11 Best Free Movie Download Sites for 2024

Most legal movie downloads only offer public domain titles, but there are other ways to watch movies offline if you know where to look

  • Why There Are So Few Legal Options
  • Consider Streaming Movies Instead

    • 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", though, is that pretty much everything you find will be illegal. The last thing you want is to download something from one of those sites, 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.

    If you don't already have a great TV to watch these on, try our suggestions. Then get the popcorn and settle in to enjoy!

    01
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    PublicDomainMovie.net

    free movie downloads at publicdomainmovie.net
    What We Like

    • Several genres to choose from.

    • Downloading is straightforward.

    • Most can be streamed as well.

    • No payment necessary.

    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, it means 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 the 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.

    Free movie downloads at The Public Domain Review
    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.

    • Hardly ever updates with new additions.

    • 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               Visit The Public Domain Review

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    Internet Archive

    internet archive's featured films catalog of free movie downloads
    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.

    Internet Archive is a trove of digital information. It has not only movies for download, but also 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 the link below, which takes you to Feature Films, is just one example. 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.