Crackle is one of the best free movie apps for you to Hollywood movies and retro TV series. However, it may not include enough content you want.

Stuck inside and looking for apps like Crackle for more free TV shows and movies to watch? Here we have compiled 10 best free and legal apps like Crackle that you can use to watch movies or other video media on your smartphone or tablet device.

Below, you’ll find the best Crackle alternatives you shouldn’t miss.

1. Pluto TV – Live TV and Movies

Like Crackle, Pluto TV is a free live-stream television and on-demand video service from ViacomCBS. It has more than 250 unique live channels that stream content — with commercial breaks — at no charge to the consumer. 

Content providers range from Viacom properties like MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central to major news platforms like NBC, CBS and CNN.

Price: Free

Pros

• TV shows and movies in dozens of genres
• Easy to browse TV channels and movie listings
• Mobile apps cast to a smart TV
• Free to use, no registration needed

Cons

• The app doesn’t have a search function
• Need an account to customize your experience
• Ads play multiple times
• GEO-blocked outside of the US

2. Tubi – Watch Movies & TV Shows

Tubi is another free movie apps like Crackle. It offers thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows. As with most free streaming services, Tubi doesn’t offer the latest releases of major box office movies. Instead, the site featured some old classics such as A Fish Called Wanda and Robocop, and some newer movies such as Empire State.

The newest thing is Tubi Kids, which is meant, well, for kids, so you won’t even have to pick through the regular list to find something the tykes would like. 

Price: Tubi is a 100% free

Pros

• Lots of movies and TV shows, including classics
• Educational shows for babies and preschool-age children
• Intuitive app and web streaming options

Cons

• New releases are usually B movies 
• Most content is at least four years old
• Many titles not in HD and none in 1080p or 4K
• Most content is only available in the US

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3. Popcornflix™ – Movies & TV

Popcornflix is another app offering you a 100% free stream and that too legally! That means you can watch free movies and shows, and you do not have to get involved in the world of piracy anymore. The Popcornflix streaming app uses ads to make money. In return, you get to explore a huge range of movies and shows to stream and download for free.

The range includes a Hollywood collection of over 700 movies to stream anytime, anywhere! You don’t even have to sign up or take any subscriptions to access the content. The Popcornflix free movies collection includes content genres such as Sci-FI, Comedy, Romance, Action, and more.

Price: Free

Pros

• A good range of movies and TV series
• Signup process is optional
• Available in more than 60 countries

Con

• Ads
• Video quality might not be up to 2021 standard
• Geo-blocked outside the US

4. Peacock TV: Stream TV & Movies

Peacock’s biggest feature is that much of its content is free to stream (with ads), so you can watch classic series like Parks and Recreation, Two and a Half Men, Battlestar Galactica, and more. It’s also the exclusive streaming home for Parks and Recreation and The Office in the US, and more recently, it added WWE pro wrestling, including access to its pay-per-view events.

Price: If you want to watch even more content, and Peacock originals like the reboots of Saved by the Bell and Punky Brewster, you can pay $4.99 a month for Peacock Premium (with ads) or $9.99 a month (without ads). There is a seven-day free trial available.

Pros:

• Over 13,000 hours of free content
• Live channels
• Next-day access to a few NBC shows
• Set parental controls

Cons:

• Full access to major shows, originals and live sports isn’t free
• Few original series or movies from the past decade
• Missing features like mobile downloads for all tiers and 4K HDR

5. Plex: Movies, TV, Music & More

Plex is a popular media server that has been around for a very long time. In recent times, the company also started offering a streaming service to its users. You will get access to free movies, TV shows, documentaries, and more. If you live outside the US, the library will be much more appealing to you.

Price: Plex provides several plans for users to choose from, but its movie and TV streaming service is available for free. However, Plex limits music and video streaming on the free mobile app to just one minute and watermarks photos until the user makes an in-app purchase or buys a Plex Pass subscription. Plex Pass charges $4.99 per month, but is slightly more affordable with its yearly price of $39.99. The most cost-effective option is the lifetime subscription at $119.99 USD. 

