Popcorn Time is one of the most famous free software BitTorrent clients with an integrated media player. It allows the users to watch the torrent files stream simultaneously while downloading. This is why it is an alternative to various subscription-based video streaming services like Netflix. However, the site went offline in March 2014 due to the increased pressure from the MPAA over copyright violations. Hence, it is time for its fans to find Popcorn Time alternatives.
In 2015, Popcorn Time reappeared and was redirected to a new domain. The ISP of various countries blocked access to the site due to piracy concerns while the website was shut down in some countries. Because of its immense popularity, the developers continue to create copy Popcorn Time sites, but in January 2022, the group behind the app emailed a goodbye declaring its end.
Since then, Popcorn Time users have been in great shock, but using alternative websites can stream their favorite TV shows and movies safely and without interruption. The following article takes a deep look into the best Popcorn Time alternatives, so if you’re looking for one, here are your options.
Quick Steps To Stream Safely on Popcorn Time Alternatives
While you use Popcorn Time alternatives, it’s advisable not to make any compromise on your digital security and privacy. As the alternative websites might come with issues, so it is better to use reliable tools like the ones mentioned below:
All the tools mentioned above provide maximum digital privacy and ensure a reliable and safe streaming experience, so do use them.
What Are The Best Alternatives to Popcorn Time?- Reviews
Popcorn Time went offline due to legal issues, but it does carry other privacy issues. Hence, it’s best to stick with its alternatives if you are concerned about your privacy and security while streaming. Below are the best Popcorn Time alternatives that offer a reliable streaming experience.
F2movies Review
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F2movies is a free streaming site developed as a clone of Fmovies and has recently started to get the spotlight. It offers a huge library …
Vexmovies Review
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Moviesjoy Review
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Moviesjoy is a free online streaming platform that provides content in HD quality. It has an impressive content library within which a wide range of …
LookMovie Review
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Lookmovie was one of the top streaming sites for free movies and TV shows. It started in late 2020 but shut down in early 2021 …
1movies Review
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1movies is a popular streaming site that offers a wide variety of content including movies, TV shows, and music. The site seems real and legit, …
CouchTuner Review
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CouchTuner.com was one of the most popular TV streaming sites from 2010 to 2014, with millions of users. The site offered a wide selection of …
Popcornflix Review
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Popcornflix is a free, legal streaming service that offers the best movies and TV shows. No subscription is required, and no fees are associated with …
HDonline Review
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The HDOnline website has been online since early 2021, offers a great selection of new releases and classics, and has something for everyone. Online TV …
GoMovies Review
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In 2018, GoMovies was one of the most popular and trusted sites for streaming content online. The site was used by millions of people each …
Afdah Review
afdah.live
Afdah is a relatively new movie streaming site that has recently gained popularity. This third-party video hosting site offers movies and TV shows in 720 …
Tubi Review
tubitv.com
Tubi is a free streaming platform that allows users to watch free TV shows and movies. The website has been operational since 2013 and is …
Soap2day Review
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Soap2day is a streaming service that has been gaining popularity in recent years. It offers a wide selection of the best movies and TV shows, …
AZMovies Review
azm.to
Streaming services are all the rage these days. Knowing which is right for you can be hard with so many choices. This review will look …
BlaBlastream Review
blablastream.net
If you are looking for a safe and secure way to watch free online movies and TV shows or download content in HD quality, BlaBlastream …
Crackle Review
crackle.com
Crackle is a popular streaming website that offers an extensive library of free movies and TV shows. Although the site is free to use, it …
CTV Review
ctv.ca
CTV is a Canadian streaming site that is not accessible in other regions. It was developed by Bell Media and offers users a wide variety …
Xmovies8 Review
xmovies8.io
If you’re looking for a free online streaming website that promises an ultimate streaming experience with a vast content library and HD-quality videos, then xmovies8 …
Cineb Review
cineb.net
Cineb is a great site that provides real 720p to 1080p streaming with HD content. However, Cineb wasn’t a streaming service back in 2005. It …
TinyZone Review
tinyzonetv.to
TinyZone is a small free online streaming site that provides access to hundreds of free online movies and TV shows. The site has a clean …
Bmovies Review
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Bmovies is a website that allows users to watch movies and TV shows for free. The site has a vast content library that provides content …
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WatchSeries Review
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Moviestars Review
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Fmovies Review
fmovies
Fmovies is an online streaming site that offers various movies and TV shows. It is one of the most popular streaming sites on the internet, …
Solarmovie Review
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Flixtor Review
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M4ufree Review
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5movies Review
5moviess
5movies is one of the newest and most popular streaming services. It offers free movies, tv shows, and genres from around the world. 5movies also …
Yesmovies Review
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Yesmovies is a streaming service that offers a wide variety of content, from movies to television shows. There is something for everyone on yesmovies, and …
Vumoo.To Review
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LosMovies Review
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123Movies Review
123movies.com
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Security Issues With Popcorn Time
Though Popcorn Time enjoyed great popularity among its fans, it wasn’t free from security risks. People remain unaware of the dangers that come along with it. Here’s an overview of the significant privacy and security issues that Popcorn Time had:
Copyright Violations
The biggest risk of using Popcorn Time was facing copyright infringement charges. The streaming platform hosts a wide range of TV shows and movies without the distributor’s permission, and watching such content is not legal in most countries. Because of piracy, the UK court, Israeli, and Danish governments blocked the website access in 2015.
