The Ultimate Best Sites to Watch Free Movies & Stream TV Shows Online [2018]

Finding the best free streaming sites can sometimes be a tricky challenge. In my opinion this is simply because popular websites to watch movies online often disappear unexpectedly. The result is that people constantly need to look for new pages. It is true that there are many out there, but most are of poor quality. Nevertheless once a good one has been found things are so much easier. That’s why this blog exists. Make sure to bookmark this page for future reference.

The table below ranks the top 20 websites to stream free tv shows and movies. A big preference is given to long-standing and reliable platforms. Due to users requesting options that use only HTML5 video, such options have now been included. Keep in mind that these will also give free movie streaming on PlayStation and Xbox. Classification points are also given for the amount of high quality links, update frequencies, and your votes. The ranking changes frequently, so be sure to come back once in a while for new updates.

Compare sites with the most effective movie streaming platforms and choose the best suiting your requirements.

TV Show & Movie Streaming Sites Comparison:

Tip: rotate your mobile device to view full table.

Rank	Site	Stream on Mobile		Updates	Movies TV Shows	User-Vote	Score
		Yes		A+			10.00
1		Yes		C-			9.90
2		Yes		B+			9.85
3		No		B+			9.80
4		No		B+			9.75
5		Yes		A-			9.60
6		Yes		A			9.55
7		Yes		A-			9.50
8		No		B-			9.45
9		No		C+	documentary streaming		9.30
10		No		B-			9.25
11		Yes		B+			9.00
12		Yes		B-			8.90
13		Yes		B+			8.70
14		Yes		C-			8.65
15		n/a		B+	download movies / tv shows		8.60
16		No		B-			8.15
17		No		C-	+ subtitles (cc)		8.10
18		Yes		B-			7.80
19		No		B-			7.70
20		No		C+			7.65
21		No		C+			7.30
22		Yes		B+			7.25
23		No		C+			7.05
24		No		B+			7.00
25		No		B+			7.00

The best sites to watch free movies and TV shows online:

Alluc

Alluc is the first and most popular meta search engine to get movies online free. Type in the title, and it will literally search through thousands of sites. 95% of times it returns over 150 different videos to choose. These guys have been providing a quality user-interface and fast-loading website since the end of last decade. And things are really starting to kick off because they have turned the service into something really innovative. A nice modern design combined with an easy to use interface will get you up and running in seconds.

All recent releases are available and you’ll be able to watch movies online without downloading here. What I especially like about this top streaming site is the range of links to choose from. In general, HTML5 streaming links are prioritized. This is especially is great for users trying to stream movies on PC, iPad, iPhone, or Android mobile devices.

CmoviesHD

CmoviesHD, as the name suggests, offers free streaming movies. They are one of the platforms to be doing this really well since 2016. What I especially like are the quick story lines, genres, movie star re-caps provided for recently added sections.

Another great feature is the top notch video player chosen by default throughout the pages. This allows subtitles (cc), super smooth loading, and a range of video quality settings.

123MoviesHub (aka Gostream / GoMovies / 123movies)

123MoviesHub combines an amazingly nice modern design with a full-fledged netflix alternative. I think you’ll be impressed by this one.

Many fast loading online movies free to stream, and pretty much any genre, documentary, and year to choose from. Titles can also be sorted by country. This is easily one of the best movie streaming sites out there.

A powerful feature uses fast loading images and descriptions via informative boxes. Thank you to the many fans that pointed out this innovative piece of functionality, making this one of the best free movie sites in our list. Here’s the facts:

MovieWatcher

Aside from the sleek UI boasting a mobile compatible layout and HD video playback, I get all excited about MovieWatcher because it’s real intuitive to use for everyone. Guess what: you can search by year, popularity, and also by actor. Where else offers that?

I also find that when searching for free movies online without downloading then it can be soft on the eyes. The theme is a nice soft creamy white on black.

Watchseries

WatchSeries is by far the best site to watch tv series online free. But what makes it outperform so many others?

Most big names are offered and the catalogue of old-time classics is endless. If you are into marthons in front of the TV (well… er PC/laptop in modern days) then try it out now.

In my opinion the reason for their popularity lies simply with the fact that the design is basic and layout is kept tidy. That’s how to keep a site with free shows online pleasing on the eye.

Kingmovies

I feel that Kingmovies responds in a similar way to other leading sites like GoMovies. Since early 2017 their traffic has been on the rise, with a 24% monthly increase in visits. As more users discover Kingmovies it has been receiving plenty of shares on social networks. The suggestions generally regroup new box office hits and in each top corner you can check the quality (eg. CAM, SD, HD). The sidebar features two very cool widgets. The first shows exactly what is being watched right now. The second lists the top user requests for movies to be added to the Kingmovies library. I would highly recommend that you try this site out: it’s mobile, PS4/Xbone, & tablet friendly too!

ProjectFreeTV

ProjectFreeTV have been around for over ten years now. Over that time their traffic and user-base has increased by 140% each year. Although the interface may be outdated, there is a good reason ProjectFreeTV have over 30 million monthly visits. Let’s see why.

Ok it’s true that the white background glare from your dark room can be painful. But the pain stops here. The designers have gone for full simplicity. Basically it means just click and go. Everything plays within the same window without redirecting to third parties. A nice place to watch free movies online now so do try it. Playback is high definition and works from all devices.

YesMovies

YesMovies has the nicest look out of all those listed here. New and rising fast. Thousands of free streaming tv shows to watch online without downloading. Could it be any better? Well one way to find out is by visiting this site on your smartphone. Yep – it works like a GEM. The user experience is just as smooth when on a PC or laptop. There is a reason why they are here in the top 10 streaming sites.

