The 12 Best Free Movie Streaming Services That Aren't YouTube

Sure, there are plenty of great free movies on YouTube—but while YouTube is awesome, it’s not the only game in town. So we decided to put together a list of other sites that also offer free movies, break down the pros and cons of each one, briefly explore what they offer beyond movies, and then dive deep into the specific films that you can check out gratis (pretty much in all cases with ads). Here are 12 free streaming services where you can find some great films.

This story originally appeared on The A.V. Club.

Tubi is ubiquitous in that you can stream it anywhere at any time, using just about any device. We like the spiffy, easy-to-navigate interface, not to mention the much-wider-than-its-competitors’ selection of major movies. We’re talking John Wick (and 2 and 3), Secretary, Heathers, Straight Outta Compton, Goodfellas, King Richard, and Batman. It’s a similar story with the TV end of the equation, old and new hits, classics, and little-seen gems, including Hannibal, Luther, and for those who like to see watermelons smashed… The Gallagher Collection. The only bummer? Too many ads.

Bonus points: We like the category called Not on Netflix.

We love Kanopy for three specific reasons. One, you need a library card or college ID to access it; after that, it’s free. Two, no ads! And, three, as you might expect, they provide truly thought-provoking features and documentaries. Let’s rattle off a bunch of titles: Captain Fantastic, Abortion: Stories Women Tell People, Rashomon, I Am Not Your Negro, Chinatown, and Howards End are some of the films you can find on this service.

Bonus points: Kanopy also offers a ton of kids’ programming, both entertainment-oriented and educational.

Killers Of The Flower Moon? Oppenheimer? Barbie? Too good to be true, right? Right. You can buy or rent those titles, and many other current/recent releases, on Vudu. If you’re seeking the free stuff (with ads), then click on the Free link all the way up at the top. Vudu offers a modest selection of films and shows. Amidst the many B-movies you never heard of (Titanic 2, for example!), you’ll hit upon some worthwhile entries, including Maggie, Glengarry GlenRoss, Sidewalk Stories, On Golden Pond, Alf, Terrifier, King Of New York, Trees Lounge, and the recent, highly recommended documentary, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story.

Bonus points: Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares is both new and excellent.

There are niches and then there are niches. CONtv serves up movies (and shows) meant to appeal to fans of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, action, and anime, especially those people who love conventions like Comic-Con. So, cue a few classics, including Carnival Of Souls and Fist Of Fury, a bunch of familiar titles (The Collector, Night Of The Living Dead), and a bloody long list of obscure, cheesy, genre flicks ranging from Zombie Ass Toilet Of The Dead, Hell Bride, and Zombie Hamlet to Monsturd, Little Dead Rotting Hood, and The Great American Snuff Film.

Bonus points: Did we mention they’re showing Zombie Ass Toilet Of The Dead?!

Sony purchased Crackle in 2016, so it should surprise no one that Sony and Columbia dominate the options. But they’ve also got numerous TV shows, comedy specials, documentaries, and some original programming, too, including requisite holiday fare. When it comes to movies, you won’t find many blockbusters or recent releases, but we’re good with Troll Hunter, Please Stand By, Hobo With A Shotgun, Goon, The Wrecking Crew!, A League Of Ordinary Gentlemen, and Kiss Of The Damned. And if you crave a kitschy holiday movie, you’ve not lived until you watch A Christmas Carol: The Musical, starring Kelsey Grammer, Jane Krakowski, Jesse L. Martin, Jason Alexander, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Bonus points: Easy to navigate, minimal ads.

Don’t want to pay for Prime Video? Amazon offers this free (with ads) streaming service, which delivers live news, TV shows, and, of course, movies— including original productions. Among the films now available on Freevee are Tender Mercies, Return To Me, The Shape Of Water, Donnie Darko, Till, Party Girl, the trashy cult classic The Big Bird Cage, The Iceman, and My Policeman. We particularly recommend a little-seen coming-of-age romantic drama called Dear Zoe, which stars the preternaturally talented Sadie Sink. Meanwhile, there’s a holiday-themed original called EXmas (starring Leighton Meester and Robbie Amell) to go with a zillion other Christmas movies.

