Renting a movie online is as simple as a few clicks here's a full breakdown of all the major ren

Publish date: 2024-06-15
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  • What services can you rent streaming movies from?
  • How much do streaming movies cost to rent?
  • How long can you stream movies after you rent them?
  • Can you buy streaming movies to keep permanently?
  • Can you rent brand-new movies still playing in theaters?
  • Vudu
  • Apple TV
  • FandangoNow
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Google Play Movies/YouTube

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    Remember when renting a movie meant going to a store? Times have changed for the movie industry. With video rental chains a relic of the past, online streaming has become the new standard for renting movies to watch at home. 

    With multiple services to choose from — including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, and FandangoNow — it's never been easier to find a film worth renting on a smart TV, media player, or mobile device. These platforms all allow you to browse through a huge catalog of digital films, enabling you to pay for rentals individually rather than as part of a subscription.

    To help make your next movie night at home more enjoyable, we've broken down some of the basics of renting streaming films from a variety of services. So, put a bag of popcorn in your microwave and pick up your controller or tablet — there are a lot of great movies out there waiting to be discovered. 

    What services can you rent streaming movies from?

    Services like Vudu, Google Play Movies, Apple TV, and FandangoNow all offer a comprehensive assortment of movies that you can rent individually without a subscription. Amazon Prime Video, meanwhile, actually offers individual rentals in addition to its subscription service for Prime members. 

    Once you've created an account with any of the above services and added your payment details, renting a title is as simple as a few clicks. In most cases, you can simply browse through the platform's website or download the service's app. After finding the title you want, you simply click on the movie and complete the instructions to confirm your rental. 

    How much do streaming movies cost to rent?

    Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, FandangoNow, and Google Play all let you rent movies for as little as $3, though most newer releases top out at $8 depending on the quality you choose. Brand-new movies that are still playing in theaters can cost a bit more, however, with some in-theater titles going for as much as $20 to rent.

    How long can you stream movies after you rent them?

    You typically get 30 days to start watching a title once you rent it. After you press play, you usually have 48 hours before your rental expires.

    Can you buy streaming movies to keep permanently?

    In many cases you can choose to buy a digital movie instead of just renting it. This will allow you to stream it whenever you want for as long as you want. Digital movie purchases typically range in price from $5 to $30 depending on how new a film is. 4K Ultra HD versions of movies are sometimes more expensive than high definition (HD) or standard definition (SD) versions.

    It should be noted, however, that digital purchases aren't quite as permanent as buying a DVD or Blu-ray. When you make a digital movie purchase, you're essentially buying the license to keep streaming that title from the service you've selected. But, if that service somehow goes out of business or loses the rights to the title you bought, it's possible that you'll lose access to your digital copy.

    Can you rent brand-new movies still playing in theaters?

    In response to theater closures during the pandemic, studios have allowed people to stream many brand-new movies that would otherwise be exclusive to theaters.

    Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, FandangoNow, and Google Play all offer these "in-theater" titles. Disney Plus also releases select in-theater movies via "Premier Access," which requires an extra fee in addition to your regular subscription. Depending on the studio, some titles might only be available to rent, while others are only available to buy.

    Prices for in-theater rentals can be as high as $30 per title. This may seem expensive if you're planning to watch "Spiral: From The Book of Saw" on your own, but if you're a parent with kids who would have otherwise spent a small fortune to see "Raya and the Last Dragon" in a theater — this is a steal. Rental prices are also reduced over time — "Raya," for instance, is now just $6 to rent through VOD, or free to stream with a Disney Plus subscription.

    Emma Stone in "Cruella." Laurie Sparham/Disney

    Some notable 'in-theater movies' currently available to rent or own include:

    Since the movie selection is about the same no matter which rental service you choose, picking a platform to use really comes down to choosing the app that works best on the devices you own. Below, we've broken down some key details for all of the major digital movie retailers.

    Vudu

    The Vudu app interface is easy to navigate. Vudu

    Vudu is available on many devices and even includes a selection of free movies with commercials.

    Vudu maintains a massive inventory of titles to rent at various price points. The service used to charge more for 4K versions of its titles, but most movies are now priced the same regardless of their video quality.

    The Vudu app is readily available on many platforms and recently expanded its support to Amazon Fire TV, which was one of the few devices it was missing from. We also like that its app tends to work well and support most features no matter what platform you use it on.

    Vudu also has an edge over some competing services thanks to its "Free With Ads" selection. This collection of titles rotates practically every week, and though there are ads, breaks are rarely lengthy or too intrusive. So, if you're trying to entertain on a budget and don't feel like paying for a rental — this is one of the best options available.

    Apple TV

    You can rent movies and sign up for Apple TV Plus in the same app. Apple

    Apple TV ties in seamlessly with the rest of Apple's services.

