Who likes to pay when there are thousands of illegal movie apps available on the market, with the latest movies listed even before the official apps? The biggest advantage of these apps is that they have all the content from famous platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and so on, as they have stolen movies on them. Using these apps may save some money, but they can harm you in many ways. So, if you are looking to find out popular illegal movie apps with their features & concerns, keep reading!
Knowing illegal movie streaming apps
To protect cybersecurity and avoid possible legal problems, it is important to recognize illegal apps. The following are some common signs to help identify such apps:
- No help center: The developer left no contact information or website behind.
- Excessive ads: A lot of ads are placed while you are watching a movie or even after you close the app.
- Hidden costs: Such an application states that it is free but later asks for payment for basic functionality.
- Non-functional: An app does not work as advertised or provides minimal functionality than what was promised.
- Fake reviews and ratings: Most comments are likely bogus or copy-pasted (copy-paste).
- Unreasonable app permissions: Any app wanting access to your contacts, gallery, etc., and not related to its functionality may be malicious.
- Unofficial source of the app: For instance, apps that have been shared by email attachments, on websites, or through file-sharing services.
- Install other apps without permission: Unauthorized changes to your device settings or installing other apps by these underground applications.
- Poor appearance and branding: These might be low-quality graphics, poor design, spelling/grammatical errors in the app description, or even imitations of popular names and logos slightly different from them.
- Antivirus alerts: Especially for financial or sensitive applications, these lack proper security certificates. Plus your antivirus software flags this app as potentially harmful.
- News reports: Reports linking the app with scams, data breaches, and other unlawful activities.
Legal & ethical implications
Using illegal movie streaming apps violates copyright laws, exposing users to significant legal risks, including fines, lawsuits, and potential criminal charges. Accessing content without permission can also subject individuals to copyright holders’ litigation, resulting in heavy monetary penalties and imprisonment.
Those pirated resources primarily undermine creators’ intellectual property rights, denying them fair remuneration for their efforts. This behavior depreciates the contributions of artists, producers, and industry practitioners, thereby undermining the entertainment sector’s financial viability and capacity to produce quality content. Moreover, it encourages a culture of dishonesty and contempt for legal norms that creates a bad example for others.
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List of 7 top illegal movie apps (2024)
No doubt there are unlimited illegal movie apps in the market that you can avail of free of cost, but it’s challenging to choose the best one. Therefore, to help you out, we are going to discuss a meaningful list of 7 top illegal movie apps, so let’s get started!
1. Cinema HD
It is a well-known fact that Cinema HD is one of the most popular streaming applications, which allows users to enjoy thousands of movies and TV shows for absolutely free.
You can download this app through their website on your Android phone (it isn’t available on Playstore). iOS and Windows users cannot use this app. Furthermore, they have no streaming website whatsoever.
Why be wary of it: As for Cinema HD like other pirated apps, there are risks associated with security. These apps do not have the same security features as legitimate video streaming services. Hence, they can contaminate their devices with malware and viruses.
2. 123Movies
123movies has an online website and an Android app through which you can watch thousands of movies for free. It is the most famous illegal streaming platform. Unfortunately, their websites have tons of ads, and even their app interface is very basic and very slow, and ads are bothering everywhere.
Why be wary of it: In illegal apps, you can say 123movies is high-level dangerous because literally everyone is using this name, some are even scammers whose only purpose is to hack your data through links.
3. BeeTV
BeeTV is the most searched and well-known online streaming app that works in affiliation with other partner websites to provide hot TV shows and movies. Moreover, there is a cool collection of different popular movies and TV, which you can enjoy free of cost.
Apart from this, BeeTV is not irritating to download. You can easily download it on Android, iOS, PC, Firestick, and smart TV.
Why be wary of it: The biggest problem with BeeTV is that its new versions have unexpected irritating ads, that cut your entertainment to half. Moreover, these ads may contain harmful links that you may click unintentionally.
4. Soap2day
Soap2day (launched in 2018) is a free yet decent online streaming website that allows you to watch newly released as well as medieval movies without any hassle. It offers a wide range of genres, but you can enjoy one streaming service at a time.
Moreover, you can download it on Android and iOS (iOS 13.0 or later).
Why be wary of it: Annoying pop-up ads are also a part of Soap2day, apart from this, there is always a potential risk of malware and viruses that can’t only ruin your entertainment as well as your smart device. So, it is better if you use a VPN connection along with an ads-blocker.
5. ShowBox
ShowBox covers over 250,000 movies, which you can watch and download for free, without any registration and subscription.
This site is popular due to its user-friendly interface, well-managed movies, and TV show list. A plus point is that users do not have to sign up. Its developer team tries to update it from to time to make it better and according to users’ trending requirements.
You can download ShowBox on iOS, PC, and Mac.
