The best movies and TV shows you can stream for free

It’s easy to transfer your savings to subscriptions to Netflix, Max, Peacock, Prime Video, and other paid streaming platforms, but if you’re on a budget, you can save your dollars and sign up for accounts on free streaming services.

Services like Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel require nothing more than your email address to get started, and Kanopy only requires your local library card information. Once signed in, these platforms let you watch anything in their library of on-demand content for free—though you should be prepared to watch some ads on all services (except Kanopy).

To save you some time and trouble, we’ve picked the best movies from each platform. Everything on this list is available on the first day of the month unless otherwise noted.

Gladiator (Canopy)

Gladiator II it’s a bit of a disappointment, it holds up against the shark-infested Coliseum. Watch the original instead, where Russell Crowe as Maximus seeks revenge on Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus.

The Departure: Season 1 (The Rock)

Before a new season Leaving work on Apple TV+, the first season is available to watch for free with commercials on The Roku Channel. It’s a perfect show to watch when you want to forget about the work day.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Tubi)

Nicolas Cage fully commits to his gonzo persona by playing himself to the extreme, as an actor named Nicolas Cage who transforms into a CIA operative when he attends a fan’s birthday party.

Babes (Canopy)

Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau are always funny on their own, but they’re even better when paired as best friends whose relationship is changing after one of them becomes a mother.

Despicable Me 3 (Tube)

Gru is a unique character. Or at least that’s what he thought until he found out he has a twin brother. It’s a good thing he has one, though, because it takes twice as much wit to beat former child star/current superstar Balthazar Bratt.

Elsbeth (Pluto TV)

Elsbeth’s quirky character herself is from The Good Wifebut you don’t have to have seen that show at all to fully enjoy this spin-off, where the smart Chicago lawyer moves to New York and joins the NYPD to solve a crime of the week.

I used to be funny (Kanopy)

Rachel Sennott plays a comedienne with PTSD who is retraumatized when a babysitter goes missing. She must decide whether or not to join the search because of their complicated past.

Moon Struck (Roku)

Look, I love Nicolas Cage completely on his own, but even more, I love Nicolas Cage a little less as Ronny Cammareri in what I think is the greatest romantic comedy of all time.

Matlock (Pluto TV)

This is not your grandparents Matlock. Kathy Bates has made the Matlock name new again with this series about a retired lawyer who joins a white-shoe law firm with an ulterior motive.

About Chandra Steele

Senior Features Writer

My title is Senior Features Writer, which is a license to write about absolutely anything if I can relate it to technology (I can). I’ve been at PCMag since 2011 and have covered the state of surveillance, vaccination cards, ghost guns, voting, ISIS, art, fashion, film, design, gender bias, and more. You may have seen me on TV talking about these topics or heard me on my commute home on the radio or on a podcast. Or maybe you just saw my Bernie meme.

I try to explain topics that you may come across in the news but don’t fully understand, such as NFTs and meme stocks. I’ve had the pleasure of talking about technology with Jeff Goldblum, Ang Lee and other celebrities who have brought a different perspective to it. I take great care in writing gift guides and am always touched by the feedback I get from people who have used them to choose gifts that have been well received. Although I enjoy writing about the tech industry every day, it is affected by gender, racial, and socioeconomic inequality, and I strive to bring these topics to light.

Outside of PCMag, I write fiction, poetry, humor, and essays on culture.

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