39 Free Legal & Illegal Apps for Streaming Movies and Shows

In an era where every other task is done digitally, streaming your favorite movies and TV shows online shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. This is why we, as movie enthusiasts who love to watch movies online without paying a single penny, have brought you an in-depth review of the best free movie streaming apps for mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, and PCs.

We have handpicked and manually reviewed over 39 of the best movie apps for mobile. These apps let you stream newly released titles and even download them on your phone to enjoy them even while you are out of the network or traveling—without subscription fees.

DISCLAIMER
All the information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only. You are solely responsible for all the content you watch, download, or stream using the apps and information provided in this article. We at BestForAndroid do not support piracy.

Overview

Looking for some quick options? Here is a glance at some of the top free movie streaming apps you can try right away:

• Tubi TV: Tubi TV is one of the most popular free movie apps, with a vast library of over 20,000 movies and TV shows. It offers a mix of Hollywood hits, independent films, and cult classics. You can browse by genre, popularity, or what’s new. The downside is that Tubi TV is ad-supported, so you must watch commercials throughout your movie.
• Popcornflix: Popcornflix offers a smaller library than Tubi TV, but it still has a good selection of movies and TV shows, including some original content. Like Tubi TV, Popcornflix is ad-supported.
• Pluto TV: Pluto TV is another excellent option for free movie streaming. It offers live TV channels and on-demand movies and TV shows. Pluto TV has a constantly rotating content selection, so you can always find something new to watch.
• Crackle: Crackle is a free streaming service from Sony Pictures Entertainment. It has a smaller library than Tubi TV or Popcornflix, but it focuses on quality over quantity. Crackle offers a mix of Hollywood movies, cult classics, and TV shows, including some original content. Crackle is also ad-supported.
• Viki: Viki is a great option for fans of Korean dramas and movies. Viki offers a mix of free and paid content, but the selection of free movies and TV shows is quite large.
• Kodi: Kodi is a free and open-source media player app that can stream movies and TV shows from various sources, including legal streaming services and add-ons. However, some Kodi add-ons offer access to pirated content, so use Kodi only with legal add-ons.
• Peacock: Peacock is a free streaming service from NBCUniversal. It offers free and paid content, including movies, TV shows, news, sports, and original programming.
• YouTube: Believe it or not, YouTube is a great place to watch free movies. There are tons of channels that offer full-length movies, both old and new. The selection can be a bit hit-or-miss, but you can find some real gems on YouTube. Watch out for illegal uploads and stick to channels that offer legal content.

1. Crackle

Crackle is one of the best choices for free movie streaming on Android. Their collection includes hidden gems, from heartwarming series to action-filled blockbuster movies.

The platform is ad-supported, and there are no subscription fees. Unlike Netflix, you will not find the latest titles; however, the app will keep you entertained with classic and cinematic bliss.

2. Pluto TV

Pluto TV is an amazing movie streaming app for Android that offers a wide range of movies and TV shows and an option to watch live TV channels directly on your smartphone—all for free, without any subscription.

The free streaming service is advertisement-supported, which means you will see commercials during your streaming experience. The best feature is they have a dedicated channel based on genres.

3. Vudu

Vudu is a fantastic app that allows you to watch movies on your Android phone and tablet for free. All you need to do is sign up using your email address, which unlocks a wide selection of movies and TV shows in even 4K Ultra HD quality.

The service is ad-free, allowing you to stream free movies from the list and buy or rent your favorite titles. Thanks to the Disney Movies Anywhere integration, you can create your very own digital collection.

4. TubiTV

Tubi TV is an online full-length movie streaming service that strives to provide all the movies and entertainment content without any cost, so you can free yourself from paying any subscription fees. They have developed a mobile-friendly and optimized app for Android, making it easier for you to stream movies on your mobile device.

You may not be able to find the latest movies, but there are thousands of movie titles from various categories, including Comedy, Action, Horror, Adventure, and Drama.

5. Plex

Plex offers you a collection of over 20,000 movies, shows, documentaries, and live TV channels, all for free, without any subscription or charges. All you need to do is sign up using your email address.

The free movie streaming service is accessible all around the world, year-round. However, Plex is ad-supported. Apart from that, you get access to over three hundred channels to watch movies and series from every genre.

6. Popcornflix

A reputable app that allows movie streaming for free and even allows you to enjoy free TV shows streaming directly on your smartphone or tablet devices without any registration. The app is ad-supported, though.

Popcornflix has a massive collection of streamable content from every genre, and newly released titles are also available. Unlike some free movie streaming sites, this app doesn’t show intrusive advertisements.

