Movies are everyone’s favorite time-kill. The only difference is the choice of the genre we love watching movies. With smart TV and app availability, we all have many options to watch our favorite movies repeatedly. In other words, we don’t have any shortage of movie apps for watching movies on our smart TVs. If you find it challenging to choose the best movie apps for smart TV, we are here to help you out. Get down the section below to find or select the app according to your movie watching needs.
Remember! The apps mentioned below are not compatible with all your smart TVs. Moreover, you cannot download the apps on all your smart TVs. So check whether the app is compatible with your TV and then choose one accordingly.
Best Movie Apps for Smart TV
| 1. Crackle 2. Crunchyroll 3. Tubi TV 4. Hoopla Digital 5. PopcornFlix 6. Disney Plus 7. Spuul 8. Plex 9. Internet Archive 10. Shudder | 11. Vudu 12. FilmRise 13. Hotstar 14. Yidio 15. Pluto TV 16. Kodi 17. YouTube 18. Netflix 19. Hulu 20. Amazon Prime |
1. Crackle
Cost: Completely Free
Crackle by Sony tops the list of best movie apps for smart TVs. The app is a completely free, ad-supported online video streaming application. It is free as it earns its revenue from ads. But the app has no fancy features. The app offers quite a decent number of content with limited features.
It is a reliable streaming platform with several thousands of movies and TV shows. You cannot get rid of the ads even if you are willing to do so by paying for a subscription. The app also offers various original content.
2. Crunchyroll
Cost: $11.95/month; $34.95/3 months; $99.95/12 months.
Are you a fan of anime and stuff? Then, Crunchyroll will be your choice of the best movie apps for smart TV. It has a huge or massive library of anime for the target audience. It does support HD streaming in both free and premium tiers. Crunchyroll has also got its own original series and shows.
Moreover, it has got simulcast shows. The featured contents include drama and anime, the latter being the maximum under various categories and genres. Apart from this, Crunchyroll has got apparel and Manga shops. It is the only store where you can find Japanese snacks.
3. Tubi TV
Cost: Free
Tubi TV is more like a streaming service that offers on-demand videos. It does feature the best movies, TV shows, series, etc. Fox acquired the app recently, and its revenue is based on advertisements. It features thousands of hours of content from studios like MGM, Paramount, and Lionsgate.
For a 20-minute show, you will get two commercial ads in between. It may not be delightful, and we don’t have any option to get rid of the ads. The app’s UI is straightforward and very easy to navigate. Though the catalog looks a bit dated, it is getting improved with the addition of new videos.
4. Hoopla Digital
Cost: Free, Rental cost $0.99-$2.99/title
The Hoopla app offers not only movies but also ebooks, comics, TV shows, audiobooks, and music. All the contents are neatly categorized and organized. So if you select a category, you can view all the contents and the media with the concerned link.
Hoopla Digital offers HD quality videos. If you check a movie, it will be available for the next 48-72 hours. As in the case of the books, it will be available for 21 days. As far as music is concerned, it will be available for 7 days. Content-wise, the app is still in its development face.
5. PopcornFlix
Cost: Free, ad-based
Grab your popcorn to watch movies with PopcornFlix. Without a doubt, it tops the list of best movie apps for smart TV and better options for cord-cutting. You will find movies and TV shows for free. You get not so extensive content, but the app will best suit horror and cult-comedy lovers.
The quality of the contents is a bit low. However, PopcornFlix is yet another kid-friendly application. You can also rent a few contents at $0.99. The ad runs once every 15 minutes and is the biggest minus. Despite this, the app is worth downloading on your smart TV.
6. Disney Plus
Cost: $6.99/month and $69.99/year. Or you can get it as a bundle along with Hulu and ESPN + at $12.99/month.
The name Disney can conjure various animated films and fairy tales. Recently, they came up with Disney Plus streaming application that can stream content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, Star Wars, etc. It features all 31 series of The Simpsons with 600+ episodes.
