If you haven’t heard the news already, Plex is the latest company to offer an AVOD streaming service. In this guide we’ll explain everything you need to know and how to watch free movies and TV shows using Plex.
Plex’s new AVOD service is now available, globally, and can be accessed from a variety of devices.
If you haven’t used the Plex service before, then with the opportunity to stream movies and TV shows for free, now’s the time to get to know Plex.
In this article
What’s an AVOD service?
Different streaming services are categorized differently and most often depending on how they monetize their subscribers.
For example, Netflix is an SVOD. That’s short for a subscription video on demand service. People pay Netflix a monthly amount and in return, Netflix provides unlimited access to its catalog.
HBO and other similar services are also SVOD services.
An AVOD service is different in the fact that it does not charge its users for access. At least, not directly. AVOD refers to an ad-supported video on demand service and as the name suggests, means the service is highly dependent on revenue generated from ads.
In the truest sense of the word, an AVOD shouldn’t charge at all. However, there are some services that employ an AVOD approach as a means to reduce, but not remove the cost to the streamer. Hulu is an example of this as although it offers an SVOD tier for its standard Hulu subscription plan priced at $11.99 per month, it also offers a $5.99 version as well.
The cheaper version is not any different in terms of the content. The difference is in the combining of an AVOD and SVOD approaches into one service.
The new Plex streaming service is a true AVOD service as there’s no cost to the subscriber.
You do need to set up an account using an email address but otherwise you get access to a wide selection of movies and TV shows for free.
What devices can I stream Plex on?
Plex is already a widely-supported service with apps available for a number of different devices and platforms.
This even includes VR headsets, with Plex available on Oculus Go, Samsung Gear VR, Lenovo Mirage Solo VR, and Google’s Daydream platform.
However, with free movies and TV shows being such a new feature it is currently only available on a limited number of platforms.
Here’s the full list of platform Plex apps that are currently compatible with the new video on demand service:
- Android mobile (v7.25 or newer)
- Android TV (v7.25 or newer)
- Apple TV (v2.11.1 or newer)
- iOS (requires iOS 10+) (v6.5.1 or newer)
- Plex Web App (v4.14 or newer)
- Roku (v6.4.7 or newer)
- Smart TVs (LG 4K/UHD [webOS 2.0+]) (v4.14 or newer)
- Microsoft Xbox One (v4.14 or newer)
Plex says it intends to add support for other devices and platforms in the future.
What free movies and TV shows does Plex have?
With this being a new service, you might expect the pickings to be a little slim. But that’s not the case.
Plex says its new streaming service already has thousands of titles to choose from.
Here’s just a taste of some of the movies and TV shows you can watch for free right now.
- American Ultra starring Kristen Stewart
- Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 starring Bruce Campbell
- Frequency starring Dennis Quaid
- Rain Man starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise
- Overboard starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
- Teen Wolf starring Michael J. Fox
- The Terminator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Plex has also confirmed the streaming service is stocked with some “award-winning indie films.” These include:
- Wristcutters: A Love Story
- Dolphin Boy
- The Sandlot Journey
In addition, there’s also a selection of content aimed at younger viewers, including:
- The Undersea Adventures of Ripples and His Friends
- Make it Work
- Brain Candy TV
This is as well as music concerts and documentaries from artists including:
- Nicki Minaj
- Deadmau5
- Taylor Swift
Again, all of this is now free to stream using Plex.
How to watch free Plex movies and TV shows
To start watching free movies and TV shows through Plex you’ll need to download the app from the appropriate app store.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll need to create an account to really benefit from all of the Plex features.
This account creation is free and just requires an email address.
Once all setup, you can start watching the free videos by heading to the new “Movies & TV” section.
Then it’s just a matter of choosing the movie or TV show you want to stream and hitting play.
Plex app download links
If you are new to Plex, you can download the app from the links below.
Amazon Fire TV users can download the Plex app from the Amazon app store.
Android mobile, tablet and Android TV users can download the app from the Google Play Store.
iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV users can download the Plex app from the App Store.
Roku player and TV users can add Plex as a channel through the Roku app store.
PlayStation users can download the Plex app from the PlayStation Store.
Xbox users can download the Plex app from the Microsoft store.
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