Best Movie Streaming Sites 2026 (Free & Paid, Still Live)

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Quick answer: The best free streaming sites in 2026 are Tubi, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV and Kanopy. The best paid movie sites are Netflix, HBO Max and Prime Video. Crackle, Popcornflix and Freevee have shut down, so any list that still recommends them is out of date.

Most lists of the best streaming sites were written once and never checked again. That is why so many still point you to Crackle, Popcornflix or IMDb TV, and none of those services work anymore. This guide covers 17 legal streaming sites that are live in October 2026: nine free and eight paid. Each one includes its current US price, what it does well, where it falls short, and who it suits. If you only want something free to watch tonight, start with the free section. If you are choosing a subscription, the comparison table and the paid section show what each plan costs. Flicknexs builds white-label streaming platforms for media companies, so this guide also explains how free services earn money and why some of them vanish overnight.

Table of Contents

Key takeaways

Best free site overall: Tubi, which has the largest free library.
Most-watched free service in the US: The Roku Channel, per Nielsen’s February 2026 report (Nielsen February 2026 data).
Best with no account: Pluto TV.
Best free and ad-free: Kanopy or Hoopla with a library card.
Cheapest paid plans: Netflix Standard with ads and Paramount+ Essential, both $8.99 a month (Subby price tracker).
Stop using: Crackle, Popcornflix, IMDb TV/Freevee and the Peacock free tier. All four are gone.

Which streaming sites shut down?

Five names that still appear on older lists no longer work as described. Here is what happened to each and what to use instead.

Free movie sites that disappeared, 2022–2025. Chart: Flicknexs.

Site	What happened	Use instead
Crackle	Went dark when its parent company, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, was liquidated. It briefly came back in March 2025 and went offline again in April 2025 (Crackle outage report).	Tubi, The Roku Channel
Popcornflix	Shut down in the same liquidation (Popcornflix shutdown report).	Pluto TV, Plex
IMDb TV / Freevee	IMDb TV was renamed Freevee. Amazon then shut Freevee down and moved its shows and movies into Prime Video (Freevee shutdown report).	Prime Video’s free section, Tubi
Vudu	Renamed Fandango at Home. It is now mainly a store for renting and buying movies.	Fandango at Home for rentals
Peacock free tier	Closed to new sign-ups. Peacock is now paid only.	Peacock Premium, or a free site below

In short, if a list recommends any of these five as a free option, it has not been updated since at least 2024.

Best streaming sites 2026: comparison table

The table compares all 17 sites on price, ads, whether you need an account, and what each is best for. Prices are US list prices before tax, sourced from Subby’s dated price tracker and HonestlyRanked (updated October 2026).

Site	Type	US price (Oct 2026)	Ads	Account	Best for
Tubi	Free (AVOD)	Free	Yes	Optional	Largest free movie library
The Roku Channel	Free (AVOD + FAST)	Free	Yes	Optional	Free originals and live TV
Pluto TV	Free (FAST)	Free	Yes	No	Channel surfing, no sign-up
Plex	Free (AVOD)	Free	Yes	Yes	Cult and indie films
Kanopy	Free (library)	Free with library card	No	Yes	Classics and documentaries
Hoopla	Free (library)	Free with library card	No	Yes	Borrowing mainstream titles
YouTube free movies	Free (AVOD)	Free	Yes	Optional	Older studio films
Samsung TV Plus / Xumo Play	Free (FAST)	Free	Yes	No	Smart TV owners
Prime Video free section	Free (AVOD)	Free with Amazon account	Yes	Yes	Former Freevee titles
Netflix	Paid (SVOD)	$8.99–$26.99/mo (Netflix tiers)	Ads tier only	Yes	Originals, global films
HBO Max	Paid (SVOD)	$10.99–$22.99/mo (HBO Max tiers)	Ads tier only	Yes	Warner Bros. movies
Prime Video	Paid (SVOD + TVOD)	Included with Prime; ad-free add-on $4.99/mo (Prime Video add-on)	Yes, unless add-on	Yes	Big catalog plus rentals
Disney+	Paid (SVOD)	$11.99–$18.99/mo (Disney+ tiers)	Ads tier only	Yes	Families, Marvel, Pixar
Hulu	Paid (SVOD)	$11.99 with ads (Hulu with ads price) to $18.99/mo without (Hulu No Ads price)	Ads tier only	Yes	Recent TV and movies
Peacock	Paid (SVOD)	$12.99–$19.99/mo (Peacock tiers)	Premium tier only	Yes	Universal films, sports
Paramount+	Paid (SVOD)	$8.99–$13.99/mo (Paramount+ tiers)	Essential tier	Yes	Cheapest paid option
Apple TV	Paid (SVOD)	$14.99/mo (Apple TV price)	No	Yes	Premium originals

Key to the type labels: AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) means free on-demand titles paid for by ads. FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) means free scheduled channels, like cable. SVOD (subscription video on demand) means a monthly plan. TVOD (transactional video on demand) means you rent or buy individual titles.

