For many of its loyal fans around the world, the name "Putlocker" is synonymous with streaming movies. Initially launched in 2011 at Putlocker.com, the Putlocker brand quickly rose to become one of the defining sites of the internet of the 2010s.
With reported traffic of up to 1.6 million visitors per day during its heyday, there is no argument that Putlocker is a king in this niche. However, over the years, the website has had a decent share of troubles.
With both the anti-copyright infringement agencies and media giants bearing down their back, it is no surprise that Putlocker has suffered multiple attack and offline spells and have had to change their domain address on several occasions.
However, resilience is one of the brand's strongest suits, and they have always sprung back up from every setback.
Even today, a working Putlocker website exists at Putlocker.bz with a steady supply of movie streams and a significant following. Nevertheless, those familiar with the old Putlocker will find this new site entirely unfamiliar.
The New Putlocker Platform
While we can only speculate as to whether the new Putlocker his affiliated with the old site, one thing we can confirm is that there is no shortage of movies on the new website.
Unlike the old Putlocker, on Putlocker.bz, users do not get to upload their own movies files. However, the site masters have provided an ample supply of movies that are sure to provide all the flicks you will ever need.
The website's extensive database includes an excellent selection of all the latest Hollywood blockbusters as well as all of the classic hits from every decade like Inception and the Godfather trilogy.
The site's homepage is a clean setup that features just the Putlocker logo and a search bar. The highly effective search lets you query their database for streaming links to all of your favorite movies from across the years.
Don't have any specific flick in mind? Switch to the movies tab, and you are immediately greeted with all of the latest Hollywood hits, or visit the series tab to catch up on all of your favorite TV series.
The streaming page gives you a short synopsis and lets you stream the movie in 480p.
If you want to watch movies in HD, the site requires you to sign up for an account. However, at the time of writing this review, the signup link does not work, and we suspect that it is only a ploy to redirect you to more ads. So, we do not recommend this option.
Why we like it: Why we hate it:Best Practices for Using Putlocker Safely
Before using a movie streaming site like Putlocker, we recommend that you install a good ad-blocking extension like Adblock Plus to your browser. Ad blockers significantly improve your stream experience as they cut out most of the ads and any malicious pop-ups and redirects, also there are lots of free options online.
Installing a good script blocker, like this script blocker for Chrome, goes a long way in improving your safety and further enhancing your movie streaming experience. Script blockers stop JavaScript execution for any site that is not on your approved list of trusted domains. Hence, these extensions can help protect you from ads, spyware, and malware.
Ignore any Premium Features
One common tactic sites like Putlocker use to lure you into visiting ad pages is by offering a non-functional premium or HD streaming button that redirects to sketchy sites. When using movie streaming sites, ignore any prompt to access special features.
VPNs are a great way to evade ISP blocks and ensure that you have access to Putlocker whenever you want. Popular VPN options include ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Cyberghost VPN.
Use Popular Similar Sites
One surefire way to reduce risk when using free movie streaming sites is to let the crowd do the filtering for you and stick to popular options like Putlocker. Typically, these top websites contain fewer ads, and there is a lower chance of encountering malware on them.
Is Putlocker down at the moment? We have also rounded up some of the most popular Putlocker alternatives in this article.
8 Putlocker Alternatives 2020
In the free movie streaming industry, few names are as big as Putlocker. One of those few that provide worthy competition to the Putlocker brand is 123Movies. Another movie streaming OG, 123Movies, has been in the game for some time now and is easily one of the most visited free streaming sites worldwide.
123Movies's strongest selling points are its clean interface and its extensive movie database.
Visit 123Movies, and for a moment, you almost forget that you are on a free streaming site. The platform's homepage features a clean, modern, and aesthetic design that is akin to what you get with paid services like Netflix.
The MainPage features neat category sections like the latest movies that are now in theaters, recently added titles, anime, cartoons, and Asian Drama. Alternatively, you can use the main navigation bar to access a more comprehensive list of all the site's categories and sorting options.
The site is not lacking in content either. On 123Movies, you can find everything from 60s flicks to currently premiering titles from every single genre. Consequently, the size of the collection of movies you will find on 123Movies is one of the largest you will find on any free internet streaming site.
123Movies is one of the best alternatives to Putlocker as its excellent design, a massive database of flicks, and its low frequency of ads places it head and shoulders above most of the competition.