7. Filmzie

An excellent choice for entertainment enthusiasts, Filmzie offers you a lot of movies and series without charging you anything for their services. The interface is intuitive, user-friendly, and very easy to navigate.

Like other apps we have reviewed here, Filmzie is advertisement-supported, so you will see some ads while watching movies. You don’t need to worry about the legalities and safety as the service is legal.

8. Kanopy

Kanopy is a one-of-a-kind entertainment service where you can discover new award-winning films, movies, and documentaries every week without any payment or advertisement.

Kanopy can only be accessed through a public library card with whom they have partnered for the services. If you have access, then you can freely enjoy entertainment on any of your devices without any commercials or subscriptions. It cannot be purchased individually.

9. FilmRise

For a casual movie steaming and entertainment experience, FilmRise is a perfect app as it offers free full-length movies and TV shows in Full HD quality without any registration.

Even though the free service is advertisement-supported, you will get to enjoy movie nights with a unique collection of hidden movie gems and binge-watch seasonal TV series. You get a recently played playlist from where you can quickly resume your last playback.

10. Viki

If you are into Asian movies, dramas, and TV series, then Viki would be the best choice for you to watch content for free as they have an extensive premium collection of Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Thai from Asia and the US.

The free version is ad-supported and gives you limited access to content; however, with a Standard or Plus pass, you can unlock premium access to the features and remove ads. You will also be able to download your favorite content for offline viewing.

11. Stremio

Stremio is similar to Kodi but provides a different user interface and user experience. However, you will need to install an addon from where the app will source the streamable links for movies, TV shows, and live TV channels. You can watch the latest and newly released movies, too.

The app requires you to create an account to proceed further, and you can install third-party add-ons from the community, such as Netlify, which has a community-curated add-ons list.

12. Syncler

Syncler itself doesn’t host or provide any content. It works pretty much similarly to Kodi and requires you to add sources. It could be free or paid, and it helps you fetch streaming links for movies and series.

The app lets you connect your Trakt account to see which content you have in your watch later list and which ones you have already watched. The overall interface, though, is user-friendly and simple to navigate around.

13. CloudStream

CloudStream is an ad-free app for streaming and downloading media from various sources around the web to enjoy endless movies, TV shows, and even anime. All you need to do is add a JSON repository and load the library.

The app comes with Chromecast support, too, so you can watch your favorite content on Chromecast-supported devices.

14. BeeTV

BeeTV is one of the most impressive Android apps for watching and streaming movies, TV series, and even anime on your phone and tablet devices without paying for any subscription. The interface is well-designed and simple to navigate around and find the movie you want to watch.

However, the sources used by BeeTV are sometimes not legal, so it is always recommended that you use a reliable VPN app to avoid legal issues with your Internet service provider and the government.

15. FilmPlus

FimPlus has a massive collection of movies and series from all genres. The library is also regularly updated with new additions and fresh content. The app allows you to log in to your Real-Debrid account, Premiumize, and Trakt to keep track of the movies you have watched or want to watch.

The app is freshly built out of the TerrariumTV app and uses an entirely new technique to scrape links for movies and TV shows from the added sources. This ensures you always have access to all the titles.

16. NovaTV

NovaTV is like a search engine for movies and shows as it uses different community-built modules that help crawl popular content hosting websites and gather streaming links from around the web. You can even download the movies.

The content scraped through the sources is diverse and helps you find movies from every genre and year. There is a native Trakt and Real-debrid support so you can connect your account and sync your collection.

17. TeaTV

TeaTV helps you find, discover, and watch your favorite movies and shows with just a few taps on your phone’s screen. It doesn’t even require any registration or account. The app is efficient and provides a fantastic user experience, so you can easily browse the genres and categories.

The app provides you with a built-in watch list and collection section along with a recent list, which you can use to keep track of the movies and TV series you want to watch or have already watched.

18. OnStream

OnStream allows you to stream the latest, popular, and trending movies and TV series directly on your smartphone without any advertisement. The app even works on Android TV.

The app is neatly designed with a search bar on the top and sections for trending and popular movies on the home page. You are allowed to create a watch list, too, and there is even a dedicated Telegram group, just in case you bump into any issue.

19. Popcorn Time

Popcorn Time is a torrent-based movie streaming service provider. The app provides easy access to all the latest and favorite movies for real-time streaming. Its movie database receives updates frequently by searching for the best movie torrents from all around the web.

Unlike other streaming apps, Popcorn Time lets you watch and download movies without any limitation, anywhere and anytime. So you can enjoy movies for free and without any interruptions. All you need is a consistent connection to the Internet.

20. ShowBox

Showbox is a free app that allows you to stream and download movies and TV shows on your Android device without any limitations. The interface is well-designed and easy to understand. You can create your personalized list of favorite movies and then watch them individually.

