5 Of The Best Apps To Watch Free Movies On Android
In recent years, there's been a significant uptick in the number of streaming services that qualify as what's become known as FAST, short for Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television. Though the FAST label is commonly used to refer to linear, traditional TV-style channels like the ones most closely associated online with PlutoTV, it can also refer to free, ad-supported video-on-demand services. If you're not picky about wanting the latest and greatest programming and are more concerned with finding something fun and interesting to watch, cutting the cord without spending much money has become much easier.
In a landscape where many of the most popular streaming services are undergoing price increases, FAST is expanding at a rapid clip. According to Samba TV's "The State of Viewership" report for the first half of 2023, one in three U.S. streaming consumers subscribe to a FAST service.
So let's review what the five best options are right now, particularly for watching movies. (And all of the apps listed here have Google TV versions, Chromecast capabilities built into the mobile version, or both, so you won't be restricted to watching on your phone.) If you're willing to put up with some ads, the options are far more diverse than most people might realize.
YouTube
You may have encountered free public domain movies, unofficial uploads, and other feature-length videos on YouTube, but there's also a selection of officially licensed, ad-supported mainstream movies you can find as well. The "Movies & TV" section of YouTube is usually associated with sales, rentals, and subscriptions to other services, but there's also a pretty decent selection of movies listed under the "Free" tab.
As of this writing, some of the bigger ticket movies available in the "Action" section include the entire "Hunger Games" series, both of the "Sherlock Holmes" movies starring Robert Downey Jr., "Hellboy," "The Day After Tomorrow," and "Wild Wild West." The "Animation" section adds "The Phantom Tollbooth," "All Dogs Go to Heaven," and "The Pebble and the Penguin." At the same time, "Comedy" includes the likes of "Nacho Libre," "Yogi Bear," "Short Circuit 2," "Anchorman," "The Addams Family" and "Addams Family Values," and "The Brady Bunch Movie." The "Drama" category, meanwhile, includes "Pain & Gain," "The Majestic," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Footloose," and "Patton," among others.
No, the selection isn't huge, and a handful of titles are also on other FAST services. But by and large, the biggest free movies on YouTube are exclusives, and those that are part of a series include all of the sequels. Besides, it's YouTube, so you already know how to use it.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV, owned by Paramount, is the biggest and most enduring name in the FAST landscape. Being backed by such a powerhouse means it contains a typical selection of movies you'll find on most FAST services, plus a lot more from heavier hitters, both within the Paramount empire and outside of it. And though Pluto has a video-on-demand library, its main attraction is its large suite of linear channels, an area where they have been the pioneer among FAST services.
Pluto may be best known for its various binge-watching-themed channels devoted to specific TV shows, but it also has 26 movie channels, most of which are themed in some way, like genre or time period. These titles are also available on demand and include many major studio films. Movies that have played on the linear channels include "The King's Speech" on Drama, "West Side Story" on Romance, "Paycheck" on Thrillers, "Hellraiser" on Horror, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" on Pluto Staff Picks, "Strictly Ballroom" on '90s Throwback, "Troop Beverly Hills" on '80s Rewind, and the original "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" on Classic Movies. The selection is far from limited and includes all sorts of very recognizable movies, some of which are outright classics.
Pluto TV also has an excellent user interface. All in all, this is the name brand in FAST for a reason.
Amazon FreeVee
One FAST app has gotten comparatively little attention despite its backing and impressive slate of content: Amazon FreeVee, which has many titles originally licensed for Prime Video available free with ads. Leveraging those existing content deals means that major mainstream movies are front and center on the service.
Despite its surprisingly low profile, it's thriving: According to Samba TV's "The State of Viewership" report for the first half of 2023, FreeVee showed the most growth (percentage-wise) of any FAST service, with an 11% increase in viewership year-over-year. (In overall streaming service growth, it still did impressively, coming in fourth place behind YouTube TV, Paramount+, and ESPN+, which put it ahead of Apple TV+, Disney+, Pluto TV, and Max, among others.)
Featured movies have included "Fast & Furious 9," multiple movies in the "Jurassic Park" series, "Old," both "Madagascar" and "Penguins of Madagascar," and "Death Becomes Her." Recently-added titles, meanwhile, also include multiple "Twilight" movies, "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Parenthood," "The Woman in Red," "The Magnificent Seven," multiple movies in the "Pink Panther" series, "In The Heat of the Night," and "The Graduate."
With a quality selection of major studio films buoyed by a deep selection of TV shows, including major network hits of years past like "Alias" and "Bones," and a wide array of linear channels, FreeVee is a must-have for anyone going all-in on cord-cutting.
Tubi
As Pluto TV is to Paramount, Tubi is to the Fox Corporation. Coming from a heavy hitter means Tubi has a pretty impressive selection of mainstream movies for free with ads.
Some films that the service has featured include the original "Jaws" series, "The Lego Movie," "Pokémon: Detective Pikachu," "Friday," "My Cousin Vinny," "Space Jam," the live-action "Scooby Doo" movies, "Dante's Peak," "Dirty Dancing," Dead Poets Society," "Erin Brockovich," "True Lies," "The Fugitive," "The Matrix Resurrections," "Get Shorty," "2001: A Space Oddysey," "Buffalo '66," "Heathers," "Singles," "But I'm a Cheerleader," "Showgirls," "Point Break," "Street Fighter," "Vision Quest," "Valley Girl," "Ichi the Killer," "UHF," "Dolemite," and "The Toxic Avenger." And if you want to see what precisely distinguishes Tubi from its competitors, there's an "Only Free on Tubi" section that has showcased films like "Final Destination," "Monster's Ball," and several more.
Besides the wide selection and excellent curation — which also covers Tubi's selection of TV shows — the service also features multiple linear channels that include some exclusives. Tubi is arguably the FAST service where finding something to watch is easiest, especially on-demand.
Plex
Of all the streaming services/apps listed here, Plex probably has the most unique backstory. Before Plex had a streaming service, it was a media player app, a MacOS port of what's now known as Kodi but was previously Xbox Media Center and later XBMC. In 2008, Plex became a separate project, a media player focused on organizing large collections and letting users stream their personal media collections remotely. It wasn't until December 2019 that Plex added free, ad-supported, licensed streaming content, with linear channels following in July 2020.
Plex brings a solid selection of mainstream films, albeit not with the catalog depth or curation that Tubi has. Titles have included "Cruel Intentions," "Heat," the original "Halloween," the original "Walking Tall," "Freeway," "Lucky Number Slevin," "Life or Something Like It," and "Empire Records."
If you're looking for specific titles, it's best to use one of the sites/apps that search across all major streaming sites to figure out where to watch it. But if you're looking for a curated experience, then Tubi is probably the best starting point.