smooth with no buffering.

2. BYU TV

Commercials: No

BYU TV is a free streaming service that offers a wide selection of family-friendly movies and TV shows. Owned and operated by Brigham Young University, this non-profit app provides wholesome entertainment for all ages.

Video Quality: Excellent

Captions: Yes

App Availability:

• Android
• iOS
• Roku
• FireTV

The app features a robust library of family-rated films, ranging from heartwarming dramas to lighthearted comedies. One standout series on BYU TV is the long-running drama Heartland, which follows a ranching family in the Canadian Rockies. Steve and Annette, from the MoneySmartFamily website, say that Heartland is one of their favorite shows on the app.

What sets BYU TV apart is its commitment to providing commercial-free viewing. Users can create an account and start streaming instantly without any interruptions, making it a great option for families seeking quality entertainment.

Supported devices for BYU TV include smart TVs, streaming media players, mobile devices, and gaming consoles.

3. Roku TV

Commercials: No

We recently purchased a Roku for one of our TVs and were amazed at the number of free movie and tv apps it contained. What we weren’t expecting was the Roku Channel itself. It has free movies and TV programming too.

• Video Quality:  Excellent
• Captions: Some have captions, but not all.

When we first logged in the movie Titanic was available for free viewing. Roku is a simple and inexpensive box that hooks up to your TV’s HDMI input (and power source). You can put any number of the movie apps listed below on it for free. There are several different versions of Roku ($30 to $100) that you can get from Amazon.

At MoneySmartFamily we have 4 Roku-powered TVs and love the convenience and all of the apps.

And we also use the Roku App to search every app on Roku for specific Movies and TV shows. This is how we’ve discovered many of these free sources for movies.

4. Popcornflix

Commercials: Yes

This free streaming service is owned by Screen Media Ventures, an independent distributor of movies to the TV market. They offer movies and original content. Supported devices include mobile devices, smart TVs, streaming media players, and gaming consoles.

The selection is good, but the streaming quality is nice, but not HD.

• Video Quality:  Varies from Good to Poor
• Captions: No

They do allow you to leave chat comments on movies and also embed the movie on your website or Facebook.

Like Crackle, PopcornFlix does have apps:

• Android
• iOS 

5. Hulu

Commercials: Yes / No depending on the subscription

Hulu is a subscription-based streaming service that offers movies, series and original content. In the past Hulu allowed you to watch some content for free. That policy was changed in 2016.

Today you can get one month free as a trial, then pay $5.99 per month after that.

• Video Quality:  Excellent  (as good as Crackle)
• Captions: Yes

They have 3 tiers of viewing:

• Hulu: $5.99 per month
• Hulu (no ads): $11.99 per month
• Hulu + Live TV: $44.99 per month

Get the Free Hulu App Here

• Android
• iOs

Each tier comes with a free trial period.

Supported devices include mobile devices, TVs/Blu-ray players, streaming media players, and gaming consoles.

If you want expanded access, fewer commercials or regular TV channels you can purchase a Hulu subscription (between $6 and $45 per month) – costs much less than a cable contract.

6. Hoopla

Hoopla is a digital streaming service created for library users to have free access to eBooks, eAudiobooks, music, movies, and TV shows. You can access it using your computer or portable devices like smartphones and tablets.

What do I need?

• Tablet, smartphone, computer, or TV with streaming capabilities
• Email address and password
• Library card number (only needed one time in the registration process)
• Hoopla app or updated browser software (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, IE, Safari, etc.)

• Video Quality:  Good
• Captions: Yes

7. Free Movies Cinema

Commercials: No

Free service that promotes fan movies by streaming “independent films published through official channels by directors or production companies that come to the website’s attention.”

TV series are also available.

Categories include Drama, Horror, War, Documentary, Animation, Comedy, Fantasy, Action, and Western.

Many films are hosted on YouTube and Vimeo. Some have great quality, others have poor quality.

• Video Quality:  Varies from Good to Poor
• Captions: Some have captions, but not all.

Server speed may produce buffering.

8. Internet Archive‘s Moving Image Archive

The Internet Archive is a 19-year-old nonprofit organization “founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public”.

They have historical collections that exist in digital format. Its Moving Image Archive is a video library containing nearly 2 million user-uploaded items. They “range from classic full-length films to daily alternative news broadcasts to cartoons and concerts.”