Another excellent alternative to Putlocker is the Solarmovie platform. Not one that focuses on buzz, Solarmovie is easily one of the most underrated free movie streaming platforms out there. Its sleek modern design alone is enough to land it on any list of the best free streaming sites on the internet.
Over the years, Solarmovie has been garnering an ever-increasing mass of loyal subscribers thanks to the reliability of its platform and its continuous delivery of new content every year.
The site's homepage, category pages, and the streaming page all follow a consistent, clean design that significantly accentuates your movie streaming experience. The streams are in high definition, and you even have the option to save preferences to your account if you create one.
The site features sorting options that let you filter titles by genre, country of production, and their IMDB rank, helping you find new favorites fast.
While Solarmovie does not have the database depth to rival giants like Putlocker and 123Movies, the site sufficiently makes up for it with the cleanliness of their interface and the overall smoothness of the streaming experience.
While the movie streaming space is known for turbulence, with sites going in and out of existence on a regular, one website that has stayed relatively the same over the years is moviewatcher.is.
The movie-watcher platform has stayed true to its core, providing a simple, gimmick-free portal for viewing all of your latest movies.
On movie-watcher, the movie thumbnails are large and clickable, the site categories are straightforward and easy to understand, and the media player gives you the movie in HD with no extra features.
Since the website's primary focus is on movies, the TV series section seems like an afterthought, and compared with the competition, the platform is a bit lacking in that department. However, when it comes to regular flicks, few can hold a candle to movie-watcher's collection.
At the top of the site, you can find a search feature that works quite well and the category options that let you sort available titles by genre, popularity, and year of production.
Yesmovies is not an alternative for Putlocker as many would consider it a worthy permanent replacement. The website's elegant design pairs with top of the line sorting options to create a movie streaming platform that you will keep coming back to.
If you need a sleek, quirk-free interface, Yesmovies have got you covered. The site's simple red and black setup is as functional as it is beautiful. The movie thumbnails are clean-cut, the buttons are easy to use, and the aesthetics on pages are good enough to rival some paid platforms.
The homepage greets you with five featured now in cinema flicks that most movie enthusiasts will be looking for. Alternatively, you can make your pick from the handpicked selection of top titles and TV shows on the same page or use any of the sorting features at the top of the page.
Up top, you get the ability to sort movies by genre or alphabetically.
Another giant in the industry and worthy Putlocker replacement is Fmovies, a lightweight streaming site for both all of the latest blockbusters and all of your favorite classic flicks. The site's simple design and a massive collection of movies make it an easy pick for top alternatives to Putlocker.
Quite unlike the complicated interface of many movies streaming sites out there, Fmovies uses a streamlined, out-of-your-face user interface that gets you to watch your favorite videos in no time.
The main feature on the site's homepage is a massive search bar that helps you find specific titles and open directly into the media player. Furthermore, the straightforward navigation bar gives you the option to jump to the main movies or TV series page. You also get links to movies ranked by IMDB and a trending page that typically features the latest blockbusters.
If the smoothness and speed of the site user interface are at the top of your selection criteria, AZMovies is the number one alternative to Putlocker we recommend. Featuring premium-level aesthetics through and through, the beauty of this site is guaranteed to make you forget that you are on a free streaming platform.
The homepage is a great tile layout that is very reminiscent of the Netflix platform. The featured section up top shows all of the current big titles you expect, while below that, you get some of the best selection of classics from across the decades.
However, AZMovies is not all looks. The quality of streams you get on here is significantly superior to what you will find anywhere else. For most titles we tried, the platform offered to stream in crispy clear 720p video with consistent streaming speeds that will leave you dumbfounded.
Even more, for each title you open on AZMovies, you get at least 20 working links that allow you to stream the movie in high definition. Now, how many platforms can beat that? AZMovies is also low on ads, as well.
Like AZMovies, Hdpopcorns is another alternative to Putlocker that has most of its content available in HD. On Hdpopcorns, you get a handpicked selection of all of the latest Hollywood hits and some of the greatest classics in high definition, directly from the front page.
Alternatively, the navigation bar at the top of the page gives you access to an alphabetized list, as well as sorting options that lets you filter titles by country, genre, or IMDB rank. Furthermore, the search bar enables you to find specific titles using keywords, and it gets the job done correctly.