Marvel movies include Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.S. Of course, Avengers and Star Wars series are also available along with the various other Disney Classics. The app is available on all Android-based smart TVs and some selected smart TVs.
7. Spuul
Cost: $4.99/month, does not include rental films. Rental films start at $0.99/movie for a 72-hour rental.
Are you a fan of Indian movies? Then Spuul will be your go-to application for your smart TV. It offers umpteen number of movies in various languages like Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, Malayalam. With the Spuul app on your TV, you can enjoy all Bollywood, Kollywood, etc.
Spuul offers free as well as paid content. You can purchase a movie or rent it for 72 hours at one price. And with a premium account, you can download movies offline in high quality. Moreover, the UI is more intuitive and clean. It has a library of 10,000 hours of movies, nearly 4000 movies in a portfolio.
8. Plex
Cost: Plex Pass $5/month, $40/year or $120/lifetime.
Plex is more like a media management platform. We can set up a media server on a computer or laptop, irrespective of the OS. With this, you can access the local contents of your computer on your other devices like mobile. You can organize the contents on your server, which will be followed by the client.
After the server configuration, you can stream and download the contents on your smart TV. It is indeed the best movie apps for smart TVs with which you can watch all the locally saved movies on your TV without sparing much of the storage space.
Related: Take a look at the best Plex Alternative apps
9. Internet Archive
Cost: Free
Internet archive differs from other websites in various aspects. It offers free online movies. You can find various full-length movies, documentaries, and even short films. Aside, you can also find some classic gems like recorded commercials and video game footage.
The movies are neatly organized and categorized under sections like animations & cartoons, computers & technology, Sports, Vlogs, Stocks, etc. And you can also filter options like the subject, collection, creator, year, language, etc., making it easy for you to use and search for what you want.
10. Shudder
Cost: $5.99/month and $56.99/year
Shudder is yet another on the list of best movie apps for Smart TV. It is a niche streaming service focusing on horror, suspense, and thriller fans. Shudder has the largest and the fastest-growing human-curated collections of high-quality videos, spine tangling, proactive films, TV series, and the originals.
You can get classic movies like Halloween, and The Hills Have Eyes, etc. It has its own set of original series, and some titles include True Horror, Channel Zero, Trailers from Hell, etc. Stream movies like American Psycho, Psycho, Hellraiser, Vertigo, The Bird, etc.
11. Vudu
Cost: Movies rental $1-$6, purchased movies costs $5-$25; TV shows one episode at $2-$4, and seasons range between $17-$44.
How about paying for what you are actually watching? Vudu is yet another best movie apps for smart TVs. The app is totally ad-supported, and that wouldn’t require a subscription. Moreover, you will find various movie titles for free too.
There is no premium plan, and Vudu works based on pay as you go platform. The price range of the rental or purchase of movies is based on the quality of the videos and the title. Vudu offers videos in HD quality 720p, standard definition, HDX 1080p, and 4K Ultra HD.
12. FilmRise
Cost: Free
FilmRise is yet another online on-demand video streaming application. Unlike Netflix or Amazon Prime, the app offers completely free content. The FilmRise acquires the distribution rights of TV shows and movies. There are 20000+ titles under different genres.
It has reality shows featuring Gordan Ramsay, Bear Grylls. The portfolio is enhanced by deals with ITV studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and even Warner Bros. The films section contain featured, new releases, our library, and documentaries. And it also got TV shoes featured, reality and classics.
13. Hotstar
Cost: $99.99/month for Hotstar Premium; Hotstar VIP costs $28/year.
Hotstar is from the Star Network that offers more than what you need. Star Network and its channels focus on offering movies, TV shows, other Live TV channels, etc. It does offer movies like Avengers and Disney content. Moreover, it also features various US-based TV series and shows.
The app also offers various free content and stream TV shows hours before the telecast. Above all, the UI is very intuitive with good design and a promising portfolio of content. Other than Start network, you can get content from Life OK, HBO, Showtime, ABC, Fox Life, QXM.
