With so many streaming services out there these days, it’s easier than ever to watch movies online. However, the costs quickly start to add up, whether you’re looking at a Sky subscription or a streaming service like Netflix – unless you find places to stream movies online for free.
Some services (like Amazon’s Prime Video, Paramount+, etc.) offer limited-time free trials – which is nice, but you still can’t really call it FREE.
Luckily, there are a lot of totally free movie websites as well – yes, you can actually stream movies for free these days, and we’re not just talking about old classics from 100 years ago – you can even find some blockbusters to stream without paying a single pound.
And we’re NOT talking about illegal torrents and piracy sites – all the free streaming movie services we’re going to list here, are perfectly legal. Be careful when you search online – many websites will send you to dubious destinations that not only stream illegal content, but also slam you with spammy warnings and pop-up windows… (In general, if it looks too good to be true – with the most recent Hollywood hits being offered ‘for free’ – then there’s something fishy).
And finally, all the services listed here work in the UK (as of this writing, at least) – there are many free streaming services, like Tubi, Vudo and more – that unfortunately only work in the US (though there are workarounds for that).
So I took the time to comb through the ones that work on our side of the pond, in order to give you the definitive list of the best free movie streaming sites in the UK.
One last note – most of these will work directly on your browser, but some (like the Roku Channel) require a special app or device. We’ll note this in the site’s description.
1. Channel 4 Films
Channel 4, the free commercial broadcaster, is a great curator of films. Not only that, they also finance films via their Film4 production company.
While Channel 4 is normally available live, via Freeview, it’s also available to watch on-demand via its Channel 4 streaming service.
The streaming service (which used to be called All4) is totally free – you just need to register, and then you can watch it directly on your browser, or via an app, which is available for most of the streaming devices and mobile phones in the UK. The one downside? There are advert breaks.
Channel 4’s Film category has an ever-changing collection of films – from romantic comedies to thrillers, dramas, and everything in between. While you won’t usually find the most recent blockbusters – there are some real classics there, plus a few hidden gems.
2. BBC iPlayer Films
BBC iPlayer, the BBC’s on-demand player, is a treasure trove of content. It’s both a catch-up service for movies (and TV programmes) that aired on the BBC recently, plus an on-demand library full of interesting things to watch.
And, yes – it’s all free, sort of – as most people do need to pay the annual TV licence fee. Other than that, you just need to register for an account first. You can watch the movies either directly from your browser, or via the BBC iPlayer app (which is available practically everywhere).
The list of movies you can stream online for free often changes, but it includes both classics AND big Hollywood blockbusters (though usually not very recent ones). As I’m writing this, they’re offering Rainman, Moana, Ghostbusters, The Producers and many more – that’s quite the collection, and all for free (and without adverts!).
3. ITVX Films
ITVX is the streaming service from ITV – the replacement for ITV Hub.
Most of the content on ITVX is totally free to watch (with advert breaks). The optional, paid Premium tier removes the adverts and adds films and TV shows from BritBox.
But the free tier includes more than 10,000 hours of free content – including many films. And, ITVX is really pushing the envelope when it comes to free films – as the list includes a lot of classic Hollywood blockbusters, and even some newer ones.
ITVX is available on most of the streaming devices and Smart TVs sold in the UK (except for several older boxes and TVs), as well as on Virgin Media’s TV boxes, Sky Glass and Sky Stream, mobile phones – and you can watch it directly on your browser (once you sign up for a free account).
4. My5 Films
Another free-to-watch commercial channel that normally airs on Freeview, Channel 5 also has an on-demand service, called My5.
It’s totally free (with adverts), and you just need to register for an account. Then, you can stream the movies directly from the website, or via the app, which is available on many streaming devices.
Many of My5’s on-demand free movies come from Pluto TV Movies – which is another streaming TV service owned by Paramount (which owns Channel 5). Many of the films are obscure titles you’ve never heard of – but there are several hidden gems, as well as some older Hollywood hits.
5. The Internet Archive – Feature Films
The Internet Archive is a free digital library that includes a massive collection of digital books, games, old websites, and – movies.
All the movies available to stream for free on the Internet Archive are in the Public Domain – so most of them are pretty old. But you can find a lot of real classics there, as well as strange titles you’ve never heard of.
They offer more than 16,500 free films (as of this writing), both feature-length and shorts, divided into categories like Sci-Fi, Horror, Comedy, Film Noir and more. There are also a few curated collections, that help in finding those hidden gems.
You can stream the movies online for free, directly from the website – or even download them as a file to then watch anywhere.
6. Pluto TV
While most of the services in this list offer on-demand movies (and TV shows), Pluto is different, in that it focuses on a long list of “live” channels. You still stream them via the internet – but they work just like live TV channels, where you can only watch what’s streaming RIGHT NOW.