While the HDpopcorns site is big on presentation, it has the content to back it up. Most of the site streams are available in 720p, some in 1080p, and a few HD cams of movies currently premiering. The site's extensive database is also a big plus as it can fuel extended binge sessions without the need to switch websites.
Sometimes, all you need to stay entertains are some good old classics and a bag of homemade popcorn. Situations like this are where the Streamdor platform comes in handy. While Streamdor is no match for Putlocker pound for pound, the classic oldies category is where it provides some steep competition.
While Streamdor's database does not contain any of the latest movies, it is more of a feature than a bug. On Streamdor, you will find all of the best of the past decade, including almost every evergreen movie you can think of.
However, unlike other movie streaming sites like Putlocker that self-host their content, Streamdor chooses to host its movies on YouTube. While this choice makes for smooth streaming for the end-users, it means that the site has to deal with YouTube's anti-copyright policies as well. Consequently, the platform adds a digital blur to all of their uploads to help protect them from the YouTube automatic copyright detector.
More FAQs About Putlocker
- Has Putlocker been Shut Down?
If you still have your original Putlocker bookmark saved, you may be wondering why you no longer have access to the site content and if the website has been shut down. However, the thing is, shutdowns are a pretty common occurrence on the Putlocker platform, and that is why the site has undergone several domain changes over the years.
In 2012, the original domain at Putlocker.com was seized by the Intellectual Property Crime Unit of the UK police, the country where the original site was hosted. Consequently, the site underwent several domain changes before being shut down again in 2016.
Since then, several domains have come online bearing the Putlocker name like Putlocker.cc, Putlocker.is, Putlockertv.is, and Putlocker.ch. Today, the most dominant Putlocker site is Putlocker.bz. While many Putlocker fans speculate that the new site bears no connection with the original brand, the site still offers some of the broadest selection of movie streams you will find anywhere on the internet.
- Why is Putlocker Down?
Several factors may contribute to your inability to access the Putlocker site. The website may be temporarily down for maintenance, the domain you are trying to access may have been taken down, or your ISP may be blocking you from accessing the website.
In late 2017, the Australian Federal Court order ISPs around the country to block a list of over 30 piracy sites include the main Putlocker domain at the time. Since then, several governments around the world, including the US, have taken similar steps to stem the use of movie streaming and downloading sites.
Hence, Putlocker being down for you, maybe your internet service provider at work. In this situation, all you need to do to regain access is to use a VPN.
- Is Using Putlocker Illegal in the US?
While you stream movies from the internet, you may be wondering if your actions are illegal and if you face any legal risks from last night's stream of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The fact that movie streaming websites get taken down by the authorities on a legal basis should quickly clue you into the knowledge that they are illegal, and their use is too. However, with streaming movies from the internet, you do not face any real risk as it is improbable that the copyright holders will come after individual streamers.
First, it is incredibly time-consuming for them to attempt to find each user. Furthermore, more legal complications exist in trying to get the site logs and getting your ISP to unmask your ISP.
While copyright holders can go after you in theory, the several drudgeries of attempting this make it significantly unlikely.
- Is Putlocker Safe to Use?
When using a streaming site like Putlocker, with the number of ads, pop-ups and redirects you experience on the interface, it is quite common for many users to wonder about the safety of using the site.
Running a streaming site is quite expensive. Furthermore, these streaming websites rarely get any quality advertisers due to the legality of their content. Consequently, they often resort to using sketchy advertisers on their platforms.
On Putlocker, like on many other similar streaming sites, you will find multiple ads on almost every single page. In addition to the ads, when trying to click on a title, you often get pop-ups that lead to sketchy and potentially malicious ad sites.
While you can never be 100% secure on these websites, an ad blocker and a good script blocker goes a long way in blocking out most of the ads and pop-ups.
script blocker for Chrome, goes a long way in improving your safety and further enhancing your movie streaming experience. Script blockers stop JavaScript execution for any site that is not on your approved list of trusted domains. Hence, these extensions can help protect you from ads, spyware, and malware.
Another giant in the industry and worthy Putlocker replacement is Fmovies, a lightweight streaming site for both all of the latest blockbusters and all of your favorite classic flicks. The site's simple design and a massive collection of movies make it an easy pick for top alternatives to Putlocker.
- Has Putlocker been Shut Down?
- Is Using Putlocker Illegal in the US?
- Is Putlocker Safe to Use?