14. Yidio
Cost: Free, Depends on the content.
Yidio is yet another exciting and best movie apps for smart TV. Apart from featuring its contents, it also suggests where you can find the movie or show you are looking for. The app access content from other streaming services, so the price differs accordingly.
A free section features content like romance, classic, horror, animations, documentaries, fictions, fantasies, etc. Moreover, the app does offer content that is more of DVD quality. And like other free apps, its earning depends on the advertisements.
15. Pluto TV
Cost: Completely Free
Pluto TV is yet another over-the-top streaming service. And like Crackle, it shows advertisements based on on-demand videos. The app doesn’t want your registration. Optionally, you can register if you want to watch the show continuously after switching the devices.
Pluto TV offers the cable TV experience with 2-3 commercial breaks lasting 20-30 seconds for a 30 minutes show. The contents featured include movies, sports, comedy, kids. Some of the channels include CSI and Start Trek, CNN, NBC, MTV, AMC, etc.
16. Kodi
Cost: IPTV service of Kodi Solutions Packages is $5/month for one device, $8/month for 3 devices, and $10/month for streaming on 5 devices.
Kodi is a free and open-source digital media player. It will allow you to access all kinds of content, including videos and music. Kodi was created by Xbox Media Center for complete entertainment purposes. The numerous plugins and add-ons will enhance the experience of watching Kodi on TV.
You can set it up on one device and sync the contents with various other devices. It can play media from local and DLNA devices. You have got many movies, live TVs, and various other content for free in Kodi. Moreover, the UI of this app is unique and easy to access and use.
17. YouTube
Cost: YouTube TV – $64.99/month with 14-days free trial for 3 simultaneous streaming. You can also buy and rent movies of your choice.
YouTube is the most used online on-demand video streaming applications which offer umpteen number of contents from the plethora of portfolio. We can have both free and paid content on YouTube. It has come up with an application called YouTube TV.
Related: Check out the Best YouTube Alternatives
You can watch 80+ Live TV channels apart from the on-demand videos and various other movies with YouTube TV. With YouTube, you can either buy or rent movies on this app. For all these and more, YouTube is one of the best movie apps for smart TVs.
18. Netflix
Cost: Basic – $8.99/month for 1 device; Standard – $11.99/month for 2 devices; Premium – $15.99/month for 5 devices.
Streaming has become more popular only after the advent of Netflix. The app tops the list of streaming services. We don’t even have to explain what actually Netflix is. Having this app on your smart TV can enhance your smart TV experience to an extreme level.
Netflix not only has movies, but it also features TV shows, series, and various other original content. The app is available in most countries and available for all of your devices.
19. Hulu
Cost: Basic – $5.99/month; Ad-Free Premium – $11.99/month; Basic + Live TV – $54.99/month; Ad-Free Premium + Live TV – $60.99/month.
Hulu is another streaming application, just like YouTube, that offers a vibrant portfolio of on-demand video. But we cannot get any free content from Hulu like YouTube. Hulu does offer more than just on-demand videos like Live TV with an additional subscription fee.
Like YouTube, Hulu does offer Live TVs from more than 80 channels, and all the channels are US-based. Apart from that, Hulu has got its original contents. It is fun to have Hulu on a smart TV, and watching it on a bigger screen pays the way for accessing various contents in one place.
20. Amazon Prime
Cost: $12.99/ month or $119/year with all Prime benefits, including Amazon Prime Music.
Next to Netflix, Prime is the second biggest used on-demand video streaming application. Like others, this features content like movies, series, etc. Apart from this, you can enjoy all the benefits of the Amazon Prime customer along with Amazon Music.
The Big Bang Theory, Legacies, The Forgotten Army, Inside Edge, AII American, are the few most famous Prime content. Like Netflix, it doesn’t offer live TVs but offers high-quality videos and serves as an OTT platform.
That was all our hand-curated selection of the best movie apps for smart TV. Which app would be your choice? Let us hear it in the comment section below.