If you have high-speed and stable Internet connectivity, you can freely stream movies from the app. But if your Internet connection is unsteady, it is better to download the movie and watch it later without any interruption.

21. VideoMix

VideoMix is another popular movie streaming app for Android that allows you to watch your favorite movies and TV series for free on your smartphone and tablet. The app is updated daily to add all the latest films and keep the content fresh.

The user interface is clean and well-structured to help you find all the movies without much effort. Also, the film titles are efficiently organized in different categories.

22. PlayBox HD & CinemaBox

The CinemaBox app is designed and developed by the creators of PlayBox HD, which is why the interface and functions are the same if you compare both side-by-side. Initially, the developers introduced their free movie streaming service under the name of PlayBox HD but later relaunched it as CinemaBox, the latest and current app for streaming movies.

The app provides no subscription and free access to hundreds of movies and TV shows from various categories and genres. It even offers native support for Chromecast for streaming on a larger screen.

23. Mobdro

Mobdro is an excellent open-source app for streaming video and content on Android devices. The discovery feature is designed to help you find videos streaming from around the world, regardless of topic and language. You can organize the streams by adding them to favorites and filtering them by subjects or language.

Mobdro even allows you to download movies and content so that you can enjoy them while you are traveling or offline. However, the downloading feature is available only in the premium version.

24. Toonmania

Do you want a movie streaming app specially designed for cartoon lovers that is safe for your kids, too? Look no further. Toonmania is the app you should download and install on your Android device.

The app is jam-packed with famous and latest cartoons to entertain your kids for countless hours. You can easily search for cartoon titles, browse through different categories, and find all the popular and latest cartoons available for streaming.

25. Hulu

Hulu is a popular streaming service provider that allows users to watch and stream a wide range of premium television shows, kid shows, and movies on Android smartphones and tablets. Most of the movies and TV series available are current and newly released.

However, speaking of movies, you will find that the variety is pretty limited, and there aren’t many of the latest titles. Hulu’s content library is amazingly huge, but most content is 720p HD quality.

Pricing: There are dual paid subscription plans—limited commercials @ $7.99 and no ads @ $11.99—available monthly.

26. Google Movies & TV

Google Play Movies and TV would be the best choice for anyone looking for a reliable service to purchase and rent movies or television series. Moreover, the app is completely compatible with numerous Android-enabled devices, including smartphones, tablets, Chromecast, and Smart TV, so you can stream content on any device.

We all know that YouTube is Google’s most popular video hosting service and media-streaming app on the Internet, and most videos uploaded are free to view. However, Google has collaborated with media corporations and organizations to offer movies, some premium channels, and TV shows for rental or purchase. The purchase/rental price varies from $1.99 to $19.99 per movie.

27. CotoMovies

CotoMovies is a movie streaming app that lets you watch hundreds of shows and movies on your Android device. It is an updated and enhanced version of the famous Bobby Movie Box app. The app has an up-to-date database of movies and shows from various categories and supports subtitles.

With CotoMovies, you can watch free movies and TV shows online and offline on all your devices. The watch later functionality lets you add the movies you want to watch to a separate list and easily access them later. The app even has native support for streaming content to TV devices like Google Chromecast, Smart TV, and Airplay.

28. Viewster – Anime and Fandom TV

Viewster is an entertainment app freely available for download through the official Google Play Store. The app doesn’t require you to sign up, and you can almost immediately begin watching anime, sci-fi movies, shows, and documentaries of your choice.

The user interface of the Viewster app is user-friendly, as the homepage has a newsfeed style where you can find all the featured and recently added entertainment content. The app has a channels section where you can see series, shows, and movies from around the web. You can even follow your favorite channels to personalize your newsfeed further and get updates from the channels you like the most.

29. UKMovNow

UKMovNow is a free movie app for Android to stream movies that will keep you entertained for as long as you want with its wide range of Bollywood, Lollywood, and Hollywood movies and films in HD quality. The movie database is regularly updated to add new and old movies.

The app UKMovNow has a built-in search bar to help you find movies and save time scrolling a massive database and list. If you have a personal watch list or found a movie but want to watch it later, you can bookmark it or add it to your favorites. One unique aspect of this app is the Request Movie feature, where you can request a movie not in the database.

30. YouTube

You wouldn’t have expected YouTube to be on the list of ways to watch free movie apps for Android. Believe it or not, YouTube has one of the biggest databases of free movies, films, TV shows, anime, documentaries, and whatnot. Moreover, it is preinstalled on most Android phones and tablet devices, making everything easy to access.

