7 Best 123Movies Alternatives in 2024: Free & Safe Sites (2024)

123Movies, and sites like it that offer pirated content, isn’t a good option for streaming. These sites often go down unexpectedly, have lots of broken links and poor-quality videos, or, in a worst-case scenario, contain viruses and malware. Using 123Movies and similar torrent sites may also get you in legal trouble because they host and link to copyrighted content without permission from the copyright holders.

So, I created this list of the 5 best free & legal 123Movies alternativesto save you the time and headache of looking for a good and legal free movie streaming site yourself. I evaluated each site based on its library size, how frequently it’s updated, its search and filtering functions, ease of use, and more.

I also recommend 3 VPNs for keeping yourself safe while streaming and explain why it’s important to use a VPN when streaming online.

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It’s illegal to stream unlicensed or copyrighted movies and TV shows. None of us at SafetyDetectives condone copyright infringement, so while the VPNs we recommend don’t monitor or keep logs of what you do online, we urge you to follow all applicable rules and regulations.

Is 123Movies Legal?

123Movies is an illegal site that hosts and links media content without obtaining permission from the copyright holders. As a result, the site and its various copies have been subject to legal action in the past and have been shut down or blocked in numerous countries due to copyright infringement allegations.

This also means that using 123Movies (and similar streaming pirating sites) poses legal risks, even if you’re just watching and not sharing or profiting off of pirated content.

The consequences for participating in copyright infringement vary depending on the country. Some countries are stricter than others when it comes to enforcing copyright laws, and in others, it’s entirely legal to download or stream a pirated movie so long as it’s for personal use.

Regardless of where you live, we at SafetyDetectives urge you to seek out legal and authorized platforms for watching movies and TV shows both for your safety and to show support for creators.

7Best Free & Legal 123Movies Alternatives in 2024

1. YouTube

YouTube is my favorite free alternative to 123Movies. There are a ton of channels where you can watch full movies at no cost (but they include ads), like Public Domain Films, Cult Cinema Classics, Korean Classic Films, Mosfilm, PizzaFlix, Popcornflix, and more. You can also find a lot of free films on YouTube Movies if you live in the US (it’s not available in other countries due to licensing restrictions) — this was confirmed by my colleague in the US.

YouTube is pretty secure, but it’s not the most private. While it doesn’t sell your data, it does use your data and activity to target you with ads and recommend relevant videos. That said, you can opt out of all this in your account settings. YouTube is owned by Google, which collects your data, including all of the videos you watch on YouTube.

2. Crackle

Crackle is a great 123Movies alternative for people living in the US(it doesn’t currently serve users in any other locations). It has a large and diverse library of movies and TV shows from just about every genre, from action to romance. The site’s design is sleek and professional and easy to navigate. That said, you’ll have to deal with the occasional in-stream ad, and it doesn’t offer in-depth filtering options beyond selecting the genre.

Creating an account on Crackle is completely optional, so you don’t have to provide the site with any personal information if you don’t want to. However, having an account does let you use its parental controls, build a watchlist, and save your watch progress.

Crackle does collect some personal information, including your IP address and your activities on the site, and this information may be shared with third parties (like advertisers).

3. Vudu

Vudu lets you buy and rent movies, but it also has a sizable catalog of free content — so long as you don’t mind a few ads. However, this site is only available in the US.

One thing I particularly like about Vudu is its filtering function. You can filter by genre, cost, and type (movies or TV) and even by its rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The site lets you set multiple filters at the same time, too, and it’s pretty cool that you can sort the results by popularity and release date as well.

Unlike Crackle, Vudu does require you to create an account, even if you’re watching for free, so you will at least have to give the site an email address. According to its privacy policy, this and any other personal information the site collects may be shared with related companies and other third parties.

4. Tubi

Tubi is a great way to stream a lot of popular movies and TV shows for free. However, like most of the other 123Movies alternatives on this list, it’s restricted to US users.