Cheapest monthly plan on each paid streaming site, US, October 2026. Chart: Flicknexs.

What are the best free movie streaming sites?

These nine services are free, legal and working in October 2026. Most are paid for by ads. Two, Kanopy and Hoopla, are paid for by public libraries and have no ads.

1. Tubi

Tubi (Fox Corporation’s free streaming service) is the first stop for free movies. When it last published figures, in January 2025, Tubi had more than 275,000 movies and TV episodes and 97 million monthly active users (Tubi catalog size report). The catalog is strongest in horror, action, older studio films and international cinema, and Tubi keeps adding originals. You can start watching in a browser without signing up. A free account only adds a watchlist and resume playback across devices.

Pros: very large library, no sign-up needed, apps on nearly every device.
Cons: frequent ad breaks, and new releases usually take a year or more to arrive.
Pricing: free.
Best for: anyone who wants the widest choice of free films.

Verdict: Tubi is the best free movie streaming site for most people in 2026.

2. The Roku Channel

The Roku Channel (Roku Inc.’s free streaming service) does not require a Roku device. It runs in a web browser, on iOS and Android, and on many smart TVs. In Nielsen’s February 2026 report it had 2.9% of all US TV streaming time, ahead of Tubi at 2.2% and Pluto TV with Paramount+ at 2.1% (Roku Channel Nielsen ranking). It mixes on-demand movies, Roku Originals and hundreds of live channels. Our guide to what The Roku Channel is and how it works covers the service in more depth.

Pros: polished originals, live news and sports channels, works on the web.
Cons: titles rotate often, so a saved film can disappear.
Pricing: free, with optional paid premium channels.
Best for: people who want one free app for both movies and live TV.

Verdict: The Roku Channel is the most-watched free streaming service in the US and the strongest all-rounder.

3. Pluto TV

Pluto TV (Paramount’s free streaming service) feels like cable. It has hundreds of themed live channels, such as retro action, sci-fi and true crime, plus an on-demand library. There is nothing to sign up for: open the site or app and press play.

Pros: no email or card, a familiar channel guide, good for background viewing.
Cons: a smaller on-demand movie catalog than Tubi’s.
Pricing: free.
Best for: people who don’t want to pick what to watch.

Verdict: Pluto TV is the best free streaming site with no account at all.

4. Plex

Plex (a media-server company) is best known for organizing your own video files. It also runs a free, ad-supported catalog of films and live channels. The library leans toward cult classics, foreign films and genre movies that the bigger services skip.

Pros: unusual, curated catalog, and you can mix it with your own media library.
Cons: needs a free account, and the interface is busier than Tubi’s.
Pricing: free, with an optional paid Plex Pass for media-server features.
Best for: cult classic and indie film fans.

Verdict: Plex is the best free site for cult and indie movies.

5. Kanopy

Kanopy (a library streaming service) partners with public libraries and universities. Sign in with a library card and you can stream Criterion Collection titles, documentaries and award-winning independent films with no ads.

Pros: no ads, a high-quality curated catalog, and no cost to you.
Cons: most libraries set a monthly title limit, and not every library takes part.
Pricing: free with a participating library card.
Best for: documentary and classic-film viewers who hate ads.

Verdict: Kanopy is the best free and ad-free streaming site if your library supports it.

6. Hoopla

Hoopla (a library lending service) also runs on your library card. Its catalog is more mainstream than Kanopy’s, and it includes audiobooks, ebooks and music as well as movies. Each film you watch counts as one borrow against your library’s monthly limit.

Pros: no ads, a broad mix of media, simple apps.
Cons: borrow limits, and availability depends on your library.
Pricing: free with a participating library card.
Best for: library-card holders who want mainstream titles without ads.

Verdict: Check Hoopla and Kanopy together, because many libraries offer only one of them.

7. YouTube free movies

YouTube (Google’s video platform) has a dedicated section of licensed studio films that are free with ads. Find it through the official Movies and TV area of YouTube. Avoid random channels that upload full movies, because those uploads are usually unlicensed and get taken down.