New releases are always updated as soon as available. But the feature that I really have to mention in this YesMovies review would be the front page slider giving users a couple of suggestions on what to watch. Now for the positive / negative points:

iWatchOnline

iWatchOnline is a really easy to use movie site which has a massive database of recent and older titles. It’s not hard to locate the required title simply by using their search feature.

I enjoy the “box office” and “most wanted” sidebar boxes as this prompts me to look for alternative things to watch.

Take some time to sit back and find what your looking for. There is a very good reason so many people come back here. The lack of annoying adverts is something that I especially like. The site has gone through a lot over the last five years and it is now styled with Bootstrap – meaning it’s mobile-friendly.

iWatchOnline did suffer from an extended outage once. Nevertheless, here they are still up and running as smooth as ever.

WatchFree (Series)

People have begged me to add this free TV show site for a some time now. All episodes are up to date and links work perfectly. The front page informs of recent updates, while suggesting what’s on offer.

Without a doubt this had to be the best site to watch free TV Shows for those that like simplicity. Navigation is easy and layout is basic.

They have a sister site with the same name (which is part of the best free movie websites). Not to be confused, although both options are excellent choices (depending on what you would like to view.

Putlocker

Putlocker recently went offline only to resurface as “Putlockers”. We don’t know if these are the same guys that were behind the original. Either way it works so mighty well to watch movies online free.

The only thing I dislike is the bright glaring theme used. I honestly struggle searching for the best movie website while staring at a white screen from my dark room.

Users can stay on the page and playback quality can be increased with a simple click on the video player. All is good here fore getting online movies free and easy.

Subsmovies

If English is not your mother tongue then Subsmovies could be a great site for you. Imagine a user-activated subtitle system similar to GoMovies’s, but availalbe in every single major language. On Subsmovies users can, at the click of a button, activate subtitles in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, German, Dutch, Portuguese… The audio remains in English, yet you get to read subtitles in you own language. For me, Subsmovies is a godsend. When my Spanish girlfriend and I want to watch a Hollywood hit together, she can simply activate the subs in her language and we both listen to the movie in English.

Sockshare

Sockshare is a straightforward place to be considered here for a couple of reasons. Also here very recently, and gaining two positions this month.

A newly designed user interface produces a pleasant overall experience. Since users are flocking to this site, it could soon be higher up in this list. You can search for popular titles right from the landing page. Or simply click on the top navigation bar to select the desired category. Check out their many review on forums loaded with many hot discussion topics about how to watch tv shows online in the easiest way possible.

LosMovies

LosMovies is one I like to use to watch movie online when it’s not possible to find what I’m looking for elsewhere. A long surviving platform that used to be one of the best free streaming sites here in this top 25 list above. The enormous database covers all genres, years, and different languages.

Visits to LosMovies are increasing by 35% on a monthly basis.

Many veteran users within the free movie streaming without downloading community insist that this should be the best website.

Fmovies

Fmovies(aks Bmovies) are recent on this list of sites for free online movies. What got them here is quite interesting. Big thanks to the facebook user who suggested we add this entry. If you like to find free movies to watch while you’re on the go, then this one may well be a perfect match.

Let’s give this Bmovies review all the depth it deserves by looking in detail at the main advantages:

Vumoo

Vumoo was one of the first free movie websites to offer mobile viewing. This made many users come again and again to their page. Now in 2016 they still have lots of visitors, although the library range may not have all recent hits box office hits.

Vumoo has now been ranked for several years. But all the same – here’s a great option to watch free movies. Another dark background and modern design makes this easy to use on your PC screen, and avoids all painfull glare on the eyes. Many thanks for the positive feedback from Chrome and iOS users, who voted it the best site to watch movies online.

The modern HTML5 movie player used here makes it perfect to use on mobile phones or tablets. This was one of the first popular places to standardise the HTML5 technology across all pages. Additionally it is also possible to stream tv shows free, so this is a must-try.

Which is easier: Streaming VS Downloading?

Method 1: Streaming

Streaming means that the video is sent directly to your browser. Playback happens right there in a tab. Most modern sites use HTML5 video to stream but some older ones require flash player. The former works across all devices, while the latter only on laptops & PCs. The advantage is that all browsers are equipped to play HTML5 movies. No extra steps are required, it works right out of the box. This make things really easy.

Let’s face it – when I want to watch free movies online I go straight to my favorite search engine and try find what I’m looking for. This usually leads me to a site where I can stream free movies right in my browser online. I prefer this method, but let’s take a look at the alternative.

Method 2: Downloading

Downloading means that you wait for the whole file to be transferred to your PC, laptop, mobile, Playstation… whatever. This means that while the file is downloading you cannot watch it.

Some extra software is usually required to watch full movies right on your desktop. Most people use VLC media player as this supports a wide range of video formats. Then you’ll need to setup and install μTorrent for taking care of the actual download.

Pretty inconvenient. The only real advantage with downloading is that you can get free movies to watch offline. Should you go ahead and choose method 2 then I recommend this torrent tutorial to download using p2p file transfer.

Final thoughts & extra tips

Let’s hope this page has been useful to help you watch movies free online. There also a really great site that gives summaries of each title (with a rating and users reviews).

There are of course other places to watch free online movies but these may not be as good as the ones reviewed above. Should you need some more, I would recommend checking out Netflix (paying subscription) which is by far the best movie site. Let me know any thoughts or feedback in the comments below.