While many of Tubi’s offerings are slightly dated titles, it also hosts content from as recent as the current year. Its library isn’t just full of obscure movies and TV shows, either — you can find relatively popular films.

You don’t need to sign up to stream on Tubi, but the site does still collect some personal information, such as your activity on the site and your IP address. Plus, any information it collects may be shared with third-party advertisers and business partners.

5. Pluto TV

Pluto TV offers free live and on demand content for people in the US, so you can opt for a more traditional TV experience by picking one of its live channels, or searching for a particular title yourself.

Its library includes slightly dated but popular titles like The Wolf of Wall Street and Anchorman, as well as old classics like Indiana Jones and Top Gun.

Pluto TV doesn’t require you to create an account. However, it still collects some personal information automatically, like how you use the service, your preferences, how you interact with the site’s content, your IP address, and more. Plus, it may share this information with other companies in the Paramount family, business partners, and advertisers.

6. SBS On Demand

SBS On Demand hosts a wide variety of free movies and TV series, but most of its content is only available to people living in Australia.

The content on SBS On Demand spans several languages, all subtitled in English, and you can even find a lot of content that offers subtitles in Mandarin. Registration is required, but it’s a small step for access to a wide array of content. SBS On Demand collects data to personalize your experience on the platform, and its privacy policy also says it might share the data it collects with third parties it works with for advertising and other purposes.

7. Rakuten TV

Rakuten TV is a solid choice for those in Europe looking for free and rentable HD movies. Its free ad-supported section offers a variety of genres, focusing mainly on Rakuten originals and some interesting documentaries.

The platform is user-friendly, making it easy to jump right into watching without having to create an account, so you don’t have to share any information with the platform. However, users should be mindful that, as part of using the service, Rakuten TV gathers some personal data to tailor content recommendations.

Best VPNs for Streaming On Legal 123Movies Alternatives in 2024

Streaming unauthorized or copyrighted films and television programs is against the law. At SafetyDetectives, we firmly oppose any form of copyright violation. While the VPNs we endorse don’t track or retain records of your online activities, we strongly advise you to abide by all relevant laws and regulations.

🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Streaming Sites

Approved by our experts

Approved by our experts

Most readers pick ExpressVPN

Servers in countries

105

Key Features

Industry-leading speeds

Number of devices

See Also

15 Best 123Movies Alternatives in 2022 [Unblocked] | Robots.netThe 26 Best 123Movies Alternatives Working Right Now (2024)

8

OS compatibility

Money-back guarantee

30 Days

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ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for streaming on free and legal alternative sites to 123Movies.It has blazing-fast speeds for streaming, strong privacy and security features to protect you on streaming sites, and easy-to-use apps for all major platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and routers.

This provider is the fastest VPN on the market thanks to its proprietary Lightway protocol. In my tests, Lightway consistently delivered faster speeds than WireGuard and OpenVPN (two other protocols commonly used by other providers). My US colleagues conducted speed tests on multiple ExpressVPN servers while streaming on sites like YouTube Movies, Crackle, and Vudu, and never saw any buffering. Plus, it offers an impressive server network (with servers in 105 countries), so you can always connect to a local or nearby server.

ExpressVPN is also a great choice for keeping you safe while streaming. It uses RAM-only servers, meaning any data kept on its servers is erased with every reboot, and perfect forward secrecy, meaning the encryption keys used to safeguard your data are changed constantly. It protects against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks — it never leaked any data during my tests.

You get ExpressVPN Keys which is a pretty good password manager — it helps you generate a very strong password for you in case you want to create an account on a legal alternative to 123Movies. Plus, it alerts you if your password has been part of a data breach, so you can quickly change it and take other measures to protect your account.

If you want to watch your favorite free movies or TV shows on the big screen, ExpressVPN has a dedicated router app that took me only around 8 minutes to set up. This allows you to securely stream on devices without native VPN support, like Xbox, PlayStation, and certain smart TVs.