Pros: nothing new to install, and it works on every device.
Cons: a small, rotating free selection.
Pricing: free with ads. Paid rentals are also available.
Best for: quick access to older studio films.

Verdict: YouTube is a useful backup, not a main free movie site.

8. Samsung TV Plus and Xumo Play

Samsung TV Plus (Samsung’s free TV service) and Xumo Play (Comcast’s free streaming service) are free live-channel services that come built into many smart TVs, and both also work in a web browser. They suit people who want free TV the moment a new television is switched on. If you are new to connected TVs, our smart TV explainer covers the basics.

Pros: zero setup on supported TVs, and no account needed.
Cons: mostly live channels, with limited on-demand movies.
Pricing: free.
Best for: Samsung and Xumo-powered TV owners.

Verdict: Good free extras, but pair them with Tubi or Pluto TV for movies.

9. Prime Video’s free section

When Amazon shut Freevee down, it moved Freevee’s ad-supported shows and movies into the Prime Video app (Amazon Freevee closure). Titles marked as free with ads can be watched with a free Amazon account, without paying for Prime.

Pros: a familiar app, and Amazon originals sometimes appear free.
Cons: free titles are mixed in with paid ones, which can be confusing.
Pricing: free with an Amazon account.
Best for: former Freevee viewers.

Verdict: Prime Video’s free section is where Freevee’s free titles went.

What are the best paid movie streaming sites?

Paid services are SVOD platforms: you pay monthly for unlimited access, and the cheapest tiers now include ads. For a business-side view of this model, see our breakdown of the top subscription (SVOD) platforms.

10. Netflix

Netflix has the biggest slate of original films and the widest range of international cinema of any service on this list. Its top tier adds 4K and more screens. Our engineering explainer shows how Netflix streams video to your screen.

Pros: a constant flow of originals, strong recommendations, and global titles.
Cons: licensed Hollywood films come and go, and the ad-free tiers are expensive.
Pricing: $8.99, $19.99 or $26.99 a month (Netflix price history).
Best for: people who watch something most nights.

Verdict: Netflix is the safest single subscription for variety.

11. HBO Max

HBO Max (Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service) has arguably the strongest movie catalog per dollar. It includes Warner Bros. theatrical releases, DC films, Studio Ghibli titles in the US and the full HBO library.

Pros: recent theatrical hits and prestige TV in one place.
Cons: the ad-free tiers cost more than Netflix Standard.
Pricing: $10.99, $18.49 or $22.99 a month (HBO Max plan prices).
Best for: film fans who want recent Hollywood releases.

Verdict: HBO Max is the best paid streaming site for movie lovers.

12. Prime Video

Prime Video (Amazon’s streaming service) comes with an Amazon Prime membership or can be bought on its own. Both versions show ads unless you pay for the ad-free add-on. Its biggest advantage is the store, where you can rent or buy new releases long before they reach subscription catalogs. That store is a TVOD model; we cover how it works in our guide to pay-per-view (TVOD) platforms.

Pros: bundled with Prime shipping, plus a huge rental store.
Cons: ads by default, and it can be hard to tell what is included and what costs extra.
Pricing: included with Prime; ad-free add-on $4.99 a month (Prime Video ad-free price).
Best for: existing Prime members and people who rent new releases.

Verdict: If you already pay for Prime, use Prime Video before adding another subscription.

13. Disney+

Disney+ (The Walt Disney Company’s streaming service) carries Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic. Ad-supported and ad-free plans are both available. Bundles with Hulu and HBO Max are the best value for households that want more than one service.

Pros: the strongest family catalog, and 4K on the premium tier.
Cons: few adult-focused films compared with HBO Max.
Pricing: $11.99 or $18.99 a month (Disney+ October 2025 increase).
Best for: families and franchise fans.

Verdict: Disney+ is the best paid streaming site for families.

14. Hulu

Hulu (Disney’s general-entertainment service) is strongest for TV, but it also rotates in recent films and FX and Searchlight titles. Plans come with or without ads.

Pros: next-day TV episodes and a good indie film selection.
Cons: the movie catalog rotates quickly.
Pricing: $11.99 a month with ads or $18.99 without (Hulu price data).
Best for: TV-first households that also want films.

Verdict: Hulu works best as part of a Disney bundle.

15. Peacock

Peacock (NBCUniversal’s streaming service) carries Universal and DreamWorks films, usually within a few months of their cinema run, plus live sports. Premium includes ads; Premium Plus removes them. There is no free tier for new sign-ups.

