9xMovie is an independent guide to licensed streaming in India and for Indian audiences abroad. We compare what each app really costs, what is genuinely free, and which one holds the films you are looking for. We do not host or link to pirated content — and several options below cost nothing at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 9xmovie.com a movie download site?
No. 9xmovie.com is an independent comparison guide to licensed streaming services in India and abroad. We do not host, index, stream or link to any unlicensed content. If you arrived here searching for a download site, the platforms compared on this page carry most of the same films legally, and several of them are free.
Can I watch Hindi movies free and legally?
Yes. Prime Video's ad-supported 'Free to Me' section — which absorbed the entire Amazon MX Player catalogue in July 2026 — is free to browse and watch without a Prime membership. JioHotstar keeps part of its library free with ads, and studios such as Shemaroo, Goldmines and Ultra upload full films to their own official YouTube channels.
What is the cheapest legal streaming subscription in India?
ZEE5 at ₹399 for a full year — about ₹34 a month for one screen at 720p — is the cheapest full subscription. JioHotstar's ₹149/month mobile plan is the cheapest monthly option and carries a bigger overall library.
Which app is best for Tamil, Telugu and other regional films?
ZEE5 has the deepest regional catalogue relative to its price, with real Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam libraries rather than a handful of titles. JioHotstar is the broader library overall but is weighted more towards Hindi and sport.
Do these apps work outside India?
Yes, but as separate international products. ZEE5 Global and SonyLIV's international tiers serve diaspora audiences in the Gulf, UK and North America with the same Hindi and regional catalogues, priced in local currency. Subscribe on the storefront for the country you actually live in — mismatched payment methods usually get the subscription cancelled.
Might my mobile plan already include one of these?
Very possibly. Several Jio prepaid recharges bundle JioHotstar, some add ZEE5 or Prime Video, and JioFiber and JioAirFiber broadband plans include SonyLIV. Check your telecom app before paying for anything separately.
Are free pirate streaming sites actually risky?
Yes, and the risk is mostly not legal. Those sites make their money from redirect chains, fake player buttons and notification spam sold to whoever bids highest, which is how phones get infected. The legal options on this page range from free to ₹399 a year.
Do you earn money from the links on this page?
Yes. We may earn a commission when you sign up for a service through a link here, at no extra cost to you. It does not change the prices quoted, and it does not decide the order — the free options are listed first because they match what most readers came for.
Where to watch movies online legally in India — 2026
If you landed here looking for a free movie download site, here is the honest version: the streaming apps below carry most of the same films, several of them let you watch without paying anything, and none of them will put malware on your phone or get your connection flagged. This page compares what each one actually costs in rupees and which film libraries they hold. We update it monthly.
1. What you can watch free, with no subscription
Prime Video's "Free to Me" tab is the biggest legal free catalogue in India right now. Amazon retired the Amazon MX Player brand on 16 July 2026 and folded its entire ad-supported library — originals, dubbed films, reality shows and micro-dramas — into Prime Video. You can browse and watch that section without a Prime membership and, for most titles, without signing up at all. Ads play, the films are licensed, and it costs nothing.
JioHotstar also keeps a rotating slice of its catalogue free with ads, and YouTube hosts a genuinely large number of full-length Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films uploaded by the studios themselves — Shemaroo, Goldmines and Ultra are the big official channels. If a film is on a studio's own YouTube channel, it is legal to watch.
2. The paid apps, compared
All prices below are the India storefront as of August 2026. Every one of these has a mobile-only or single-screen tier, which is what most people on this page actually need.
- JioHotstar — from ₹149/month. The ₹149 mobile plan is the cheapest way into the largest combined library in the country. ₹299/month gets premium quality across up to four devices. Also holds the IPL, ICC events, Premier League and Wimbledon, if sport matters to you.
- ZEE5 — ₹399 for a full year. Roughly ₹34 a month, one screen, 720p. The cheapest legitimate subscription on this list by a wide margin, and the strongest catalogue for Hindi plus regional cinema — Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam are all properly represented rather than token.
- SonyLIV — ₹299/month or ₹999/year. Worth it mainly for its originals and its sport (UEFA Champions League, WWE, UFC, tennis). A weaker pure-movie library than the other three.
- Prime Video — ₹1,499/year. The most expensive here, but the membership also covers Amazon delivery, and the free ad-supported tier described above is part of the same app — so you can start free and upgrade only if the paid catalogue is worth it to you.
3. Check your mobile plan before you subscribe to anything
This is the single most common way people in India overpay. Several Jio prepaid recharges already bundle JioHotstar, and some bundle ZEE5 or Prime Video on top. JioFiber and JioAirFiber broadband plans include SonyLIV outright. Before you pay for a subscription, open your telecom app and look at what your current plan already includes — a large share of readers on this page are entitled to at least one of these apps for free and do not know it.
4. Watching from the Gulf, the UK or North America
About one in seven readers here is in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar or Kuwait, so: yes, these services work outside India, but they are sold as separate international products. ZEE5 Global and SonyLIV's international tiers carry the same Hindi and regional catalogues for diaspora audiences, priced in local currency rather than rupees — usually more than the India price, and occasionally with a slightly different film selection because of territorial rights. Prime Video is available in essentially every market with its own local catalogue. Buy the storefront for the country you actually live in; using a payment method from the wrong country tends to end with a cancelled subscription.
5. Getting the most out of a small data pack
Download over Wi-Fi rather than streaming on mobile data — every app on this list supports offline downloads on its paid tiers, and a downloaded film costs you the data once instead of every time you watch it. On 4G, 480p is genuinely fine on a phone screen and uses roughly a third of the data of 1080p. All four apps let you cap streaming quality in settings; set it once and forget it.
6. Why we do not link to piracy sites
Beyond the legal position — which is straightforward, and not in your favour — the practical argument is that pirate streaming sites are the single most reliable way to get a phone infected. The business model of those sites is not the films; it is the redirect chains, the fake player buttons and the notification spam they sell. The apps on this page cost between nothing and ₹399 a year. That is a low price for not handing your phone to whoever bought last week's ad slot.