If you are a movie aficionado or simply looking to cut ties to your local cable provider, the Windows Store has a nice selection of apps that can help you catch your favorite motion picture or television series. These apps are great options for entertaining friends, keeping the kids occupies or simply curling up on the sofa to become a couch potato.
While many rely on the native Movies and TV app, these Windows 10 apps offer an alternative for those looking for something different. These Windows 10 apps are perfect for a tablet or PC viewing and those with Windows 10 Mobile versions can be great for catching a movie when you are on the go and away from the couch. To complete the Windows 10 circle, a few are available for Xbox One for those times you need a break from gaming. Just keep in mind that most require a paid subscription or operate on a pay per view model. Here are our best movie apps for Windows 10.
Update 4 February 2017 We have made a few changes to this article based on new releases, reader's input, and staff debate. There may be some new titles in the mix, as well as those that we continue to view as the best from the Windows Store.
Netflix
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Netflix is a subscription service for watching television episodes, movies, and original programming. The free app is available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, as well as Xbox One. The service fees start out at $7.99 per month that allows you to access Netflix from one device and tops out $11.99 per month that allows you access to Netflix from up to four devices simultaneously and Ultra HD playback. There is a middle ground with a $9.99 per month plan that gives you access to HD playback and the ability to access Netflix from two devices at the same time.
The app itself is laid out simply with access to the entire Netflix library that includes movie and television genres such as action, sci-fi, romance, family and more. The library of titles includes the likes of Unforgiven, Zootopia, Captain America Civil War, Gotham, Star Wars Clone Wars, along with original programming such as Luke Cage, but the offering differs per region.
Streaming quality is top notch and only limited by the display you are viewing from. Speaking of which, viewing can be paused on one device and resumed on another. This is a handy feature as you transition from the small screen of a Windows Phone to the larger screen of a laptop or Xbox.
The Netflix Windows 10 app has support for watch lists to keep your favorites readily available, with comprehensive descriptions for all titles that include recommended alternatives. Overall, the Netflix app is a solid option to access the subscription services.
Download Netflix from the Windows Store
Hulu
Hulu offers you unlimited, instant streaming of popular movies, television series, and original programming. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile and Xbox One, the Hulu app is free to download but does require a subscription to access the content.
Subscriptions begin at $7.99 a month, and there currently is a free week trial available to let you try things out before committing to the monthly fees. Much like Netflix, Hulu offers a broad range of content for your viewing pleasure, but probably more focused on made for television movies and series than major motion pictures.
Content ranges from popular television shows such as Modern Family, Law and Order and Empire. There is also original series available for streaming such as The Path, Casual and The Mindy Project. Along with the adult oriented content, Hulu does provide a large collection of popular kids shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Pokemon and Inspector Gadget.
Hulu includes Live Tile support to allow you to pin your favorite shows to your Start Screen for instant access and you can search for content using Cortana. This free movie app is a great option for delivering entertaining movies and television episodes to the comfort of your Windows 10 PC or Mobile device, as well as your Xbox One console.
Download Hulu from the Windows Store (Windows 10 Mobile)[.cta.large}
Download Hulu from the Windows Store (Windows 10 PC)
MovieMatic
MovieMatic is a free app for Windows 10 PC that delivers your favorite movies and television series to the comfort of your PC or tablet. The movie selection ranges from classic titles to those just ending their theatrical release.
Genres include the usual suspects such as comedy, action, horror, family, documentary and more. The layout of MovieMatic is rather simple with a toggle menu at the very top to switch between movie and television listings. You can search for titles by genre, keyword, or by browsing manually. Selections are respectable and include the likes of X-Men: Apocalypse, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jason Bourne, The Big Bang Theory and Arrow.
Playback was smooth and launches a few seconds after you pull up the movie or episode description, requiring you to close out the description manually to enjoy the full-screen view.
MovieMatic is a free, ad-supported app that is available for Windows 10 PC. It is an attractive Windows 10 app that offers you the best of both the large screen and small screen movies.
Download MovieMatic from the Windows Store (Windows 10 PC)
Crackle
Crackle is a Windows 10 app that delivers free, full-length movies and television series to your Windows 10 PC or Mobile device. The catalog of movie and television titles features older titles such as Seinfeld, Firefly, News Radio, Dead Rising, Heavy Metal, Godzilla (the originals) and more.
Individual listings include clips and trailers to let you get a feel for the movie and playback was smooth. Titles can be search by keyword or filtered by genre, most popular, featured and recently added.
While Crackle offers a nice library of movie and television titles in an easy to use layout, the collection does feel a little dated when compared to other movie apps. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but don't look for recent releases on Crackle to be recent movies just out of their theatrical run.
- Download Crackle from the Windows Store (Windows 10 Mobile)
- Download Crackle from the Windows Store (Windows 10 PC)
VUDU
VUDU is a paid subscription service for movies and television episodes that can be enjoyed from your Windows 10 PC. Both app and VUDU membership are free, but most of the titles are pay per view. Think of VUDU as a RedBox or Blockbuster for Windows 10.
VUDU does have support to connect to your Disney Movies Anywhere or InstaWatch accounts and stream the videos through the VUDU app. Payment for movie or television titles can be paid via your credit card, Paypal account or Wal-Mart Gift Card.
The VUDU library contains an entertaining collection of movies that includes The Legend of Tarzan, Ghostbusters (2016), Warcraft, Agents of SHIELD, Flash, Once Upon a Time and more. Titles can be rented or owned, but the television series appear to only have the purchase option. Pricing ranges from $0.99 and higher, with standard definition and high definition options available. I did notice bundled sales available to save you a little and there are a number of free first episodes available for some television series.
If a pay per month model isn't for you and you prefer to buy or rent your movies, VUDU might be a service worth checking out. The app is laid out in clean fashion with easy to use (and understand) controls and the collection of movies/television episodes is vast. VUDU is a free app and available for Windows 10 PC, as well as Xbox One.
Download VUDU from the Windows Store
If you have given any of these Windows 10 movie apps a try, let us know what you think of things in the comments. Even though there isn't an Amazon Prime app, there are other options for enjoying movies from the comfort of your Windows 10 PC or Mobile device. If you have a favorite movie app that wasn't mentioned, feel free to toss out your recommendation in the comments as well.