ExpressVPN’s plans start at £5.24 / month, which is affordable considering how much value it provides. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if it doesn’t suit your needs, you can get a full refund, no questions asked.

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🥈2. Private Internet Access — High-End Privacy for Streaming

Servers in countries

91

Key Features

Excellent ad blocker

Number of devices

Unlimited

OS compatibility

Money-back guarantee

30 Days

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Private Internet Access (PIA) allows you to privately stream movies on free legal sites.In addition to using RAM-only servers, perfect forward secrecy, and offering full leak protection, PIA comes with Identity Guard that monitors your email or any other personal information for data breaches. There’s also a test on its site to check if your email provider exposes your IP address to the people you email.

I was impressed by PIA’s speeds, too. I tested it by streaming on different sites while connected to local PIA servers. Videos always loaded immediately for me, and I didn’t encounter any buffering even when skipping through the videos. Private Internet Access offers servers in 91 countries, which is a bit less than ExpressVPN but still a really good size.

PIA also offers dedicated IP addresses in 10+ countries for a small price. This IP address is assigned only to you so there’s less of a chance that the streaming site you’re using will block you — a lot of streaming sites block shared VPN IP addresses.

PIA has router support, but unlike ExpressVPN, you have to manually set it up on your router to stream on legal 123Movies alternatives securely on devices like your gaming console. Luckily, PIA has great step-by-step tutorials available on its website, complete with visual aids, that make the process pretty simple. By following PIA’s guide, I was able to get PIA set up on my router in just under 15 minutes.

Private Internet Access’s plans start at £1.57 / month, which makes it a highly affordable VPN for streaming. It also backs all of its plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Easy-to-Use VPN for Streaming (Great for Beginners)

Servers in countries

100

Key Features

Special streaming servers

Number of devices

7

OS compatibility

Money-back guarantee

Up to 45 days

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CyberGhost VPN is a user-friendly VPN for streaming on free legal 123Movies alternative sites. Its apps are easy for beginners to navigate, and connecting to a server takes a single click via its quick-connect function (automatically connects you to the fastest nearby server).

I really love how it has other convenient features, like marking servers as favorites for quick access and the ability to tell CyberGhost to connect to a specific VPN server when you connect to a secured, unsecured, or saved Wi-Fi network. Plus, you get apps for all major OS and support for manual router configuration to securely stream on your smart TV or gaming consoles.

CyberGhost has great speeds for streaming on legal 123Movies alternatives. In my tests, all HD video streams loaded in no more than 1–2 seconds, which is only slightly slower than ExpressVPN, and I rarely ever had to deal with buffering or slowdowns — CyberGhost comes with servers in 100 countries.

CyberGhost is a very secure pick for streaming on legal 123Movies-like sites. It uses RAM-only servers and perfect forward secrecy, and it protects against DNS leaks and IPv6 Leaks. It also has an Identity Guard feature like Private Internet Access that lets you know if your email and password you use to log into a streaming site have been leaked.

CyberGhost VPN starts at a low cost of £1.78 / month, and all of its plans are backed by a money-back guarantee. Short-term plans come with a 14-day guarantee, while long-term commitments are backed by a generous 45-day guarantee.

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Comparison of the Best VPNs for Legal Streaming SitesLike 123Moviesin 2024