Why be wary of it: Viruses and malware have been reported on the cloned versions of ShowBox. So if you make use of this website, then beware of this element.
6. Popcorn Time
The Popcorn Time (released in 2014) platform is more cool than its name, which allows you to enjoy your most-liked movies and shows with subtitles, without any subscription. Behind the scenes, many developers and designers have made a big effort to make the Popcorn Time watching experience simple and seamless.
Popcorn is available for macOS, Linux, Android, iOS 16.4, and upper to add up the information.
Why be wary of it: To be honest, it’s not safe to download and stream on it, because it poses your device with several risks like hacking, phishing, etc.
7. Flixeon
Flixeon has a database of around 1 million movies and 174k TV shows. Only Android users can download this app from different web sources (not available on Play Store) and it’s not available for iPhone or Windows PC. It has a simple interface, just like Netflix, and its speed & quality are also great. You can find all the latest movies here and stream them without paying a penny.
Why be wary of it: There may be some ads, and the app may have integrated spy software that can steal your personal information.
The risks of illegal movie apps
As we warned above, the most problematic aspects of illegal film apps are the various phishing ads and links. When you are using illegal movie apps, you must be aware of the main risks to which you are exposing yourself and others.
1. Ethical concern: The first thing you must be aware of is that pirating movies is equal to stealing from artists, and it’s wrong. This means that creators would have been deprived of what they should have earned. This can discourage any more investments in new content, thereby leading to a possible decrease in innovation and creativity in the future.
Alternatively, it also leads to a culture where respect for copyright laws is given less priority as well as lowering artistic value (just think about if you were the artist).
2. Security risks: One of the most likely threats to yourself is that these platforms usually don’t have strong security precautions. Thus, people may lose their personal data, which will result in identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized access to confidential information.
3. Financial loss: These apps may ask for subscription money, but as they are illegal, they can be blocked at any time, resulting in the loss of all your money.
How to monitor and protect kids from illegal apps?
As a parent, fostering the development of proper values in your child is one of the ultimate lessons in his/her long life. These illegal and pirated resources are perfect examples you can use to educate them about copyright awareness and responsible online behavior. In addition, there are some tips for you to better monitor and control your kids’ use of various apps.
1. Awareness in your kids: The rules and honey always come from within. Even if you delete the apps forcefully, they will probably install it again. So, the first and foremost thing you should do is to inform your kids that they need to pay for every service. Besides, choose some better and safer alternatives for them.
2. Check your kids’ phones: If your kids are under 10, then you can probably check their phones physically, and if you find any such apps, you can remove them.
3. Parental control apps: Older children probably do not listen to you or allow you to check their phones. So, it becomes nearly impossible to prohibit the use of illegal apps. Fortunately, in this modern age, this problem has also been solved with the development of parental control apps like FlashGet Kids.
All you need to do is download this app on your and your kid’s phones and bind two devices by following the instructions. It enables you to monitor your child’s phone and track his/her live location remotely. There are several key features you can get.
- Live monitoring on your kid’s phone and see what apps he/she uses and notifications he/she got.
- App tracking and daily usage report: Knowing popular apps your child often uses provides an opportunity to be further involved in their lives.
- It also allows you to block certain apps and limit their screen time remotely.
Alternative secure movie apps for families
If you want family movie apps that are legal and safe for your kids to watch, then below are some world-famous suggestions that you can consider investing in.
| Best for | Parental controls | Compatibility | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disney+ | Disney+ sponsored movies, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel Superheroes, and National Geographic-related content. | Create a profile for each kid and choose from different age-rated movies (up to 7+ options) | Android Windows Apple devices All brand smart TVs PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox, etc. External streaming devices (NOW, SKY Q, Amazon, etc.) |
| YouTube Kids | Kid-rated content, like movies, educational channels, cartoons, etc. | Change content level settings (9+, 13+, or everything). You can also limit app usage via the Family link | All operating systems, no matter the brand, or type of device |
| Amazon Prime Video | Best for Hollywood, Bollywood, and South Indian movies. | Set age and purchase restriction | Android Windows Apple devices All Smart TVs (Roku, Samsung, LG, Sony, etc.) Playstation 4 & 5 Xbox One or Series X/S |
| Apple TV+ | Best for movies, series, comedies, documentaries, and kids’ content | Set age restrictions | All brand smart TVs iOS mobiles & tablets Gaming consoles (Playstation, Xbox, etc.) |
Final words
From reading this article, it must be clear to you that illegal movie apps may be free but they have a lot of irritating ads and outbound links which ruin the excitement. Plus, these ads are mostly based on adult content or scammer links, which can damage your kids mentally and financially.
So, it is recommended to spend a little money on official apps so you can keep yourself and your family safe. Moreover, it is best to make use of parental control apps like FlashGet kids to keep track of kids’ mobile activities and help them stay on the right path.