If you miss that live TV experience of flipping channels and dropping in on whatever’s airing at the moment, Pluto will scratch that itch. But they also offer a limited selection of on-demand movies.
There are several live channels dedicated to movies, which are divided into topics – SciFi, action, westerns and more.
You can watch Pluto TV’s content directly on their website, or via one of their apps, for mobile phones and the leading streaming devices.
7. Freevee (Formerly IMDb TV)
For a long time, IMDb TV (which is owned by Amazon) was only available in the US – but thankfully, in 2021, it launched in the UK as well, and then changed its name to Freevee.
The premium service features licensed content from various studios and production companies, as well as original productions.
Therefore, it has some classic films you’ve actually heard of, such as Reservoir Dogs, Hellraiser, Donnie Darko, and others.
And, everything is free to watch – but with advert breaks.
Freevee available both as a Prime Video Channel, which you can access directly on your browser, or with a standalone app which is currently on several streaming devices – such as Amazon’s own Fire TV, Android devices, iOS and more.
And while you do need a (free) Amazon account – you DON’T need to be a Prime subscriber.
8. Plex Free Movies And Live Channels
Plex is normally a popular personal media streamer, that helps people organise and watch their own media (see our full Plex review). However, they also have two services with free content – the on-demand Movies and TV section, and the Live TV section.
The on-demand Movies and TV part of Plex offers an eclectic list of movies you can watch for free (with adverts). In the US, the list includes many known titles – but in the UK, you would be hard-pressed to find movies you’ve heard of.
Still, they’re all free – and there are some interesting finds, especially if you’re a fan of some specific niches.
The Live TV section offers live channels in various topics and niches – some of which also show movies – mostly older classics and niche oddities.
Plex’s on-demand and live free movies can be streamed directly on the Plex website, or via their apps (which are available practically anywhere).
9. The Roku Channel
The Roku Channel, which launched in the UK a couple of years (see our review), is a free service from Roku, that gives you thousands of free movies, TV programmes and kids’ content on demand.
The Roku Channel in the UK features a selection of popular global and British content. Most of the movies are pretty old or obscure, but there are some classics, especially if you like specific niches like horror – as well as a few Roku originals, such as Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.
Unlike most of the other services on this list, The Roku Channel doesn’t work directly on a browser – but instead only works via one of Roku’s streaming devices (see our Roku comparison here). In the US, you CAN stream The Roku Channel from the website – and hopefully, this functionality will reach the UK at some point.
10. Wedotv
Formerly known as ‘W4Free’, Wedotv is the UK version of a service with several versions of free movie streaming sites around Europe. Everything is free – but with advert breaks.
The site currently offers hundreds of movies on-demand, as well as some TV series. The films are divided into categories, and they have a nice selection of genre films, such as horror and crime.
As is usually the case with free streaming, you’re not likely to find any blockbusters or many films that you’ve heard of – but you might find a few hidden gems.
11. Top Documentary Films
If you’re looking to learn something, you’ll find thousands of full-length documentary films, as well as series and shorts, divided into categories – from history to health, sports, nature and the list goes on and on.
While the user interface makes finding things a bit messy, I like the fact that each documentary has a long description, and often also user ratings and reviews – so it’s easier to decide what to watch.
Many of the films are simply embedded from YouTube – but the fact that someone took the time to curate all these selections, makes things so much more comfortable.
12. Films for Action
This is another great collection of documentaries, with their official goal being “to provide citizens of the world with the information and perspectives essential to creating a more just, sustainable, and democratic society.”
You will find more than 4,000 documentaries – from feature-length films to shorts and clips, divided into categories like Economics, Racism, Gender, Politics and more.
The interface is a bit confusing, with so much stuff to watch, but if you dig into it, you’re going to find a lot of food for thought.
Most of the titles in the digital library are free (without adverts!), with a few films only being available to the Patreons who donate to the site, and also a small selection of Pay-per-view titles.
13. Filmzie
Filmzie is yet another service with free films (and TV shows), with advert breaks, but there’s one thing that sets it apart from some of the others – there are lots of indie films here, and Filmzie say they pay the filmmakers for the views, so you’re supporting the people who made the film when you’re watching.
The selection is, for the most part, what you would expect – a mishmash of films you’ve never heard of, some interesting hidden surprises, reality shows (Gordon Ramsay is everywhere!) and – as promised – a selection of films from independent creators.
You can watch directly on the site, and they also have an impressive selection of apps – for mobile phones, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung TVs and more.
14. YouTube
YouTube gets an honourable mention, because there are indeed A LOT of free movies you can stream for free in there – but… they’re often hard to find.
With millions and millions of clips and titles, YouTube is also full of movies that get uploaded illegally – and it’s often hard to distinguish between what’s under copyright and what’s not.
Still, if you know what you’re looking for (especially older movies that are already in the public domain), you can find a lot of free films to watch and enjoy, and there are a lot of playlists that curate public domain titles.