Who doesn't love when something is free? Especially when it comes to watching movies online. Trying to pay for all the different streaming services can quickly add up. The good news is there is a bevy of options to watch free movies online, and we're helping keep track of the best of the best across a range of services.
There are a number of free streaming services online that will allow you to watch some great movies, including global options like Amazon Freevee, The Roku Channel and Tubi; others are US specific, like Crackle, Fandango at Home, Pluto TV and Xuomo. But watching any of these services won't cost you a thing, save for the fact you’ll have to deal with occasional ad-break.
But that is likely worth the price considering the wide range of movie selections that each service offers. We've reviewed each platform to come up with our own list of the best free movies online right now.
Amazon Freevee (available US & UK)
Atomic Blonde (2017)
Charlize Theron gives John Wick a run for this money in the "Certified Fresh" action movie. Theron plays an MI6 agent investigating a murder in Cold War Berlin; betrayals and hard-hitting action ensue. Atomic Blonde is a blast and features one of the standout action scenes of the last 10 years with its stairway fight.
Emma (2020)
Jane Austen's classic Emma has been adapted a handful of times for the big screen (including getting a modern day adaptation with Clueless), but Anya Taylor-Joy's performance as the young woman who takes her friends' love lives into her own hands is one of the best you'll see. Witty and impeccably designed, Emma is a treat.
Fargo (1996)
The greatest trick that the Coen brothers ever played was convincing us that Fargo was based on a true story. OK, maybe not, but their Oscar-winning dark comedy about a group of inept criminals and the determined, pregnant police chief tracking them down (played by an Oscar-winning Frances McDormand), remains one of the seminal works of the brothers' career and served as the inspiration for the hit FX series Fargo.
Mud (2012)
Jeff Nichols directed the hit indie movie The Bikeriders that came out this summer, but he has long been providing fantastic hidden gems for movie fans. One such example is Mud, about two young boys who befriend a fugitive hiding out as he hopes to reconnect with this true love. Aside from Nichols' script and direction, the highlight of the movie is Matthew McConaughey's performance, one that helped defined the "McConaissance" of the early 2010s.
Warm Bodies (2013)
Romeo & Juliet with zombies is a generally accurate summation of Warm Bodies, but the movie is a whole lot better than that description might seem at first glance. Nicholas Hoult stars as a zombie who's cold, dead heart is reawakened when he sees the living girl Julie (Teresa Palmer). Who knew it was so easy to fall for the undead.
Best of the rest on Amazon Freevee: The Birdcage, Blue Velvet, Citizenfour, Escape from New York, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Invisible Man, Paths of Glory, Requiem for a Dream, Some Like It Hot, Split, Waiting, Wind River
Crackle (available in US)
Bronson (2008)
Tom Hardy is an A-list star, but back in 2008 he wasn't widely known or proven as a leading man, that is until Bronson came out. The Nicolas Winding Refn movie saw Hardy star as a career criminal who creates an alternate personality named Charles Bronson over three decades spent in prison. It's a wild performance from Hardy that put him on the map.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
A classic example of the German Expressionism movement of the early 20th century, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a haunting movie even more than a 100 years later, as it depicts a hypnotist who uses a somnambulist to commit a series of murders. Watching the movie you'll see many pieces that had great influence on classic movies throughout the years.
Life Itself (2014)
One of the best documentarians of his generation, Steve James, took his camera to capture the career and life of one of the most influential film critics ever, Roger Ebert. Life Itself, inspired by Ebert's own memoir, not only touches on the accomplishments and impact of Ebert's work, but even how his late-in-life struggles with health could not damper his spirits or his love for the movies.
Short Term 12 (2013)
Anyone that is a fan of Brie Larson's career must watch her breakout role in Short Term 12, where she plays a supervisor at a residential treatment facility for at-risk youths. She is fantastic in the movie, and it has an ensemble that also includes the likes of John Gallagher Jr., Stephanie Beatriz, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever and LaKetih Stanfield.
Stagecoach (1939)
John Wayne is the most iconic movie cowboy of all time, and it all started with Stagecoach. It's not his first western, but it was the one that took him to stardom as the John Ford movie was an action-packed adventure that is just as thrilling to watch today as it was back then.