The Internet Archive does have 2 apps that you can watch the resources on:

• Android
• iOs

9. Amazon Prime

Commercials: Mostly No – but some do have commercials

While Amazon Prime is technically not “free” you can get a Free 30-Day Trial and watch hundreds of Movies and TV Shows.

And, if you consider an Amazon Prime membership one of your annual expenses, you can access thousands of free movies and TV shows through Prime -and watch for “free.”

With our Shared Prime membership, we’ve watched tons of old documentaries, TV shows, and other movies.

• Video Quality:  Excellent
• Captions: Yes on most

Prime Video App

• Android
• iOS

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10. ReelGood

Commercials: Depends on Which Streaming Service Your Are Watching

ReelGood is a service that brings every streaming service in one place. You can watch content from over 300 free and paid streaming services. Browse, track and watch all your TV shows and movies from one place.

They have 3 categories of channels:

1. Free Services Including:
   1. Crackle
   2. CrunchyRoll
   3. Plex
   4. Tubi
   5. FreeVee
   6. PlutoTV
   7. PopcornFlix
   8. Peacock
2. Subscription Services Including (some, but not all)
   1. BET+
   2. Discovery+
   3. Disney+
   4. Fandor
   5. Hallmark Moview Now
   6. HBO Max
   7. Hoopla
   8. Netflix
   9. YouTube Premium
   10. and many more
3. TV Everywhere Services Including (some, but not all)
   1. A&E
   2. AMC
   3. Bravo
   4. TLC
   5. TVLand
   6. HGTV
   7. TNT
   8. USA
   9. DIY
   10. Food Network
   11. Travel Channel
   12. and many more

You’ll need to have accounts with the pay-for-view channels you want to use.

• Video Quality:  Excellent
• Captions: Yes on most

ReelGood App

• Android
• iOS

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WANT MORE FREE STUFF? Check out our Free Stuff Category

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11. Kanopy TV

Kanopy is free through many public libraries and universities. You can view thousands of movies for free courtesy of these public institutions. You will need to create an account to log in

There are some mainstream movies and many independent films. All seem to be of good quality. Kanopy has an interesting feature where you can leave comments on each movie that you watch.

You can also favorite movies you want to watch and create a custom watchlist.

• Video Quality:  Excellent
• Captions: Yes

Kanopy Apps

• Android
• iOS

12. Top Documentary Films

Free streaming service that offers more than 3,000 documentaries. The documentaries are divided into 25 categories, from external video-hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and Daily Motion. No registration is needed.

Most of the films we’ve watched were streamed from YouTube. The streaming quality was good.

• Video Quality:  Good to Fair
• Captions: None

Top Documentary Films Apps – None

• A Chrome extension is available for use with Chrome browsers.

13. TubiTV

Commercials: Yes

TubiTV has an archive of thousands of movies and TV shows, most of which are free, although others must be rented.

If you want to watch PG13 and PG movies you don’t even have to set up an account although they always encourage you to register. If a movie or TV show is rated “Mature or higher”, you’ll need to create an account and log in.

We have found some awesome old-time TV Shows like:

• Make Room for Daddy
• The Donna Reed Show
• The Doris Day Show

Categories include comedy, horror, movie night, romance, drama, documentary, kids, drama, thrillers, family movies and more.

Some of our favorite family movies were found on TubiTV including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Ultimate Gift, Miracle on 34th Street (original version), Heidi and lots more.

It’s a very comprehensive site with lots of great movies.

• Video Quality: Good to Excellent
• Captions: Yes (where available)

14. TV networks’ websites like Crackle

Many networks host full episodes of their shows (usually for a limited time) on websites or their apps ranging from conventional broadcast channels like

Major Networks:

• ABC
• CBS
• Fox
• NBC 
• PBS
• Telemundo
• The CW
• Univision

Cable Channels

• Comedy Central
• Lifetime

We’ve enjoyed watching shows like Downton Abbey and Call the Midwife on our local PBS affiliate website and This is Us on the NBC app. Some of these networks require you to either register, pay a small fee or sign in using your cable provider login.

15. Viewster

The website shut down in 2019 and relaunched soon after as another streaming service, CONtv, which has also shut down. The domain forwards to a directory-type website called MidnightPulp.com. It seems sketchy and we recommend staying aways from it.

16. Popcorn Time – Warning

Popcorn Time wasn’t a streaming movie site—but a torrent streamer.

