The number of movie streaming sites out there these days to choose from can be downright overwhelming. And I’m not even talking about just the big-name mainstream ones either like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney Plus. No, truth be told, there are hundreds upon hundreds of lesser-known, smaller video streaming services out there as well. There are so many that, frankly, it can be dizzying to try and track them all down and figure out which ones are worth your time.
Thankfully, though, there are tons of free movie streaming services as well. Many of which perhaps you have never heard of. And if that is what you are looking for, well, you definitely came to the right place. These sites often get lost in the shadows cast by the behemoths of premium streaming sites. But for some of these sites, it would be a shame if they got lost.
Sure, it is true that free movie and TV streaming sites do not have the best reputation overall. A lot of them are, let’s be honest, sketchy at best. That’s because far too many people put up “free movie streaming sites” that are, in fact, just empty sites to sell ad space and, worse, sometimes even hotbeds for viruses and hackers to track your computer. These sites, of course, should be avoided at all costs.
There are a few diamonds in the rough, though, when it comes to free streaming services. And luckily, I worked my way through the slush pile to find only the best of the best. That being said, it is generally a good idea, especially if you are going to go off looking for free movie streaming sites on your own, not to do so unless you have your computer properly protected.
Even if you are just using the most reputable mainstream sites, it is still a good idea to have a line of defense. Nobody is safe on the internet, truly. I highly recommend finding yourself a solid and dependable Virtual Private Network, for example, to protect your privacy and make sure that nobody – not the government, not a hacker, no one – can see what you are doing or where you are doing it.
Another smart move would be to find yourself a decent adblocker. Especially if you are going to be primarily looking for free movie streaming sites. Remember, no site is truly “free.” Even if you do not have to pay monetarily, you will have to pay by looking at ads. These can be as annoying as they can be dangerous. Do yourself a favor and get an ad blocker, and I guarantee you will enjoy your free movie streaming tenfold.
You can find both a VPN and a free ad blocker on streamingsites.com. So, after you’re done checking out what Snag Films has to offer, maybe head over to my VPN and useful software sections and consider guarding yourself against threats (if you haven’t done so already).
Today’s site, though, is tried and true. So, even if you don’t have a VPN and an ad-blocker/antivirus program, you will be in good hands. Snag Films has been trusted for years now and is one of my favorite resources for streaming free indie films and documentaries. So, without further ado, let’s see what Snag Films is all about, shall we?
History
Snag Films is the brainchild of internet pioneer, Ted Leonsis. He launched the site in July of 2008 with some help from venture capitalists, Miles Gilburne and the chairman of Revolution LLC, Steve Case (who helped with initial investments). Leonsis conceived of the idea for Snag Films when he was working at AOL and created True Stories, an online resource for strictly documentaries.
Snag Films is not just a free source for indie films and documentary movies, though. It also owns the comedy website Thundershorts, which the New York Times referred to as “a discriminating boutique.” Snag Films even used to own Indie Wire, the popular indie film news site.
The content on Snag Films has been curated by years of partnerships. Its collection consists of a digital network of over 100,000 affiliated sites around the world, including an impressive list of partners, such as Comcast, Xfinity TV, IMDb, Hulu, AOL, Huffington Post, and a sprawling list of special interest sites, blogs, and nonprofits. Snag Films’ content has been featured on over 3.5 billion separate pageviews across the entirety of its enormous network. So, this site is not your typical, run of the mill amateur free movie streaming pipedream. It is an impressive and massive endeavor with hundreds of sites, big and small alike, backing it up.
Design
And Snag Films looks appropriately professional. It definitely looks nothing like any other free movie streaming site that I have ever seen before. As far as free streaming sites go, they do not exactly have a reputation for providing stylish, sleek, intuitive, and user-friendly designs and layouts. Snag Films, however, looks like it could compete with the likes of Netflix and Hulu – it looks like a premium subscription-based streaming service, even though it will never cost you a dime to use. This is the first area in which Snag Films really shines.
Actually, it does not look entirely unlike the design and layout of HBO Go. The organizational structure, at the very least, is certainly reminiscent. You’ll find a huge banner at the top of the page that carousals featured titles, making it very easy to get right into something if it catches your eye. Above this, you will also find a convenient site menu bar, allowing you to navigate the site by clicking on Movies, Shows, About, or Filmanthropy (a term coined by Leonsis to describe his mission of promoting documentaries to inspire community action).
Below the central carousel banner of the site, you’ll be able to scroll down and browse by category. Snag Films, however, has chosen to break their films down by issue instead of the genre as most sites do. Choose from films that have to do with climate and the environment, gay pride, immigrants/refugees, history, veterans, etc. The list goes on and on.
Content
I think the concept of “filmanthropy” is essential to understanding what kind of content you can expect to find on Snag Films. This is not your typical ‘turn your brain off and be entertained’ movie streaming site. These films are smart, urgent, and often politically or socially poignant. If you care about the world and society in which you live, Snag Films is a site that deserves to be added to your bookmarks tab immediately. These films are honest, meaningful, and often cinematically inspiring.
As much as I personally enjoy this kind of content, others could argue that it is a little bit limited. Maybe it would be good to have a few titles that provide some levity or comedic relief thrown into the mix. But, hey, if that’s what you want, maybe you’re better off visiting the Snag Films’ owned comedy site, Thundershorts. There is definitely something to be said about a highly specialized and niche site, especially when it is done as well as Snag Films has been.
You also will not be likely to find any mainstream Hollywood films on Snag Films. The emphasis is very clearly and deliberately on meaningful indie films and documentaries with an urgent message.
Mobile and Desktop Experience
As sleek and stylish and professional the desktop site is, you can expect the same royal treatment from the app. Oh, yeah, that’s another thing that makes Snag Films so great – unlike most free movie streaming services, Snag offers an app. And a great one at that. It appears as if people tend to agree with my assessment of the mobile app as well, seeing as it has received a 4.6 out if 5-star average rating on the Apple App Store.
Pricing and Plans
The most amazing part of Snag Films might be the fact that it manages to provide us with over 5,000 titles, amazing streaming qualities and speeds, and an incredible website and app design – all absolutely free of charge. Sure, there are ads. But the site has to be able to stay afloat, right? And the thing that I really appreciate about Snag Films’ advertising is the fact that they are not distasteful or invasive about their ads. A simple 5 or 10-second ad might play before your film begins. It’s not too much to ask for at all. Snag Films may be the perfect independent documentary streaming site.
