I know what you’re thinking. Uh, free movie apps, won’t I be tempting a visit from the copyright cops?

First of all; copyright cops needs to be a TV show starring Kristen Wiig and Tina Fey.

Second, no. The free movie apps included in the list are all completely legal.

With so many options for streaming movies, it can be tricky narrowing down which services deserve your hard earned cash. This list gives you the chance to rock free entertainment without having to set a reminder on your calendar to cancel a 30-day trial.

Whether you’re on the commute home and can’t wait to finish the movie you started the night before, or quite like the idea of watching movies on the lavatory, there’s something here for you.

They are all really simple to use as well. Download, install, activate is pretty much all you have to do. Luckily, I’ve reviewed all of these for you to save you from having to try all of them, only to discover the first one was your favourite.

The best free movie apps

1. Crackle

As well as being a fun word to say – Crackle has plenty to offer both the casual and avid movie watcher.

For starters, it’s available on most major devices. That’s massive. Phones, tablets, gaming consoles and plug-n-play. You name it. It’s a huge bonus knowing there’s no need to fork out for another piece of gear.

Installation of Crackle is straightforward. Once it’s installed and open, the interface is intuitive and easy to navigate (alas, you can’t blame the device for watching Gilmore Girls “accidentally” again).

I installed it on an iPhone 6s and it gave me no trouble whatsoever. It takes you straight to the heart of things and shows off its newest feature — you can watch Crackle on your Apple Watch.

You don’t need a subscription to access the service, meaning there are no additional login details to remember (hooray!). But, if you want to start and stop movies and TV shows, create watch lists and continue viewing on another device later, you’ll have to register.

Since the company was bought out by Sony there’s a well-stocked library of the studio’s back catalogue titles and plenty of exclusive, original TV content.

Supported devices:

Mobile: iPod, iPhone, iPad, Android, Amazon Kindle Tablet, Windows Phone, Sprint TV-enabled device, T-Mobile TV-enabled device

Home: Sony smart TV, Samsung smart TV, LG smart TV, Vizio smart TV, Roku, AppleTV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire stick, PS3, PS4, PSVita, PS TV, XBox One, XBox 360.

Filmjacker recommends: 

Adaptation, Flatliners, Fright Night, The Guard, Lost in Translation, Moon, Night of the Living Dead, Timecop, True Romance, 12 Monkeys

2. SnagFilms

Netflix or Crackle, this ain’t.

Picture the cool kid at school, hanging out by the bike sheds smoking French cigarettes and quoting Sartre. That’s SnagFilms. This is the place you’ll find the weird and the criminally-underrated. Simply put, great movies that have missed a wider audience.

Installing and activating the app is straightforward, and once you’re in, it’s simple to navigate. Scroll through the various categories – popular, featured, new – and settle in for some choice viewing. 

If you’re a fan of documentaries and classic cinema, this is the app for you.

SnagFilms makes it easy to share movies over social media and sync the app to your smartTV so you’re not hunched over a small screen for hours. That’s a possibility with the 10,000 titles listed. 

Supported devices:

iPhone, iPad, Android, Amazon Kindle, PS3, PS4, XBox 360, Roku, Panasonic SmartTV, and more

Filmjacker recommends:

A Dog’s Life,  His Girl Friday, Creature From The Black Lagoon,  Superman Cartoons, Charade, Dressed to Kill, The Lady Vanishes, White Zombie

3. TubiTV

It’s terrific that TubiTV has cooked up an app. If you’ve visited their site before, you’ll notice that the way the app is laid out is very similar, but that doesn’t matter as the real draw here is the excellent selection of films.

There’s a smattering of high-brow fare among the popular flicks, which are the bigger draw here. TubiTV currently has 40,000 titles available, proving itself to be a serious contender.

The way the films are categorized is a little different, too. They’re not simply “New” or “Popular.”  “Leaving Soon” is, well, self-explanatory, as is “Not on Netflix.”

