123Chill

Free movies and shows, often within days of official release, which is itself a sign the site isn’t licensed. Expect heavy ads and a real risk of malware and phishing.

123Movies

The original 123Movies was shut down in March 2018 during a criminal investigation in Vietnam. What you’ll find under that name today are unrelated clone sites, like 123MoviesFree, with no connection to the original or to each other. They carry the same risks as the rest of this list: no licensing, and a long track record as sources of viruses and malware.

1HD

Houses a large HD library, but none of it is authorized by the rights holders. That gap is what creates the legal exposure and cyber risk for anyone streaming from it.

5movies

Looks legitimate thanks to a clean interface and a big catalog. Looks aren’t the issue: it doesn’t hold rights to any of the content, which is what makes it a target for legal action.

Afdah

A scraper that indexes movies from other libraries without permission. The interface feels safe; the pop-up ads that follow often aren’t, and several lead to malicious sites.

Area 51

An IPTV app shut down in 2020 following pressure from the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment . Its operator relaunched the service under new names (Singularity Media, Digital UniCorn Media, Altered Carbon) at least three times afterward, which led Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and several major studios to file a new copyright lawsuit in 2021. Users of the original app reported hacks and malware tied to its use.

AZMovies

A deep catalog spanning classics to new releases, none of it licensed. High stream quality doesn’t offset the legal and malware risk that comes with unlicensed content.

Chitram TV

Chitram TV streams Indian TV channels outside India without authorization. On November 15, 2021, it was ordered to pay DISH Network $31 million for piracy and copyright infringement, one of the larger judgments on this list.

FlixTor

It has no distribution rights for the movies and shows it hosts, which is why it’s been shut down repeatedly and why its future remains uncertain. Anyone streaming from it takes on privacy and security risks along with the legal exposure.

FMovies

Live since 2016, FMovies has been sued and rebranded across multiple domains to dodge blocks for years. In August 2024, Vietnamese police shut the operation down entirely in coordination with the studio-backed Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, arresting two men in connection with the takedown. Clone sites using the FMovies name have appeared since, with no connection to the original operators. Expect broken links that redirect to sketchier sites, and download prompts that often carry malware.

HiMovies

A large library across multiple resolutions, but no licensing behind it. Streaming from HiMovies carries the same copyright infringement exposure as the rest of this list.

iStreamitAll

Once one of the largest piracy operations in the US before it was shut down. Its creator, who also programmed for a related service called Jetflicks, received a 57-month prison sentence and forfeited $1 million after pleading guilty to copyright infringement and money laundering, one of the more serious legal outcomes tied to any site here.

Kodi

Kodi itself is legal. It’s an open media player that can turn a connected device into a streaming hub, and it can pull from any storage a device has access to. The legal line gets crossed with third-party add-ons, many of which route users to unauthorized content and expose devices to malware. Add-on developers also carry their own legal risk.

LookMovie

Frequently targeted by copyright holders and law enforcement for offering unauthorized content. Ads on the site are a known source of malware.

LosMovies

Streams in multiple languages with a wide range of subtitle options, none of it licensed. That’s enough to create copyright exposure and expose users to the usual run of online threats.

MediaBox HD

A website and iOS/Android app with a large TV and movie library sourced through torrenting and other unauthorized channels, sometimes repackaging content from legal services like Netflix without permission.

Mobdro

Mobdro was shut down in March 2021 after a multi-year investigation by Spanish police, Europol, and the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment. Four people were arrested, and roughly 20 web domains and servers were seized.

At its peak, the app had been downloaded more than 100 million times and was found to be selling user data on the side. Since then, clone apps using the Mobdro name have circulated, with no connection to the original operation.

Movies Found Online

A curated collection of free movies, independent films, and stand-up specials pulled from various sources. Legality depends entirely on where each piece of content actually comes from, which the site doesn’t disclose.

Moviesjoy

Free in exchange for watching ads, most of them from low-budget networks known for misleading content. The content itself isn’t licensed, which makes streaming from it illegal regardless of the ad-supported model.