    Apple offers a large selection of movies to rent through its Apple TV app on a variety of connected devices. Though in-app transactions were originally limited to web browsers and mobile devices, you can now rent movies directly from the Apple TV app on most media players and smart TVs. 

    The Apple TV app is also a strong performer when it comes to general video and audio quality. The service offers one of the largest 4K rental selections, giving you the best overall AV experience for your dollar.

    As a bonus, the Apple TV app is also home to the Apple TV Plus streaming service. You have to pay a subscription fee of $5 a month to unlock Apple TV Plus content, but it's convenient to be able to access TV Plus shows and movies in the same app as your rentals.

    On the downside, the Apple TV app is not available on Android mobile devices.

    FandangoNow

    FandangoNow lets you rent movies to watch on many devices. FandangoNow

    FandangoNow is the only rental service with IMAX Enhanced movies for high-quality streaming on select Sony TVs.

    Like all of the digital rental stores on our list, FandandgoNow offers a large selection of movies to choose from. The platform is also available on most connected devices, and was recently added to Apple TV products.

    The service has been in the 4K streaming game a long time now and they do an impressive job bringing high quality picture and audio to homes. FandangoNow is also the only rental service currently offering support for the IMAX Enhanced format. This tech offers specially optimized HDR picture and DTS sound on supported Sony TVs.

    If you have a Dolby Vision compatible TV or a Dolby Atmos audio setup, however, you'll likely want to opt for Vudu or Apple TV since FandangoNow does not currently support those formats. 

    Amazon Prime Video

    Prime Video has a big selection of rental options in addition to its subscription library. Amazon

    Prime Video has a huge library of movies you can pay to rent, even if you're not a Prime subscriber.

    Amazon Prime Video does a lot of things right, and it provides an impressive list of digital rentals you can buy without a subscription. If you're a Prime member you also gain the added benefit of a massive number of movies and shows as part of your subscription. On top of that — similar to Vudu — Amazon Prime offers a small selection of "Free With Ads" titles sponsored by IMDB.

    Prime Video is one of the only digital retailers currently offering support for the HDR10+ format. With that said, the platform's Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support is sorely lacking as there are very few titles that offer those features. 

    On that note, my main problem with Prime Video is its lack of clear format and quality labels. 4K HDR viewing options aren't always available and it's not even always clear whether a title is supposed to include those features or not.

    Depending on the device you're using, you often have to hunt specifically for the 4K UHD version of a movie or show to see if that option exists.

    Google Play Movies/YouTube

    Google Play Movies is available on Android devices, while YouTube offers the same selection on smart TVs. Google

    Google Play Movies and YouTube are both convenient rental service for Android users.

    When it comes to movie selection, Google is basically on par with the other services on our list. That said, Google appears to be in the process of phasing out the Google Play Movies app. As reported by Variety, the service is no longer available on Roku devices or smart TVs from Samsung, LG, and Vizio. Instead, you can rent movies directly through Google's YouTube app on those devices.

    YouTube doesn't have the best interface for highlighting Google's selection of movie rentals, but the rental process works about the same as any other service once you've found a movie you'd like to watch.

    Google Play Movies is still available as an app on Android devices, however, and I prefer this mobile interface for renting movies. It easily allows me to find what titles I have in my digital library and what titles offer 4K, as well as navigate new rentals and purchase options, shop deals, and browse what new "in-theater" titles are available.

    Matthew Hartman Freelance Writer Matthew Hartman has been a freelance writer since 2010, doing everything from SEO and internet marketing to video editing and voiceover work. His SEO specialty is using YouTube to help small local businesses improve their organic search rank on Google. Since 2015, he's written movie reviews and holiday buying guides for High-Def Digest and is now the managing editor of the website. To date, he's written and published over 900 reviews for HDD. He especially enjoys writing about lost and obscure genre films hoping to bring them to a wider audience. If it's a Western, vintage 3D flick, B movie, or an exploitation horror film — he's happy to write about it. When he's not writing about movies and tech, or helping a small local business with its SEO, Matthew is an avid comic book collector and enjoys a growing collection of high-end action figures. One day he hopes to learn to speak fluent Klingon. Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Read more Read less Ben Blanchet Streaming Fellow, Insider Reviews Ben is a Streaming and Home Entertainment Fellow for the Insider Reviews team, where he covers the latest in streaming services along with roundups of popular TVs, speakers, and headphones. He previously reported for The Buffalo News' Sun newspapers and was an editor at the University at Buffalo's independent student newspaper The Spectrum. He comes from a background in music journalism and he's one of the minds behind "More Than A Hit," a podcast with his brother Brenton where the two talk with music stars from their childhood. See below for some of his work.  Learn more about how our team of experts tests and reviews products at Insider here. Read more Read less

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