This is a list of the 12 best apps for watching TV shows and movies on your phone or tablet for free, all completely legal. Many of them are also available on TVs with Android TV or Apple TV, and are Chromecast compatible, so you can enjoy the content on the “big screen”.
Typically, movie and TV show apps like Disney+, HBO, Netflix, and similar require you to pay a monthly subscription to access the content, but other alternatives offer free shows and films with ads or as a preview of what you’ll find if you decide to purchase a monthly membership. Now all you must do is keep track of what you watch.
Pluto TV
Founded in 2014 and based in Los Angeles, the Pluto TV app offers 250+ channels to watch movies, series, comedy, concerts, sports, and more. There is a little bit of everything on Pluto TV.
Pluto TV is ad-supported, so in exchange for access to all its content, you will see advertisements from time to time. The good news is that you don't need to create an account: just install the app or go to the website and start watching.
- Download it from Google Play for Android or the App Store for iOS.
Tubi
With 100% legal content, Tubi is an easy-to-use app for watching free movies and TV shows that works not only on phones and tablets, but also on TVs and other smart streaming devices.
With no registration required, you can start watching all the content, which is characterized by its diversity of genres, such as horror, comedy, anime, romance, family, and drama, to name a few, plus a special selection that varies depending on the region you are in.
- Download it from Google Play for Android or the App Store for iOS.
Samsung TV Plus
An exclusive option for those with a Samsung mobile phone, tablet, or TV is Samsung TV Plus. This app comes pre-installed on home TVs with a selection of free channels depending on your region. It is available for free on 2016-2024 Samsung Smart TVs, Galaxy devices, Smart Monitors, Family Hub refrigerators, and the web.
Samsung TV Plus gives you all the entertainment you want for free. Choose from 350+ live TV channels and thousands of on-demand movies and shows. There are news, entertainment, sports, movies, music, and cartoons.
- Download it from Google Play for Samsung mobile devices.
YouTube
You can find anything on YouTube, including full movies and TV shows, in many cases without any scruples about copyright or ownership rights. However, you can also find public-domain movies.
Another way to watch movies and series on YouTube is that more TV channels are broadcasting live on this platform, as well as the YouTube Originals section with exclusive content (some paid, some not), or channels like Movie Central, with classics available thanks to their exclusive rights acquisition agreements with major libraries.
- Download it on Google Play for Android and on the App Store for iOS.
Plex
Plex is an application famous for allowing you to create your own Netflix at home with whatever you want to include inside. However, Plex has also started betting on its own content, which is also free.
You can watch movies for free on Plex with its streaming service, where you’ll find thousands of free series, movies, and documentaries in 220 countries, from Bollywood to modern classics like ‘Terminator’. Most of the content is in English.
- Download it on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.
Freeve (Prime Video)
Although Amazon Prime Video is offered as a standalone service or as part of the Amazon Prime subscription, both with a monthly cost, it has a section called Freevee with free movies and TV shows.
As with any entertainment platform, content is grouped by genre, such as drama, kids, and more, although it is also possible to find the most popular titles, recent releases, and filter searches by language.
- Download it on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.
Crackle
Crackle is a free, ad-supported streaming service available on an impressive range of devices, including mobile phones and smart TVs. And not only is it easy to use, but you also don’t even have to sign up or subscribe to start watching the content you love.
Also available on Youtube, it offers a wide variety of all-time favorites, from action movies like ‘Resident Evil’ to TV shows like ‘3rd Rock from the Sun’, as well as exclusive original programming.
- Download it on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.
The Roku Channel
The Roku Channel, launched in the United States in September 2017 and then in Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom, is another way to watch movies and TV shows on your mobile devices or on a smart TV.
Operated by Roku Inc., it offers news, movies, sports, entertainment, music channels, documentaries and more for free in exchange for watching ads. It also offers new releases and content on demand.
- Download it on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll, one of the world's leading distributors of anime, has its own streaming service dedicated exclusively to this type of animation from Japan, making it a favorite among fans around the world. You can also watch movies, music videos and concerts.
All the content is organized by genre, and thanks to its release calendar, you can keep up with the upcoming content that this application is constantly adding. In exchange for watching anime for free, you will have to deal with advertisements.
- Download it on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.
Fandango at Home
Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) offers thousands of free movies, but with ads. The catalog is extensive and constantly updated and is organized by genre to make it easier for users to navigate.
Available on mobile devices as well as smart TVs, Roku, and Chromecast, it features listings to find specific content, such as Blast from the Past, Top 200, and Hidden Gems. On-demand movies are also available on this app if you want ad-free content.
- Download it on Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.
Vix
Another option, popular among Spanish speakers, is Vix. It works like Netflix, but it is free and does not require you to create an account to start streaming its content.
Owned and operated by TelevisaUnivision, Vix offers a selection of movies, soap operas, series, sports, and kids’ content with a particular focus on Latin America, although you'll find some international options as you browse its catalog.
- Download it from Google Play for Android or enjoy the content from its website.
iQIYI
iQIYI is a Chinese video platform that is increasingly expanding in the West. The content is mainly Chinese and Asian movies and TV shows, with full information about each title without missing the English subtitles.
You can start using iQIYI without any account, registration, or payment, although you will need to purchase a monthly VIP subscription to unlock all chapters and all series and movies. The app is quite advanced, allowing you to download series to watch later offline.
- Download it from Google Play for Android and the App Store for iOS.
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