Pros: fast access to Universal films, plus sports.
Cons: no free option, and Premium includes ads.
Pricing: $12.99 or $19.99 a month (Peacock plan prices).
Best for: Universal film fans and sports viewers.

Verdict: Peacock is worth a month when a big Universal film arrives.

16. Paramount+

Paramount+ (Paramount’s subscription service) is the cheapest paid option. It offers an ad-supported Essential plan and a Premium plan. It carries Paramount Pictures films and CBS shows.

Pros: a low starting price, and it pairs naturally with the free Pluto TV.
Cons: a smaller film catalog than Netflix or HBO Max.
Pricing: $8.99 or $13.99 a month (Paramount+ January 2026 increase).
Best for: budget subscribers.

Verdict: Paramount+ Essential is the cheapest legal paid movie plan in 2026.

17. Apple TV

Apple TV (Apple’s streaming service, formerly Apple TV+) has no ads at all. It offers a smaller but high-budget slate of original films and series.

Pros: no ads at all, and high production quality.
Cons: a small catalog, with almost no licensed films.
Pricing: $14.99 a month (Apple TV monthly price).
Best for: subscribing for a month when a big original arrives, then canceling.

Verdict: Apple TV is a premium add-on, not a main movie service.

Which free streaming sites are best for TV shows?

This guide focuses on movies, but many readers also want free TV series. The same free services cover TV differently:

Tubi: full seasons of older network dramas, reality series and anime, all on demand. It is the best free choice for binge-watching a complete series.
Pluto TV: single-show channels that play one series around the clock. This suits classic sitcoms and procedurals you can drop into at any point.
The Roku Channel: a mix of Roku Originals, older network series and live news, with on-demand seasons that rotate.
Prime Video’s free section: former Freevee originals and licensed series, free with ads for anyone with an Amazon account.
Samsung TV Plus and Xumo Play: mostly live channels, which are better for channel surfing than for following a series.

Current-season network shows usually go to paid services first. Hulu gets many next-day episodes, Peacock carries NBC shows and Paramount+ carries CBS. Free services generally receive a series a season or more after it airs. If you want new episodes the day after broadcast, plan on one paid service; if you are happy watching older seasons, Tubi and Pluto TV are enough.

Which streaming site works best on each device?

All 17 sites have apps for the main platforms, but some fit certain devices better:

Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio, Roku TV): the built-in free services (Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel, Xumo Play) need no install. Add Tubi and Pluto TV from the TV’s app store.
Fire TV and Android TV: Prime Video’s free section is built into Fire TV. Tubi, Pluto TV and Plex are all in the stores.
iPhone and Android phones: Tubi and Pluto TV are the lightest free apps. Kanopy and Hoopla work well for offline viewing on a commute where the library allows downloads.
Laptop or desktop browser: Tubi, Pluto TV and The Roku Channel all play in a browser without an account.
Game consoles: Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, Peacock and Paramount+ all have console apps.

Overall, a smart TV with built-in free channels plus Tubi covers most free viewing without a subscription.

Are free movie websites safe?

Every site in this guide licenses its films and is safe and legal to use. The risk comes from unlicensed sites that show up when you search for a new movie title plus the word “free”. These four signs separate a legal site from a pirate one:

New cinema releases for free mean piracy. No legal free service streams a film that is still playing in theaters.
Pop-ups, redirects and “update your player” prompts are the most common way pirate sites spread malware.
A domain that keeps changing (the same brand on a new web address every few months) is a sign the site is dodging takedowns.
No company name, no privacy policy and no app in the official app stores. Tubi, Pluto TV and The Roku Channel all publish verified apps.

How to tell a legal streaming site from a pirate site. Checklist: Flicknexs.

A VPN (virtual private network) hides your IP address, but it does not stop malicious ads or downloads. The reliable protection is to use licensed services only.

How do free streaming sites make money?

Advertisers pay for “free” streaming. AVOD services like Tubi sell ad slots inside each film. FAST services like Pluto TV sell ads inside scheduled channels, much like cable TV. Revenue depends on two numbers. Fill rate is the share of ad slots that actually get sold. CPM (cost per mille, the price advertisers pay per thousand ad views) varies widely by genre, device and country.

That economics explains two things. Free libraries lean on older films because those are cheaper to license. And a free service can disappear overnight, as Crackle did, when ad revenue stops covering licensing and delivery costs. Content owners who want their own channel on these services can read our guide to getting a FAST channel onto Roku, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi and Prime Video.