Best of the rest on Crackle: Blackfish, Digging for Fire, Gaslight, Halloween, The Hunt, I Am Not Your Negro, In the Fade, Metropolois, The Wolfpack
Fandango at Home (available in US)
Bernie (2011)
If you enjoyed Hit Man this year (streaming exclusively on Netflix), then you are likely to also enjoy Bernie, another Richard Linklater movie based on a crazy but true story. In this case, Jack Black plays a friendly mortician who strikes up a friendship with a cantankerous, controlling, wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine), only to eventually murder her. But what happens after that is where it gets truly unbelievable.
Charade (1963)
Fans of a good mystery thriller are going to love Charade, which features two Hollywood icons in Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn, the latter of whom becomes a target when a fortune her late husband stole comes to her. Who can she trust? Find out in this gripping trek across Europe.
His Girl Friday (1940)
If you prefer Cary Grant's comedic roles, then there are few better than His Girl Friday, where he plays a fast talking newspaper editor desperate to keep his best reporter, and ex-wife (Rosalind Russell), from quitting and marrying another man. The Howard Hawks movie is widely considered one of the best comedies of all time.
On Golden Pond (1981)
Another set of acting legends team up in On Golden Pond, as Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn play an elderly married couple who reluctantly agree to care for the son of their daughter's (Jane Fonda) new boyfriend. It's a superbly acted, emotional movie that won Oscars for both Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn.
RBG (2018)
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was already in the history books when she became a Supreme Court justice, but over her time on the high court she became a transcendent figure in American culture. This documentary depicts that as well as recounts her incredible career from her pursuit of a law degree to her time on the bench.
Pluto TV (available in US)
Arrival (2016)
Denis Villeneuve is the current master of sci-fi thanks to his brilliant movies Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two, but he was putting his stamp on the genre well before that, including with his excellent movie Arrival. Amy Adams stars as a language expert brought in to help communicate with an alien species after they arrive on earth. The story ends up being a twisty, emotional journey that is both heartbreaking and affirming.
Boyz n the Hood (1991)
John Singleton's Oscar-nominated debut is still a powerful look into the life of teenagers growing up in Los Angeles in the early 90s, with its climactic moment losing none of its emotional punch even more than 30 years later.
Collateral (2004)
If you prefer Tom Cruise as the hero, his classic movie Top Gun is also streaming on Pluto TV for free. But you should definitely watch his villainous turn in Michael Mann's Collateral, where he plays a hitman who takes a cab driver (Jamie Foxx) hostage to drive him around to various targets throughout the night. Foxx is also fantastic in the movie, so much so that it was one of his two Oscar nominations in 2005 (the other being Ray, for which he won Best Actor).
Fences (2016)
Denzel Washington directed and starred in this adaptation of the classic August Wilson play Fences, which sees him play a working class man struggling to come to terms with his life and his failures as he raises his family. Though Washington headlines the movie (and is fantastic), it's Viola Davis who steals the show as his wife, Rose, a performance that earned her an Oscar.
Gladiator (2000)
We're just a couple months away from the release of Gladiator 2, so now is the perfect time to catch up on the Best Picture winning movie. The Ridley Scott epic of a Roman general who becomes a slave when he defies the emperor and then seeks his revenge remains one of the best movies of the 21st century (if not ever).
Best of the rest on Pluto TV: All the President's Men, Days of Heaven, A Fish Called Wanda, Grease, The Matrix, No Country for Old Men, Pulp Fiction, The Raid: Redemption, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Rain Man, The Red Shoes, Sorry to Bother You, Tombstone, Tropic Thunder, Zodiac
The Roku Channel (available US & UK)
Dances with Wolves (1990)
Moviegoers were supposed to be getting Chapter 2 of Kevin Costner's new western Horizon: An American Saga, however it was pulled from the release calendar for the time being. So in its place you can watch Costner's previous, Best Picture-winning western epic Dances with Wolves, which gets a bit of a bad rap seeing as it beat out Goodfellas for the trophy (a fair argument to have) but is still a sweeping and well made movie.
Jackie Brown (1997)
The opinion on Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown has risen in recent years, as fans rediscover Tarantino's adaptation of the Elmore Leonard source material that stars a fierce Pam Grier and features fun performances from Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro and Robert Forster. See why it shouldn't be overlooked against Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
For my money one of the best coming-of-age movies to come out in recent memory, The Perks of Being a Wallflower stars Logan Lerman as Charlie, an introverted 15-year-old whose past traumas make it hard for him to connect with others, until he meets a pair of welcoming seniors, played by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.
