Streaming has made it all too easy to fire up an app, pick something to watch, and let your internet take care of the rest. But even in 2023, sometimes you want to download movies on your smartphone, tablet, and computer.
Maybe you’re traveling somewhere without an internet connection; perhaps you want to keep your movies all on one devices; or maybe you just don’t want to deal with buffering and drops in quality because of slow wifi. Whatever the case, there are plenty of options out there where you can download movies, some even for free.
Public domain sites
If you want to download movies—some even in high-quality—with no strings attached, check out the below sites devoted to hosting royalty-free movies in the public domain.
But first, a quick refresher on what “public domain” means: Movies, like other artistic endeavors, are copyrighted materials. While copyright lasts a lot longer than it used to, it does eventually run out. When it does, that work enters the public domain, which means it no longer belongs to the creator or their estate—it belongs to everyone.
Movies in the public domain can be remade, reinterpreted, and, most importantly for our purposes, legally downloaded for free. Sweet deal.
Of course, these won’t be the movies that are talked about on social media. Most movies that have fallen into the public domain are, by nature, old. And, since copyright laws have changed drastically in the last half-century, many newer movies won’t make it to public domain for a long time.
Still, there’s a near-endless supply of content tucked away in the public domain. You won’t be downloading The Dark Knight or The Lord of the Rings here, but you will find The Great Train Robbery, 12 Angry Men, and Night of the Living Dead.
Here’s a quick list of great sites to download royalty-free movies from:
Prime Video
Prime Video is perhaps the ultimate service to download movies, both old and new. That’s because Amazon offers two sides to Prime Video: There’s the content it offers for streaming, much of which is available to download for offline viewing as well. At the time of writing, you’ll find titles like The Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar, The Truman Show, Nope, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2, and much more. You won’t have trouble finding movies old and new to download here.
On the other hand, there’s also Prime Video’s renting and sales side, which offers a huge catalog of movies to choose from. While Prime Video will have all the latest titles, I’d recommend checking out the deals sections to save on movies you might like: There are frequently promotions for movies at or under $4.99 and $7.99. Plus, for the many of us that have an Amazon Prime account, Prime Video is included free of charge.
You can download videos to your smartphone, Mac, or PC using the Prime Video app.
Apple TV
If you mainly use Apple devices, Apple TV might be your go-to for movie downloads. Like Prime Video, Apple TV has a massive list of movies to choose from, and runs similar promotions on titles, new and old. And, since the app comes preinstalled on all iPhones, iPads, and Macs, it makes it too easy to start downloading movies to your devices. You can even get the app on Android, but it might not be as good of an experience. Instead, you may want to turn to:
Google TV
Similarly, if your smartphones and tablets run Android, you might find Google TV to be a winner. It’s virtually identical to Apple TV, just for Android. You should be able to find virtually any movie being sold digitally, complete with similar promotions and deals.
Netflix
The joke is, and always will be, that Netflix gets rid of all their good stuff. But even though contract deals with certain movies expire, that doesn’t disqualify Netflix as a great hub for downloading excellent movies.
Aside from being able to download Netflix originals, like The Irishman, Beasts of No Nation, and Roma, Netflix will always have a treasure trove of great movie options to check out. As of right now, you can download the original The Fast and the Furious, Titanic, Call Me by Your Name, The Breakfast Club, Mean Girls, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off—the list goes on.
Netflix downloads work on Android, iOS, and Windows, but not Mac.
Disney+
If it’s Disney movies you’re after, there’s no better place to download them than Disney+ (except maybe one of the stores like Apple TV or Prime Video). Of course, titles like Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, and Pinocchio come to mind, but now that Disney owns just about everything these days, you find the widest variety of options to download.
Where else can you download the original Star Wars, The Avengers, Finding Nemo, Hamilton, Moana, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Avatar all in the same app? (Except, of course, if you bought them all individually.)
The only down side is that Disney+ downloads only work on Android and iOS—your Mac or PC is out of luck.
Max
HBO Max, as we know, is now called Max. And even though HBO literally stands for Home Box Office, we now need to talk about how many great movies exist on Max. Bleh.
Forgive the unprofessionalism. Max does indeed have a continuously great selection of movies for you to download to your devices. I mean, there’s an insane amount of good stuff here, like The Dark Knight, Pulp Fiction, Parasite, Some Like It Hot, Coraline, Raging Bull, Harry Potter, 2001: A Space Odyssey—again, these lists just keep going. If you subscribe to Max like I do for the HBO shows, the excellent and ever-growing selection of movies is such a great bonus.
Like Disney+, unfortunately, Max doesn’t let you download content to a Mac or PC, so you’ll need to stick with your smartphone or tablet for these downloads.
The Criterion Channel
If you’re a true movie buff, look no further than The Criterion Channel. This streaming service is developed by Criterion, a company famous among film fans for their curated library of DVDs and Blu-Rays. When you buy a movie from Criterion, you know that not only is the film itself excellent and significant, but the quality of the transfer is impeccable.
But buying all these movies gets expensive fast. The Criterion Channel is the next best thing, giving you access to Criterion’s library of high-quality films for a standard monthly or yearly streaming fee. Plus, you can download these movies to your smartphone or tablet, which is why it’s on this list.
Hulu
Hulu might be more associated with TV than movies, but don’t let its reputation fool you: The service has some hits. Right now, you can download Jurassic Park, Game Night, Whiplash, the theatrical cut of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and Mrs. Doubtfire. It may take some scrolling to find the titles you really want to watch, but the service does have plenty of options to download.