Law enforcement agencies in such countries are always after people who use illegal streaming sites. Previously, there were occasions when people got arrested for using Popcorn Time. Also, in such situations, a legal investigation is initiated, which leads to penalties or imprisonment for those violating copyright laws.
Pop-up Ads
Another issue that Popcorn Time had was interrupting the users’ streaming experience with pop-ups and ads. Being a free torrent streaming site, it was full of advertisements that cluttered the screen, resulting in incredible frustration among users. These ads posed significant privacy risks as the hackers might inject malicious codes within the ads, and you could download malware and viruses on your device by clicking on those ads.
Geographical Restrictions
The Popcorn Time platform was inaccessible in various countries. The government or the ruling court ordered to blocked the website because it contained pirated content. Thus, if you were on vacation in a country where the site wasn’t working, you couldn’t stream on it. Even if you are a permanent resident and tried to access the website, the ISP could take action against you to stop you from watching the copyrighted content and violating the law.
Viruses and Malware
Viruses and malware were yet another significant threat users faced while using Popcorn Time. There are various ways by which malicious software could get into the device. The most common method was bombarding the users with malicious ads. These ads encourage users to respond; when they do so, it automatically downloads on the device. In addition, while downloading torrents, hackers upload the malware-laden torrent file, and when users download them, the malicious software infects the device.
Online Surveillance
While downloading torrents through Popcorn Time, there’s zero anonymity in the torrent swarm, so it’s easy for ISPs, hackers, and copyright trolls to monitor your activities. The ISPs could learn about your torrenting activities by tracking your IP address. Plus, they could take legal action against those who watched and downloaded the content and violated copyright laws.
How to Access Popcorn Time Alternatives Safely?
While using the Popcorn Time alternatives, it’s essential to use security-enhancing tools to ensure that your streaming experience isn’t spoiled or interrupted for any reason.
Use a VPN
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a great tool you must always use while using the Popcorn Time alternatives. It encrypts the data traffic by routing it via a secure and remote VPN server. This makes your streaming activities hidden from all the snooping eyes. Plus, a VPN also hides the real IP address by assigning you the IP address of the VPN server. Since both the IP address and the location are hidden, the ISP won’t recognize who you’re and what you’re doing on the web. Also, the service providers can’t throttle your connection, and you can continue streaming without any noticeable buffering and connection lags.
Furthermore, many streaming sites’ faces are geographically restricted. But a VPN ensures that geo-blocks don’t become a hurdle in the streaming experience. By using dedicated obfuscation technology and routing the internet traffic to a remote server, a VPN circumvents censorship and enables users to browse the web freely.
However, make sure to use paid VPNs instead of free ones. The free VPNs won’t ensure the best streaming experience and are also not good from a privacy perspective. Hence make sure to use the best-paid streaming VPNs.
Use Anti-Malware Blocker
Using anti-malware software also ensures safety while streaming your favorite content on Popcorn Time alternatives. The software detects and removes the malware automatically before it can cause any harm to your device or data. It provides real-time protection by scanning the device for any malicious content you might accidentally download. Besides this, the malware blocker also effectively blocks cookies and trackers that aim to monitor and track you and gather information for third-party companies who want to target you with ads.