Nufu TV

Markets itself as a legitimate paid IPTV service with a weekly or annual fee, but the content behind that paywall is pirated. Paying for access doesn’t remove the malware risk tied to its ad network.

Putlocker

One of the longest-running piracy brands, operating in various forms since 2011 and seized or blocked in numerous countries along the way. At least one user has been convicted of violating federal copyright law for content shared through the platform.

Roja Directa

A long-running destination for live sports streams, tied up in legal battles for years over unauthorized broadcast links. In late 2024, a Spanish court ordered Roja Directa to pay Mediapro €31.6 million in damages for illegally broadcasting football matches, one of the largest sports piracy judgments on record. 

If you’re looking for legal sports streaming options that don’t carry that risk, consider TSN+, DAZN, and Sportsnet, which cover most major leagues.

SFlix

A wide catalog offered without any distribution rights, which is why the platform keeps getting taken down and relaunched under new URLs.

SolarMovie.Pe

A large, easy-to-navigate library of unlicensed content. That accessibility is exactly why it carries a high risk of malicious software alongside the legal exposure.

Some IPTV Services

IPTV itself, TV delivered over internet networks instead of cable or satellite, is legal when it’s carrying free-to-air content or licensed subscription services. Using IPTV to stream unlicensed content is illegal and puts your data and devices at risk, no matter how legitimate the service looks.

Soap2day

Streamed pirated content without requiring registration, which made it popular for a stretch. Google delisted it from search results in 2020 over persistent copyright infringement, and the site announced it was shutting down permanently in June 2023. Any site using the Soap2day name today is a clone with no connection to the original operators. If you come across one, expect frequent pop-ups, some explicit.

StreamM4u

A broad catalog across genres, none of it acquired legally, which drives the frequent domain changes meant to dodge copyright enforcement.

StreamLord

An easy-to-use, minimalist platform operating without the necessary copyrights. The clean design doesn’t change the legal grey area it sits in or the malware risk tied to its ads.

The Pirate Bay

A BitTorrent-based index of online content running since 2003. It’s been shut down repeatedly, and its founders have served jail time for copyright infringement, yet The Pirate Bay still operates today.

TinyZone

A large, HD-heavy library with a clean interface, run without proper licensing. That combination makes it a common source of both copyright disputes and security vulnerabilities.

TorHD

Offers free HD movie torrents, which come with no guarantee of legality or safety. Torrent files from the site carry a real risk of malware.

uTorrent

The file-sharing software itself, part of BitTorrent’s portfolio, is legal to use. Downloading copyrighted material through it is not, and ISPs actively monitor P2P traffic for exactly that. uTorrent has also been used as a distribution channel for malware and cryptomining software in the past.

VexMovies

Minimal ad interruptions and HD quality make this one feel cleaner than most, but it still operates without content rights, which puts both the platform and its users at legal risk.

VidCloud

Hosts video across TV, movies, and anime, much of it linking to infringing streams and downloads. Malware and intrusive ads are common on the platform.

Vumoo

Functions as a search engine for pirated content rather than hosting it directly. Some users pair it with a virtual private network (VPN), but a VPN doesn’t protect against the malware risk on the other end; it only masks the connection.

WatchFree

Streams unauthorized content and carries the same two risks as most of this list: copyright infringement exposure and malware embedded in its ads.

Yes!Movies

A wide, international catalog available without a paid streaming service subscription. Free access here means unlicensed content, with legal risk for both the platform and anyone streaming from it.

Yidio

Yidio functions differently from most of this list. It’s a streaming guide that points users to where content is actually available, rather than hosting anything itself. Whether a given result is legal depends on the provider Yidio links to, not on Yidio itself.

Yify TV

Known for high-quality torrents of recent releases, all of them unauthorized copies. Downloading through the site is a copyright violation in most regions.

Ymovies

A large catalog available without registration or payment, and without licensing behind any of it. Expect the usual malware and phishing exposure that comes with unlicensed streaming sites.

YoMovies

Focused on Bollywood and Hollywood titles, popular for its selection but unlicensed. The legal risk and malware exposure track with the rest of this list.