School of Rock (2003)
Jack Black pours his love of rock n' roll into the superb Richard Linklater comedy School of Rock, where Black plays a substitute teacher who, realizing his class' talent in music, decides to form a rock band with them.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
Playing off the stranded in the woods idea, Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a horror spoof that sees kind Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) being confused as dangerous killers when a group of city teens attempt to go hiking and end up accidentally killing themselves. As things escalate, this movie just gets funnier.
Best of the rest on The Roku Channel: The Birdcage, The Great Escape, Hoosiers, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Lincoln Lawyer, Mississippi Burning, Moonstruck, Rain Main, Stronger, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Thelma & Louise, Waiting...
Tubi (available in US & UK)
The Goonies (1985)
One of the quintessential kids movies, The Goonies is an all-time adventure about a group of friends that go searching for a pirate's treasure to help save their home. It maybe jarring to think that the young Sean Astin, Ke Huy Quan and Josh Brolin we see on screen are now all in their 50s, but hey, Goonies never say die.
The Graduate (1967)
There's a reason why The Graduate is constantly listed as one of the greatest movies of all time (Dustin Hoffman's dry, hilarious performance and the complicated but impactful romances are at the top of the list). Well, now it's easier than ever to watch it if it is one you've missed out on so far.
The Mummy (1999)
Millennials like myself have a special place in our hearts for The Mummy. Brendan Fraser's performance as the hero Rick O'Connell is among the Oscar-winning actor's best and most charming, and his chemistry with Rachel Weisz is fantastic. Throw in a perfect blend of action, humor and scares and it is one of the best movies you can watch at anytime, so it's an added bonus that it's free.
The Replacements (2000)
Football season is coming up, so what better time than to watch a cult classic football comedy, The Replacements. Very loosely based on the NFL strikes that took place in 1987, Keanu Reeves stars as a former college quarterback looking for a second chance alongside Gene Hackman as his coach. While Reeves and Hackman headline, you'll spot more than a few faces you recognize in the movie.
Talk to Her (2002)
Talk to Her is one of the best movie from Pedro Almodovar, one of the most accomplished Spanish filmmakers of his generation. This Oscar-winning movie (Best Original Screenplay) tells the story of the friendship between two men as they care for two women who are in deep comas.
Best of the rest on Tubi: 12 Angry Men, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Another Round, The Apartment, The Art of Self-Defense, The Big Country, Bring It On, Bull Durham, Cabaret, Downfall, Fiddler on the Roof, Friday, It Happened One Night, Memento, Paddington, Spartacus, The Third Man, Witness for the Prosecution
Xuomo (available in US)
The Big Chill (1983)
One of the original hangout movies, The Big Chill sees an all-star ensemble (Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, Tom Berenger, William Hurt, Mary Kay Place, Jeff Goldblum and JoBeth Williams) reunite and spend a long weekend together after the death of one of their friends. Between the partying (complete with a great soundtrack), the friends discuss many of the issues they are going through and test how they've changed since college.
Dial M for Murder (1954)
While it's hard to call any Alfred Hitchcock movie underrated as he is one of the most acclaimed directors ever, Dial M for Murder is usually just on the outside of the four or five movies that people first think of when discussing the master of suspense. But this story of a man attempting to commit the perfect murder of his wife has got everything you could want in a Hitchcockian thriller.
Fist of Fury (1972)
Martial arts legend Bruce Lee only made a handful of movies during his tragically short career, but they are all entertaining. You can check out Fist of Fury for free on Xuomo, which sees Lee as a martial arts student who takes up against encroaching dojo from Japan that looks to take over the school of his former master.
Halloween (1978)
The original Halloween is an all-time classic horror/slasher movies, as Jamie Lee Curtis stars as one of the original final girls, taking on the relentless knife-wielding Michael Myers, who would become instantly iconic following this movie's release. Spooky season will be here before you know it, so might as well get started early and watch Halloween.
The Thing from Another World (1951)
John Carpenter's The Thing is rightly praised as a great sci-fi/horror movie, but it is loosely based on this 1950s creature classic, The Thing from Another World. It is definitely more hokey than Carpenter's version, but that is actually what gives it its charm. Despite it being very much of its time it still works as an entertaining watch.
Best of the rest on Xuomo: Nymphomaniac Part I & II, Sharknado,
