Hosting companies and law enforcement are always taking down free streaming sites, including long-time favorite Putlocker. So what are you supposed to do when your usual top pick for free streaming isn't working anymore Don't put away that popcorn just yet! I tested 47 leading streaming sites for safety, usability, and speed. After careful review and ranking based on streaming catalog size, content, and quality, I've put together a list of the 10 best free alternatives to Putlocker.

Before you go any further, remember: As convenient as free streaming sites are, they come with a variety of risks to your privacy and safety. Most of the sites out there are traps: Hackers created them to catch users looking for the latest Putlocker movies or shows and steal your money or data. The best way to keep safe is a VPN, a software that disrupts cyberattacks and tracking by hiding your location and browser activity.

Nobody will be able to catch or extort you, and you'll also enjoy faster streaming - since ISPs won't be able to throttle your activity. My tests showed ExpressVPN is the best one for streaming, and at the end of my list you can see some other great options.With the largest streaming library of any site on this list, 123Movies is a superb site for finding a specific title. Right away, I liked this site's well-organized, minimalist interface. I found it to be very easy to navigate.

Although its name suggests it's better for movies, this streaming site caters to everyone. In addition to movies, it has a large selection of live-action shows—including western hits and Asian dramas—and cartoons. It even has a pretty big catalog of anime. 123Movies allows you to sort shows and movies alphabetically, by release year, or by the number of views. This makes it easy to find something to watch if you haven't made up your mind.No sign up is required to start watching, and the site has fewer ads than most free streaming sites.

The main downside of 123Movies is that its search function isn't the best. However, the site's benefits outweigh this downside, making it one of the best replacements for Putlocker.Popcornflix offers a huge library of popular movies as well as some great hidden gems. This site is one of the best alternatives to Putlocker when it comes to films, but you won't find TV shows here.It offers a large variety of movie genres, so finding something you'll like isn't difficult. In addition to recently released hits, Popcornflix is a great place to find free movie classics.

Another plus is how easy Popcornflix makes it to navigate through different categories when you haven't decided what to watch yet.This site is my top recommendation if you plan on streaming on your iPhone or Android as Popcornflix is optimized for mobile layouts as well as desktop devices.