Want to watch that movie on your schedule? Download it to your device so you can watch it (aka "stream it locally") later on, whenever and wherever you want. That's the beauty of downloading a movie: It's ready when you are, even without an internet connection
Our Favorite Download Sites
The biggest issue with searching for "free movies" is that pretty much everything you find will be illegal. So I've done the work for you and scoured the internet to find all the best, completely legal free movie download sources. They are filtered to remove any of the shady options (you're welcome, trust me), and waiting for you below. Get the popcorn and settle in to enjoy!
01
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PublicDomainMovie.net
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What We Like
Every movie is free to download.
Most can be streamed as well.
Several genres to choose from.
What We Don't Like
Only older movies.
No search or sort options.
Way too many website ads.
Of the hundreds of free movie download websites available on the internet, public domain movies should be your go-to so there's no question about their legality. PublicDomainMovie.net is a great source for these kinds of films.
When a movie is in the public domain, itmeans the copyright is no longer held by any one individual—the public owns the movie. In other words, you can watch and download the films as many times as you like, completely legally.
There are a handful of genres along the top of the site to help you find dramas, horrors, comedies, etc., among the several hundreds of movies that are offered here. Every movie page shows the film's cover image, release date, synopsis, and cast list.
I like that I can stream these movies directly from the website for a preview of what I'm getting before I start the download. However, I don't like all the ads. There are loads of them all over the place; fortunately, they aren't included in the videos themselves.
02
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The Public Domain Review
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What We Like
Useful filtering options.
Includes a search function.
Ad-free website.
What We Don't Like
Solely older films.
Fewer than 200 movies.
Rarely adds to the collection.
Some dead links.
This one is very similar to the above site. Most of the films at The Public Domain Review are from the same source as the previous site's collection, but I've added it here for two reasons: the lack of ads and the great filtering options.
The link below directs you to the films section, where you can filter by century, genre, theme, and type. For instance, you might want to explore 20th-century movies, specifically shorts or silent films, or perhaps movies centered around themes like food, architecture, or the natural world.
Everything here can be streamed. The movie download links are at the bottom of each page.
03
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Internet Archive
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What We Like
Lets you stream before downloading.
Filter by year and topic.
Huge listings, all totally free.
Free from ads.
What We Don't Like
You won't find newer films here.
Strange categorization methods.
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Internet Archive has a trove of digital information. In addition to movies for download are software, web pages, books, and more. Like the above two sites, this one offers free movie downloads because they're in the public domain.
There are lots of categories here where you might find movies, so it could be smart to target something like the Featured Films page. There are tens of thousands of free films in over a dozen languages.
Most if not all the movies from the sites listed above are sourced from Internet Archive but I prefer those movie download sites over this one because there's just too much to sift through here. Still, I like to use this website for its filtering options, which can include language, creator, year, topic, and more.
04
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The Library of Congress
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What We Like
Lets you stream before downloading.
No ads, and nothing costs.
Multiple file format options.
What We Don't Like
Only includes older films.
Tiny collection.
Updates once a year.
Another way to download movies is through the Library of Congress. According to the LOC, the purpose of this list of movies is to "showcase the range and diversity of American film heritage."
They're a selection of films from the National Film Registry (NFR), which is a collection of movies selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board.
A couple of things I like about downloading movies here is that the website is ad-free and all the options are on a single page because there are only a couple dozen movies to pick from.
These titles can be downloaded directly from the Library of Congress' website in formats like MP4 and MOV.
05
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Netflix
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What We Like
Includes both movies and TV shows.
Big library of films that updates often.
Browse for just downloadable movies.
What We Don't Like
Must be a paying user.
Ad-supported plans don't include downloads.
Must download from the app (not the website).
Not all titles can be downloaded.
Downloads are automatically removed in no later than seven days (some sooner).
Netflix is one example of a subscription service that lets you save its movies and TV shows to a download portion of the app so you can watch even without an internet connection.
As someone who has been using Netflix for a long time, it's my top choice for saving movies offline. If you don't use Netflix, there are several other similar options listed below.
Downloads are allowed through the Netflix app for iOS, Android, and Windows.
Streaming services like Netflix don't give you the video file to save wherever you want. You can only download the movie in their approved app, which helps them control further copying or burning to discs.
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YouTube
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What We Like
Download movies you've purchased or rented.
View comments, ratings, and trailers.
What We Don't Like
Can't download free titles.
No filtering options.
Only works from the mobile app.
To my surprise, YouTube permitsoffline viewing for purchased or rented movies, and it's not restricted to YouTube Premium subscribers!
Anyone who buys or rents a movie through YouTube can save it for offline playback. Just open the video for viewing in the Android or iOS app, and tap Downloadto pick the quality and preferred audio track.
If only this worked for YouTube's free movie collection, it'd top this list in a heartbeat!
This works in the Google TV app, too. Go to Your stuff > Movies, then tap a movie to see the download option.