The original Popcorn Time torrent service has been shut down, and the domain has since been taken over by a dubious website that appears to be little more than a front for pirated content and sketchy advertising. Users should avoid this site entirely, as it likely exposes them to legal risks and unreliable, potentially malicious content, rather than providing legitimate access to movies and TV shows.

17. YouTube

Commercials: Yes – unless you pay for YouTube Premium

Founded in 2005, YouTube is the top video-sharing website whose offerings include paid and free movies and series. To narrow movie options down to freebies, visit YouTube Movies and change the filter from “All Videos” to “Free movies.” To browse paid and free TV shows, visit YouTube TV Shows.

18. Yidio

Free service that allows you to search, discover, personalize and watch TV shows and movies across Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and hundreds of other providers in one place. (“Yidio” is short for “Your Internet video.”) Supported devices include mobile devices and smart TVs.

Many of the top-rated movies require payment or an account at one of the sites listed above, but they do have a link to browse their extensive catalog of free content.

19. Classic Cinema Online

Classic Cinema Online is a free online streaming service offering vintage and classic films. They even include super old silent films. They stream from a variety of free sources including YouTube, IMBD, Archive.org and more.

The image quality was fair and some links to movies were broken or the videos had been removed from the host’s server. But if you want to watch old films this is a good source.

20. PlutoTV

Pluto TV is both a live TV streaming website (more than 900 stations) and an on-demand movie streaming website. To stream movies, you’ll need to register and create an account, but you can watch live tv without registration.

PlutoTV also has mobile and desktop apps you can download. From our tests, the video quality was excellent and the site speed was amazing.

21. Vimeo

Vimeo is known for high-quality videos posted by different businesses and producers. What we didn’t know was that there is a lot of free content. From experimental films, video shorts, full-length films, and video series – they cover the gamut. Some content must be purchased, but much of it is free. You’ll find the quality on Vimeo to be top-notch.

22. Retrovision Classic Movies

The movie site at retrovision.tv offered free classic films for streaming. The website is no longer available. Retrovision was a free movie streaming site much like other ones you might have used, such as Crackle and Vudu, etc.

23. Online Movies & Your Public Library

If you have a public library membership they most likely have video and audio streaming or download services available.

24. PrimeWire.ap – Danger

This is not a good free-streaming movie.  It is regularly updated with new flicks but most of the movies are stolen and hosted on a number of illegal sites. When you click to watch you’ll inevitably get a popup ad or be taken to a porn site.

We recommend staying away from this site.

25. MoviesFoundOnline.com – Danger

Free streaming service that curates video content freely available on video-hosting websites like YouTube and Vimeo. Content ranges “from old cult classics to new independent movies.” They also include short films, documentaries, animations, and series.

We recently tested this site. When we clicked to watch several movies we received notices that our computer was infected by viruses. Other movies had been removed due to copyright infringement. It appears that anyone can upload a movie to this site.

26. Vevo

Vevo has more than 400,000 official high-def music videos by hundreds of top artists. You can search within the app by Genre or Artist.

Android
iOS

Using our Roku apps, we recently watched a show called “Are You Tougher Than A Boy Scout” where young Eagle Scouts challenge athletic (and some not so athletic) adults in camping skills. With three Eagle Scout sons, we found this quite entertaining. (produced by National Geographic)

27. TV Time

We recently discovered the TVTime app on Roku and love some of the old TV shows and movies. They do show commercials and there seem to be more of them than on other channels.

TVTime Feature Films – Barbara Stanwyck, Boris Karloff, Cary Grant, Claudette Colbert, Gene Tierney, Ginger Rogers, Hedy Lamarr, Henry Fonda, John Wayne, Mickey Rooney, Peter Lorre, Shirley Temple, William Boyd, and more.

And our last, most favorite way to watch inexpensive movies in DVD format is to find one of our top pick movies at Goodwill or at Half Price Books clearance rack ($1). That way if our router or internet service ever goes down, we can still eat popcorn and relax with a classic movie at the end of the day.

Free Movie Wrap-Up

We have reviewed hundreds of family-friendly Movies in our resources and reviews section.

If you’re interested in family-friendly movies check out our PG-13 Chick Flicks Movies

If you’re looking for romantic movies, perfect for snuggling or Valentine’s Day check out our Valentine’s Movie Mania page.