Pros:

• Parental controls are available
• Capable free version
• Intuitive apps on many platforms
• Growing library of on-demand and preprogrammed video streaming content

Cons:

• No HTPC support
• Lacks official interface themes

6. Vudu – Movies & TV

Vudu is a streaming service with a pay-as-you-go model, boasting a library of over 14000 movies and 1500 TV shows. There are no fees or subscription charges. Instead, you can rent or buy movies and shows. You’ll only be paying for what you watch.

While it’s a movie rental service, it still offers more than 5000 titles for free – as long as you put up with ads.

Pros

• Over 10,000 free movies and TV shows
• Has some original content, with more coming soon
• Child protection options

Cons

• Dated TV series options
• Most rentals only last 24 hours
• Geo-blocked outside the US

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7. The NBC App – Stream TV Shows

The NBC app features live and on-demand content from NBCUniversal’s networks, including NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, MSNBC and USA.

You’ll need to sign in with a pay TV provider (cable, satellite or a live TV streaming service) to view live feeds of NBC and its cable networks, but there is one exception. NBC News Now is free to all users.

The NBC app features a Watch for Free section on its home screen to quickly identify content that doesn’t require a pay TV login. Titles include Law and Order, Debris, Dateline, Young Rock, House and more. But don’t expect to find every episode of any particular series.

Price: NBC app is completely free and also, you can easily access to their sites at no cost.

Pros:

• Watch episodes of brand-new NBC series the day after they air
• Watch TV shows via the NBC Live Stream
• Stream live news, local or national
• Stream timeless episodes of throwback TV shows for free

Cons:

• Constantly tries to buffer live TV stream without ever succeeding
• There is ALWAYS something wrong

8. IMDb: Movies & TV Shows

IMDb TV is a spinoff of Amazon’s Prime Video – and it’s free! It contains everything from movies to TV series to IMDb TV originals.

I especially like how this platform retained the essence of IMDb by displaying the shows and movies by their popularity and ratings. Also, it provides encyclopedic insight about more than 6.5 million movies and TV shows.

Price: Viewers can watch all of the content on the service for free

Pros

• Decent collection of TV shows and movies
• Supports multiple platforms and devices

Cons

• Only available in the US
• Not many hit shows
• No Roku channel

9. Viki: Asian Drama, Movies & TV

Viki offers a huge array of Asian movies and TV shows, including Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese and, of course, Korean. A Wide variety of languages in subtitles is provided such as English, French, Japanese, Hindi, etc.

Price: Viki is free! They do have a subscription service called Viki Pass, that lets you watch exclusive content, free of ads, and in HD when available. If you do not wish to pay a subscription, you can still watch most of the content with ads and SD quality.

Pros:

• No registration needed, smooth and free to use
• Distributes wide range of Asian dramas of different genres
• Multiple subtitle options

Cons:

• Pop-up ads may appear during video playback
• Requires VPN in some areas

10. Roku Channel: Free Streaming for Live TV & Movies

Roku Channel must be added to our list of apps similar to Crackle.

The Roku Channel is an on-demand streaming TV content option aimed at users of Roku streaming devices. It offers free streaming options for both movies and television series. The free content includes classic marquee films like The Dark Knight and The Terminator, and provides access to several popular television series like Growing Pains, Who’s The Boss? and The Bachelorette.

Note: You can watch The Roku Channel without access to a Roku device, but that may require signing up for a Roku.com account. 

Price: Free

Pros:

• Surprisingly good movie and TV on-demand selection
• Live streaming TV also included
• Advert load is moderate (up to 8 minutes/hour)

Cons:

• Limited availability on non-Roku streaming devices
• Does not feature much new release content for free
• The Roku Channel is ad-supported, so you get advert breaks while you’re watching

Bottom Line

These are best similar apps like Crackle in 2021. You can patiently sift through each and every one of them to see which one will provide you with the best possible streaming experience. Since all of them are free, you can download many of them on your phone and use them together.

If we missed any great apps like Crackle, tell us about them in the comments!