How to Choose the Best VPN for Legal 123Movies Alternatives in 2024

• Find a VPN with good streaming support. All VPNs I recommend here work with free legal 123Movies alternatives.
• Check the VPN’s privacy & security features. You want to get a VPN with industry-standard security features such as 256-bit AES encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and a kill switch. 256-bit AES encryption is very strong encryption used by banks and militaries. A no-logs policy means the VPN doesn’t log your streaming activities or IP address. And a kill switch will cut your internet connection in case your VPN connection drops, so no information leaks accidentally.
• Get a VPN that provides fast speeds. This is because all VPNs reduce your connection speeds when they encrypt your traffic. All of the VPNs on my list maintain high speeds to ensure smooth, buffer-free viewing. ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN on the market.
• Ensure compatibility with appropriate devices. Make sure the VPN you choose has easy-to-use apps for all of the devices you plan to stream on. The VPNs I recommend have apps for all major OS, and even support router configuration if you want to securely stream on devices that don’t support VPNs, like your gaming console or smart TV.
• Look for a VPN that provides good value. I only recommend VPNs with reasonably-priced plans, that allow simultaneous connections, include useful extra features like split-tunneling, and back all of their plans with a money-back guarantee, so you can try it out risk-free.

Are Streaming Sites Like 123Movies Safe?

Streaming sites like 123Movies often lack the security paid streaming platforms offer. While it’s great that they provide free access to a vast library of movies and TV shows, I don’t recommend using them — it’s just a lot better and safer to use free 123Movies alternatives that are legal, like the ones I mention in this article.

Arguably, the biggest issue with platforms like 123Movies is that they may host copyrighted content, which is illegal to stream. In most places around the world, it’s the operators of the site that face legal consequences, but in places with very strict copyright enforcement, you may be subject to fines and even more serious changes for streaming or downloading content from these sites.

Apart from the legal standpoint, a lot of these sites can host malicious ads and links, which means using one exposes you to dangers like malware and phishing attempts, in addition to unwanted ads.

Using legitimate streaming services and paying for content is the best way to avoid legal issues and support the creators of the content you enjoy. The next best thing is to take protective measures like getting a VPN.

A VPN encrypts your internet traffic, making it unreadable to anyone who might intercept it, including your ISP, government agencies, or cybercriminals. It also hides your real IP address behind an IP address belonging to your provider, which makes it so that your online activities can’t be traced back to you. Lastly, many top VPNs come with ad, tracker, and malware blockers to prevent annoying ads and protect you from shady streaming sites.

I also recommend practicing safe browsing habits. This includes avoiding suspicious links or ads, never downloading files from unreliable sources, and considering installing a reputable antivirus softwareto detect and neutralize any malicious software that might be downloaded inadvertently.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free 123Movie alternative site?

The best legal free movie site that’s like 123Movies is YouTube. There are a number of channels on the platform where you can watch full movies for free, and YouTube Movies, which is available to users in the US, also has a large catalog of free films.

Are free movie sites safe to use?

Legal movie sites are safe but illegal ones are risky, at best. Sites that host illegal files often lack the security measures necessary to protect users from malware, phishing scams, and intrusive ads. However, you can make your experience safer by only using legal and reputable sites, like YouTube and Rakuten TV. In addition, you can safeguard your streamin by getting a good VPN to encrypt your internet connection and hide your online activity from prying eyes, and practicing safe browsing habits.

Where can I watch 123Movies for free?

There are a lot of free movie and TV show streaming sites like 123Movies on the internet. But not all of them are good or safe. You can check out my top 7 best free movie streaming sites by clicking on the link and see why I prefer them over streaming sites that pirate copyrighted movies on the web.

Are streaming sites like 123Movies legal?

The legality of free streaming sites like 123Movies is a gray area and mostly depends on copyright laws in your location. 123Movies-like sites may show copyrighted content without approval from the copyright owners, which is why they frequently face legal challenges and are taken down, only to reappear under different domain names.

Although in most countries laws dictate that it’s the site operators who are on the receiving end of legal action, some countries fine and even charge individuals caught streaming or downloading from these sites. To avoid legal issues, it’s important to be aware of the copyright status of the content you’re streaming and ensure that it’s legal to watch in your area.

Best VPNs for Legal Streaming SitesLike 123Moviesin 2024 — Final Score:

Rank

Provider

Overall Score

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1

9.8

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2

9.6

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3

9.4

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