Use Ad-Blocker
Free streaming websites earn revenue through ads, but these ads pose great problems for the users. By popping up on the screen after every few minutes, these ads cause great annoyance and result in an interrupted and frustrating streaming experience. To avoid this issue, you can always rely on an ad blocker. An ad blocker is a great tool to access Popcorn Time alternatives safely. It wipes out pop-ups, banners, and video ads and ensures that no ads cover the content. This way, it guarantees that ads won’t distract you during streaming.
Besides these, ad blockers protect you from clicking on any malicious ads that contain malicious codes and infect your device with malware.
Why Use Popcorn Time Alternatives?
Popcorn Time offered users the easiest way to watch their favorite TV shows and movies for free. However, the streaming service faced significant legal trouble for hosting pirated content, leading to its shutdown in 2014. After that, the site showed up with a new domain, but the countries with strict copyright laws continued to block it. The minds behind Popcorn Time developed copy sites to ensure users enjoy a similar experience to the original site. However, in January 2022, it declared its permanent closure. Since Popcorn Time is not functioning now, it’s better to use its alternatives.
The good news is that the Popcorn Time alternatives are working and don’t face legal issues like the Popcorn Time. The alternatives have a comprehensive content library that includes old classics and the latest TV shows and movies. Above all, these websites host streaming content on their servers rather than showing third-party links that might contain copyrighted content. Besides this, these websites offer HD video quality and fast streaming speed that many users badly miss while using Popcorn Time. It’s a torrenting service that enables streaming and downloading simultaneously, so users won’t always get fast streaming speed.
Besides this, on Popcorn Time, there is a high chance of downloading a malware-laden torrent file that might infect the device with malware. It also shows pop-up ads that are annoying and intrusive simultaneously and might work as trackers to keep an eye on your activities.
Therefore, to prevent such issues consider using the Popcorn Time alternatives. Don’t forget to use a reliable VPN provider to boost your digital security and streaming experience.
FAQs
Popcorn Time is a free BitTorrent client with a media player. It uses sequential downloading to stream videos as listed by different torrent websites. In other words, it is a streaming platform that lets users stream TV shows and movies while torrent files are being downloaded. The website was free to use and immensely popular among users. However, since it contained copyrighted content, it was illegal to access in most countries across the globe.
Because of copyright infringement, the streaming service was first shut down in 2014. It was a temporary shutdown, and the website again started functioning with a new domain in 2015. But countries that followed strict copyright laws continued to block access to the website. As per the recent development, in January 2022, the developers behind Popcorn Time announced that they are shutting down all the clone websites. While many assume that the website is dead now, it isn’t. You can still access the website through the following domain.
Popcorn Time consists of copyrighted content, meaning it streams TV shows and movies without having legal rights or distributors’ permission. Streaming and downloading such content is illegal in countries like Australia, America, the UK, and the USA. The country where you live decides the legality of using Popcorn Time. Thus, if you accessed Popcorn Time from any such location, it is illegal, and you can get into legal trouble.
Amazon Prime, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max, and DAZN are some of the best alternatives to Popcorn Time. These services have legal streaming rights, so you don’t need to worry about getting caught over copyright violations. All the content is original and exclusively belongs to the streaming service. Plus, these services let the users stream in 4K or HD quality without experiencing significant buffering or connection lags. Besides this, they are free from ads; you would not see intrusive and annoying ads. However, they would charge a subscription fee, but it’s better to invest a few bucks in enjoying a safe and secure streaming experience.
Using a VPN is an excellent idea while using the Popcorn Time alternatives. It makes your streaming activities private by masking your IP address and preventing the ISPs from seeing what you’re doing on the web. Additionally, a VPN encrypts the data traffic, which helps bypass the geo-blocks and improves the streaming speed. As a whole, using a VPN on Popcorn Time alternatives is necessary, so subscribe to a legitimate streaming VPN.
Final Thoughts
Popcorn Time used to be a great free streaming service; however, because of piracy concerns, it has gone offline. The developers have also shut down the copy sites, which makes users look for websites that can provide a similar user experience to that of Popcorn Time. All the websites mentioned above are the best alternatives to Popcorn Time that are a better option than Popcorn Time. Hence, do consider them using and enjoying the best streaming experience.