Once installed, you’ll be asked to register or login. This is one significant difference compared with most of the other entries on this list; you have to be a subscriber. Luckily, it’s free (well, duh!) and you can easily login via Facebook.

Supported devices:

iPhone, iPad, most Android devices, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire, and more

Filmjacker recommends:

Winter’s Bone, Lions for Lambs, Like Crazy, Secretary, Perfume, Blue Velvet, 50/50, Mad Max, Young Adult, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Machinist

 4. Viewster

Viewster appeals to a certain type of watcher: the anime and gamer, specifically, with content more geared towards animated features and shorts.

It’s easy to browse via the various channels, or by genre. That includes anime, documentary, horror, comedy, and drama — you know, the usual!

In addition to showcasing a wide range of movies, TV shows, and shorts, there’s also the option to read up on film news, watch trailers and check out Viewster’s blog — all from within the app.

If you’re wanting to save movies for later or create a watch list, you’ll need to register.

Supported devices:

iPhone, iPad, Android, Chromecast, LG tablets, Roku, and many more

Filmjacker recommends:

Aaah, Zombies!, The Collector, The Eye, Fist of the North Star, Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex (series)

5. Vudu

At first glance, Vudu might not appear to be free. While most of the movies available you have to pay to watch, the “Movies on Us” program is a free service. Yep, like the rest of the items on this list!

Install, open, next, sign in – or you can browse. It does require that you sign-up to Vudu – but you only pay if you choose to select a premium title.

The rest? It’s all free. I selected “browse” instead of signing in, and the first screen that popped up on my iPhone heavily promotes Vudu’s free content (see the pic to the right.)

Don’t worry about accidentally getting charged for something you didn’t mean to select; the free movies all have “FREE” or “FREE WITH ADS” written across the top of the cover.

Supported devices:

iPhone, iPad, Android, Chromecast, all smart Blu-rays, smart TVs, and more

Filmjacker recommends:

The Machinist, Ronin, Oldboy, Thelma & Louise, Invasion of the Bodysnatchers, Dances with Wolves, Defiance, Paranormal Activity, An American Werewolf in London

6. Popcornflix

Popcornflix is another great option for straight-up free movie viewing when you’re on the move.

Featured movies scroll along the top, with other categories listed below. My personal fave? “Popping now” which I assume means popular.  You can browse movies by genre, and organise them by new to old within each of those categories.

It’s all pretty simple and the selection is grand, especially if you’re after Hollywood fare.

Another winning part of the app is that you don’t need to register or login to save your choices. Click on a title, select “Add to Queue” and whaddyaknow? It will be added to your queue!

You also have access to ShoutFactory’s absolutely batshit back catalogue of movies too, with titles like Night of the Demons (‘80s original) and Dreamscape included.

Supported devices:

iPhone, iPad, Android, Amazon Kindle, Blackberry, and more

Filmjacker recommends:

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Burbs, Up In The Air, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Manchurian Candidate,  Night of the Demons, Assault on Precinct 13

7. Yidio

Yidio operates a little differently to the other apps in this list, that’s why it’s here at the end!

How so, you ask? Well, it works like a free movies search app.

Imagine you’re after a specific film and want to know – without going to each individual app – where you can view it legally, for free.

Seeing as Yidio also works as a paid movies search app, you’ve got to make sure you’re looking at the “Free movies” or “Free TV shows”  categories. Scroll down the list, select a title, and Yidio will tell you through which service you can view it. Pretty neat, huh?

Supported devices:

iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, Amazon Kindle, Windows Phone

Get the best free movie apps and make your streaming life better

You want to see brilliant films across many devices and not have to fork out a monthly fee. I get it. It can be tricky figuring out which free movie apps you should try and which ones you should absolutely avoid unless you want jail time. From the 7 options outlined above, you should easily be able to land on one that fulfills your viewing desires.

Did you find an app in this list that suits your needs? Did I miss any that you couldn’t live without? Are there any new free movie apps you think I should test? Shout out in the comments!