You can find and explore countless movies and videos on YouTube and even subscribe to your favorite channels without any charges. And the download features allow you to download and watch any content whenever you want, without any restriction, regardless of Internet connectivity.

31. Kodi

Kodi is an open-source digital media player app designed and developed by XBMC Foundation for various platforms, including the most popular Android OS. The exciting part about Kodi is that the app doesn’t have any content or media, but the feature to install third-party plugins makes it the best way to stream movies and TV shows for free.

If you want to watch movies or TV shows, listen to music, or download any of that, you need to configure the Kodi app properly so that it can help you find and stream media content. If you are new or clueless, don’t worry—we already have an in-depth guide on how to watch free movies on Android using Kodi add-ons.

32. MegaBox HD Movie Streaming

If you have used other movie streaming apps like ShowBox, PlayBox, or CinemaBox, you will find the user interface and functionality of the MegaBox HD app identical to them. The app is free from advertisements, and most movies and shows available in the database are HD quality.

MegaBox HD comes with native support for subtitles and the option to download movies and TV shows to enjoy them later. The UI is streamlined, which makes it easy to understand. You will find it easy to navigate around and will be able to explore your favorite movies in no time.

33. BigStar Movies and TV

BigStar Movies and TV apps are developed and designed by BigStar TV Incorporation. They offer a wider range of movies, including foreign films, short movies, award-winning independent movies, and hundreds of thousands of popular movie titles.

The app doesn’t include many Hollywood movies; however, if you are into short films and documentaries from different genres, this will be the most suitable app for you. Most of the content you will find in this app’s database is free of charge.

34. Netflix

Netflix is one of the best and most popular apps for streaming movies and TV shows on Android and iOS devices. It has the best interface and helps you enjoy a wide range of multimedia and entertainment content regardless of location.

The Netflix database has thousands of TV episodes, movie titles, and films from various genres that you can legally stream and watch on your connected devices. All you have to do is pay a small monthly subscription fee, and then you will get access to unlimited content without any limitations.

35. Amazon Prime Video

With the Amazon Prime Video app for Android, you can stream, watch, and download all the popular movies, TV shows, films, and exclusive entertainment content. The downloading feature works on both cellular and WiFi networks, so you can download and watch no matter where you are.

Moreover, if you are an Indian customer or user of Amazon Prime, you can watch and stream hundreds of Bollywood movies and regional hits.

36. Roku

If you own a Roku streaming device, you can use the Roku mobile app as a remote control for your Roku player and Roku TV. The Roku Channel helps you stream hundreds and thousands of movies and all the latest TV shows. It was designed and developed by Roku Inc.

The app not only allows you to stream movies and lets you control your Roku device, but you can also cast photos, videos, and music to your TV directly from your Android device. Moreover, inserting or typing text using your Android phone keyboard is easier.

37. Pluto TV

Pluto TV is one of the leading movie and TV streaming services ever designed for Android. You can watch and stream hundreds and thousands of movies and TV shows without paying a single cent. And the best thing about this app is that it is completely free and one hundred percent legal.

The Pluto TV app does not require you to provide your credit card details or sign up for any contracts, and it does not even require you to pay any bills. Not only that, you can even stream all your favorite movies as well as TV shows right onto the big screen through the amazing Chromecast feature.

38. Dove Channel

If you are looking for a family-friendly movie app, then Dove Channel is the one you should go for, as the app is designed specifically for families so that everyone can have an entertainment time together while keeping in mind your family values.

Although the vast majority of Dove Channel is paid, you can enjoy a limited portion of the content and filtered movies offered for free. If you want, you can upgrade to the premium version and have unlimited access to the filtered movie library.

39. Crunchyroll

If you like animated movies and TV series, Crunchyroll is appealing. This app is jam-packed with hundreds and thousands of Japanese anime content and episodes, all available for free. The premium version lets you enjoy anime without advertisements, and new episodes are made available within one hour after originally airing in Japan.

You can watch all the new shows and old anime series. The app is frequently updated with new content every week. Furthermore, all the content on Crunchyroll is licensed, and watching anime through this app also supports the creators.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from our readers about free movie apps for Android, so we have added those into this section along with a brief answer:

Concluding Thoughts

Although many of the movie streaming and downloading apps mentioned in the list are not officially available on the Google Play store due to the nature of their service, most of them are free, reliable, and let you watch and download all the latest movies (even TV shows and anime) without any limitation.

Which apps from the list above did you try? Were you able to find and stream the movies you were searching for? Please share your experience and suggestions with us in the comments down below.

If you know about any movie streaming apps we haven’t included in the list, let us know; we would love to hear about them and might consider including them! 🙂