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Amazon Prime Video
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What We Like
Download purchased, rented, and subscription titles.
Purchased movies can be saved to up to four compatible download devices.
Includes a section for just downloadable content.
Filter by genre.
What We Don't Like
Must use the app to save movies.
Downloading isn't available for all films.
Subscription and rented movie downloads expire after a set time.
If you subscribe to Amazon Prime Video, you can download moviesfrom the same screen where you can stream the video. Downloading movies also works for rented and purchased titles (but not the Freevee collection).
Most rented movies, and films purchased through a Prime subscription, expire 48 hours after you download them. Purchased movie downloads can be saved on up to four devices, but subscription titles can be stored on only two devices at a time.
It's super easy to download Amazon Prime movies. Just look for the Download button in the app for iOS, Android, macOS, or Windows.
08
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Hulu
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What We Like
It's easy to locate just the titles that support being downloaded.
You can have up to 25 downloads on five supported mobile devices at one time.
What We Don't Like
Ad-supported plans don't include movie download support.
Not all movies can be saved offline.
Requires a supported mobile device.
Must occasionally renew expired downloads to keep them offline.
Hulu is another subscription-based service that offers full legal movies and original programming. This means it's a totally legit way to get movie downloads.
To watch stuff offline, use the download button next to the film you want to save.
My biggest gripe? Like these other services, downloading a movie only works on some of the plans, Hulu (No Ads) and Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV. In addition to plans with ads, movies from premium add-ons and Live TV on-demand movies, are not downloadable.
This works on the Hulu app for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Amazon Fire devices.
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Disney+
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What We Like
Download the same movie on up to 10 supported mobile devices.
Includes movie trailers.
Suggests similar movies.
What We Don't Like
'Basic' subscribers can't download movies.
Downloaded content gets removed if you're offline longer than 30 days.
Some titles may be unavailable for download.
Few genres to pick from.
I've seen lots of great movies on Disney+, many of which would be awesome to watch on a long plane ride. To download movies from the Disney+ mobile app, tap Download on the movie page.
Unfortunately, this only works on some plans. Specifically, subscribers of the Basic plans can't get movie downloads.
10
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Fandango at Home
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What We Like
Lots of high-quality movies.
You can download purchased and rented movies.
What We Don't Like
Downloading requires the mobile app.
Free movies can't be saved.
Generic genres to pick from when sorting the movie list.
Fandango at Home movie downloads are allowed through the official mobile app. Just like with Netflix and similar movie streaming services, this is possible only if you've already purchased the video.
The app can sort movies by most watched or release date. Another thing I like about using this app for movie downloads is the option to show only "Fresh" movies, as determined by Rotten Tomatoes. There's also a genre picker.
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iTunes
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What We Like
Download movies on your computer, phone, or tablet.
Helpful categories for finding a movie to purchase.
What We Don't Like
Downloaded films play only in an approved app.
If you use iTunes to buy movies, you'll be pleased to know you can download movies via iTunes Store by selectingDownloadafter you purchase it. Movies can also be downloaded on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
I love the extensive list of genres to pick from when looking for a movie download. Classics, Made for TV, Music Documentaries, Regional Indian, and Short Films are some of the more unique ones, but others are included as well, for comedies, musicals, Westerns, thrillers, etc.
There Are Few Legal Movie Download Sites
It's obvious from the above list that there are very few free and legal movie download sites. This isn't from a lack of trying on my part. In fact, every month, I look over this list and check for any new sites I can add to it.
A quick Google search for 'movie download site' will list lots of options, but you probably won't even see any of the above websites on the first page of the search results.
Why is that? There are two reasons:
- Most websites offering movie downloads are doing so illegally.
- Most "movie download" sites are really just movie streaming sites.
The terms stream and download are different. The top sites people are visiting for movie downloads often don't deliver on the 'download' part and instead let you stream movies. Usually, the films you can get on those sites were released this year, and some are even still in theaters! That's the first red flag that the website isn't complying with most copyright laws.
Movies obtained that way are almost always rips of Blu-rays or DVDs, meaning someone is sharing their purchased (or rented, filmed, or pre-released) movie with others. This is how most movie torrent sites work.
If a movie isn't in the public domain or if the creator hasn't authorized its sharing, then it's not yours to keep. The first few sites in the list above offer completely free content because they host public domain films, while the others are legally sound due to agreements those companies have with the movie studios, allowing them to offer authorized downloads.
Consider Streaming Movies Instead
If you don't have to, don't limit yourself to downloading when there's the option of streaming.
This is what I do 99% of the time. There are many more choices if you consider watching films on free movie websites instead. The films may not be yours to keep and can't be distributed through flash drives or burned onto DVDs, but you'll get to watch them often in high quality and stream them directly from the websites, usually as many times as you like.
If you want to download a movie so it can be played on your phone or tablet, I recommend using a free movie-watching app instead. It's all the same titles you can find on movie websites but packaged for a smaller screen.
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