Launch your own streaming service. Flicknexs provides a white-label OTT (over-the-top) streaming platform with subscription, ad-supported and pay-per-view models built in, so your brand and content can go live on web, mobile and smart TV apps. You can start a free Flicknexs trial, compare Flicknexs pricing plans, or see how to launch your own FAST channel. Prefer to read first: here is how to build a movie streaming website.

How much does a year of streaming cost?

Monthly prices hide how quickly subscriptions add up. The table multiplies each service’s cheapest monthly plan by 12, using the prices cited above. It assumes you never take an annual-plan discount.

Service (cheapest plan)	Cost per month and per year
Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Plex	Free
Kanopy, Hoopla (library card)	Free
Netflix Standard with ads	$8.99 a month, $107.88 a year (Netflix ads tier)
Paramount+ Essential	$8.99 a month, $107.88 a year (Paramount+ Essential)
HBO Max Basic with ads	$10.99 a month, $131.88 a year (HBO Max Basic)
Disney+ with ads	$11.99 a month, $143.88 a year (Disney+ with ads)
Hulu with ads	$11.99 a month, $143.88 a year (Hulu with ads)
Peacock Premium	$12.99 a month, $155.88 a year (Peacock Premium)
Apple TV	$14.99 a month, $179.88 a year (Apple TV)

Keeping all seven paid services on their cheapest plans costs $971.16 a year, the sum of the yearly figures in the table (prices from the Subby and HonestlyRanked trackers). Keeping one paid service and using free sites for everything else costs a fraction of that. In practice, rotating one paid service at a time while relying on the free sites is the biggest saving available to most viewers in 2026.

How should you choose a streaming site?

Choose based on what you watch and what you want to spend:

If you want	Pick
Free, with the most movies	Tubi
Free, with no account at all	Pluto TV
Free, with no ads	Kanopy or Hoopla (library card)
Cult classics and indie films	Plex, Kanopy
The cheapest paid plan	Paramount+ Essential or Netflix Standard with ads
The best movie catalog for the money	HBO Max
Family viewing	Disney+
The newest releases at home	Prime Video or Fandango at Home rentals

A practical approach for 2026: use Tubi, The Roku Channel and Pluto TV as your free base, keep one paid service, and rotate the others month by month as the films you want arrive. For a wider view of the market, including business platforms, see our roundup of online video streaming platforms in 2026.

How we built this list

We started from the queries people actually use to find this page in Google Search Console, such as “best streaming sites 2026”, “best movie sites 2026” and “best free streaming sites 2026”. We then checked every service against four criteria:

Still operating: no shutdown, liquidation or merger reported. Any service with a reported closure was moved to the shut-down table.
Licensed content: run by a known media company or library partner, with apps in the official stores.
Current pricing: US list prices from dated, published price trackers, cited next to each figure.
Movie depth: a meaningful film catalog, not only live TV.

We will review this page monthly, because prices and catalogs change often. The next scheduled review is November 2026.

Final verdict

For free streaming in 2026, Tubi is the best overall choice, The Roku Channel is the strongest all-rounder, and Pluto TV is the easiest with no account. If you have a library card, Kanopy is the best ad-free option. For paid streaming, HBO Max has the best movie catalog, Netflix has the most variety, and Paramount+ Essential is the cheapest. In summary, skip any list that still recommends Crackle, Popcornflix or Freevee, because those services no longer exist.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best free movie streaming site in 2026?

For most US viewers, Tubi has the largest free movie library, The Roku Channel is the most-watched free service, and Pluto TV is best for live channels. Kanopy is best if you have a library card and want no ads.

Which free streaming sites need no account?

Pluto TV, Tubi and The Roku Channel all let you start watching in a web browser without creating an account in the US.

Is Crackle still working in 2026?

No. Crackle and Popcornflix went offline after their parent company was liquidated, and a brief Crackle revival did not last (see the shut-down table above).

What happened to Freevee and IMDb TV?

IMDb TV was renamed Freevee, and Amazon later shut Freevee down and moved its free, ad-supported content into the Prime Video app.

What is the cheapest way to stream movies without ads?

Kanopy and Hoopla are free and ad-free with a participating library card. Among paid services, Paramount+ Premium is one of the cheapest ad-free plans.

Is it legal to use free movie streaming sites?

Yes, as long as the site licenses its content. Tubi, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Plex, Kanopy, Hoopla and YouTube’s free movies are all legal. Sites that offer new cinema releases for free are not.

What is the difference between AVOD and SVOD?

AVOD (advertising-based video on demand) is free to watch because ads pay for it. SVOD (subscription video on demand) charges a monthly fee, and its top tiers usually have no ads.