Bonus points: Freevee uses the same basic interface as Amazon, making it pretty easy to navigate.

Redbox’s red boxes will always hold a special place in our hearts, but they’ve branched out beyond physical media to embrace the streaming universe. They offer movies on demand for a fee, but also a decent amount of free content, including game shows, series, and movies. Some of it is scheduled and some of it is on-demand. Odds are you’ve never heard of most of the movies, and by that we mean Walking Tall: The Payback (starring Kevin Sorbo), Bad Johnson, Terror Eyes, Hashtag Blessed, and Hounds Of Love. Poke around, though, and they’ve got Rush, Monster, Bubba Ho-Tep, Valley Girl, and The Indian Runner, among other worthwhile titles.

Bonus points: The eclectic selection includes plenty of content you won’t find anywhere else—for better and for worse.

Popcorn usually goes best with bad movies and TV shows. As such, we recommend stocking tons of Orville Redenbacher’s in the cupboard and having it ready to go if you visit Popcornflix. Most of their content, from the shows to movies, is of the B variety—or worse, which can be a blast for a few hours if you like knockoffs, cheap indies, and Sci-Fi Channel originals. We admittedly want to check out Attack Of The Killer Donuts, and maybe the exclusive, Killer Sofa, but there may not be enough popcorn on the planet to get us through The Fast And The Fierce, Five-Headed Shark Attack, and Rise Of The Zombies (even if it does feature Danny Trejo). To be fair, they’ve got Bronson.

Bonus points: Remember, it’s free!

Truth be told, we’d never heard of Fawesome either, but here we are! The name contracts the words Free and Awesome, as in “free awesome TV and movies.” Their flicks come from Paramount, Cinedigm, Lionsgate, and other distributors. Current titles include Django Unchained, St. Vincent, Lion, An American Werewolf In London, Charade, Phantasm 3 and 4, Ip Man, a heartbreaking TV movie called Friendly Fire (starring Carol Burnett; yes, that Carol Burnett), and Train To Busan. The only problems? Waaay too many commercials, not enough movies, and you can’t watch on a Mac or PC.

Bonus points: Click and watch; no subscription necessary.

A full-service streaming service in its own right, Pluto serves up everything … movies, shows, live television, old, new, and lots of CBS and Paramount productions, which makes sense since it’s a cog in the ViacomCBS machine. Yes, it’s a little unwieldy to maneuver around, given that there are so many titles (and no Just Added link), but you can’t complain about the selections. These include Titanic (as opposed to Titanic 2), Star Trek Beyond, Knives Out, The Long Walk Home, Bound, Dances With Wolves, seven Saw movies, and lots of Mystery Science Theater 3000 flicks.

Bonus points: Relatively few ads, though they tend to pop up right at the juiciest moments.

Most folks think of Roku as the easy path they can take to access their streaming apps, be it Netflix or Hulu—and it is. But the platform also boasts its own streaming app, The Roku Channel, which features free movies, television shows, news, and Roku Originals. Current originals include How To Fall In Love By The Holiday (starring Teri Hatcher). And if you haven’t seen Roku’s wacky Weird Al movie, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (starring Daniel Radcliffe), check it out. Among the fairly limited number of non-original freebie movies: F9: The Fast Saga, Mad Max: Fury Road, Nuts, The Emoji Movie, Freeway, and Mamma Mia! 

Bonus points: The app is easier to use than the site.

Plex bills itself as “Your TV concierge,” and that sounds about right, as it lets you store and organize all your media, from movies and shows to music and more. But, for free and with a click, you can watch countless movies. Among the documentaries in rotation now are Hoop Dreams, Jesus Camp, and Grizzly Man. The broad range of features includes The King Of Comedy, Colossal, Dredd, Cruel Intentions, Hostel, The Aviator, Kickboxer, Once Upon A Time In America, Only God Forgives, Rock n Roll High School, Stagecoach, Sid & Nancy, and Death Hunt (macho nonsense at its best with Charles Bronson and Lee Marvin). There’s no need for an account, but you do get more options by signing in.

Bonus points: Leaving Soon is a helpful tool.