Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
Perhaps every modern person sooner or later decides to stop consuming pirated video content. Indeed, after a hard day's work, you just want to come home and turn on some interesting film – without a long search for a suitable one on trackers, so much so that in good quality, without annoying advertising of another online casino, with normal voice acting.
And online cinemas can do it all! You pay a small amount once a month or for each movie – and you watch a movie in high quality, with excellent resolution and sound, without adware. And you don't need to search for it, and download … And if an online cinema has an application for a smart TV, then watching a movie becomes even more pleasant.
It remains only to choose a suitable online cinema, which you can and should 'bring' your money. Fortunately, there are a lot of them in Russia. And for those who love good movies, we've compiled a list of the top 10 online movie theaters.
The rating included only licensed online cinemas, and it was built according to general usability – from the availability of applications for mobile devices and smart TVs to the base of films and the cost of subscriptions.
Rating of the best online cinemas
| Nomination | a place | Name of product | Minimum subscription cost |
| Rating of the best online cinemas | 1 | Google Play Movies (plus YouTube) | – |
| 2 | Netflix | RUB 560 | |
| 3 | Kinopoisk HD | RUB 250 | |
| 4 | TNT Premier | 129 RUB | |
| 5 | TVZavr | 99 RUB | |
| 6 | Tvigle | 0 RUB | |
| 7 | Amediatek | RUB 599 | |
| 8 | Megogo | 397 r | |
| 9 | IVI | 399 RUB | |
| 10 | Okko | 399 RUB |
10th place: Google Play Movies (plus YouTube)
Rating: 4.2
Google Play Movies isn't exactly an online movie theater. Rather, it is a rental service. There is no monthly subscription here, users are encouraged to pay for every movie available. Moreover, it can be rented – and then a person will have 46 hours for a single viewing – and fully purchased. And there are no serials in this service.
The price of movies on Google Play is not very democratic. If you want to watch some modern blockbuster that was released in cinemas a few months ago, then the purchase will cost an average of 350 rubles, and the rent – 99 rubles. Older and less popular tapes are cheaper.
But Google Play Movies is pretty easy to use. It has both a computer version (integrated with YouTube) and mobile applications. Online cinema clients are installed on all TVs and boxes with Android TV, and are also available for some third-party platforms.
9th place: Netflix
Rating: 4.3
Netflix is an American online cinema that began operating in Russia with varying degrees of success several years ago. And this service, frankly, is not exactly what the average user needs.
Netflix is betting on TV shows, and it is especially active – on content of its own production. Yes, this online movie theater puts out quite a few TV shows on its own. But almost all of them are focused on the American market, and many Russian-speaking users simply will not appreciate them. Political intrigues, criticism of Trump, LGBT popularization – all these topics are raised in one way or another in Netflix production content. For example, in the fifth season of Black Mirror, an entire episode was devoted to gay romance, and in the third part of Stranger Things, one of the most interesting female characters turned out to be a lesbian.
In addition, Netflix has almost no modern films and very little content in Russian. And it's not just about voice acting. Many films and TV shows are even without Russian subtitles.
Finally, Netflix is very expensive. The minimum monthly subscription is from 8 euros. If you want something more 'normal', you will have to shell out already 10-12 euros, or up to 850 rubles at the time of this writing.
Of course, Netflix has its upsides. Firstly, a lot of exclusive films and TV series are still interesting despite the actively integrating 'agenda'. Secondly, all new titles from this online cinema come with support for 4K and Dolby 5.1 sound, so the owners of modern TVs will have a real pleasure to watch. Finally, there are Netflix clients for any platform – from mobile phones to smart TVs.
8th place: Kinopoisk HD
Rating: 4.4
Russian online cinema, which will potentially become one of the largest. But not now. At the time of this writing, Kinopoisk HD is in its midst of growth. He buys content – films and TV shows, invites third-party voice acting studios for dubbing (for example, the same Courage-Bambey Russified Miracle Workers with Daniel Radcliffe), tries to cooperate with other online cinemas and American TV channels.
In general, now 'Kinopoisk HD' is of certain interest to moviegoers, since it offers a very extensive and interesting collection of material – with a very inexpensive subscription. Of course, not all content is included in it; certain films are supposed to be paid for. But, on the other hand, an online cinema with a large database of content, including exclusive ones, for 250 rubles a month is an excellent offer.
Why is he in 8th place? Because there are practically no Kinopoisk HD clients. It is proposed to watch it through a web browser or on a TV via a Chromecast or another cast dongle. The second option is only on the phone. In general, this service is inconvenient. But this will be fixed in the future.
7th place: TNT Premier
Rating: 4.5
TNT Premier is a rather strange Russian online movie theater. In fact, it is the web base of the TNT TV channel with the rebroadcast of the TV stream, series, films, reality shows, as well as its own content.
If you describe 'TNT Premier' as briefly as possible, then this is an online cinema for those who love the 'TNT' TV channel. Here you can watch all the TV shows from there, most of the reality shows, as well as some of the movies that are broadcast. There is not so much original content, but some of the titles can boast of very high quality.
For example, 'Call DiCaprio!' Is an unexpectedly sad satirical drama that raises questions about living with HIV. And 'Sect' is a sobering psychological thriller about the occult and religion. The original TNT Premier content shows that Russian cinema, despite all the jokes and derisive attitude, can demonstrate high quality.
Moreover, TNT Premier is one of the cheapest online cinemas in the ranking. Only 129 rubles a month (or 229 if you want to watch more Disney films and animations). In addition to the TNT content base, broadcasting and video from other Gazprom Media channels – Super!, TV3, Match and Friday! Are also available.
The online cinema has apps for Android and iOS, as well as clients for Samsung smart TVs and LG, set-top boxes Apple TV and boxes Android TV.
6th place: TVZavr
Rating: 4.6
TVZavr is one of the oldest online cinemas in Russia. And it's perfect for smart TV owners! In particular, TVZavr applications are available for almost all platforms, including those released before 2015.
TVZavr uses standard payment mechanics. That is, part of the content is available by subscription (mostly old and not very popular films and TV series), and everything else is supposed to be paid for. However, for those who want to save money, TVZavr is also suitable. It has a whole section with completely free movies, cartoons and TV series. Not that they are interesting, but they are suitable for brightening up the evening or turning on the child. Free content comes with ads.
Subscription price – from 99 rubles per month. There is not a lot of subscription content, but it is regularly updated with the addition of outdated films. For example, at the end of 2019, it included such blockbusters as Avengers: Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange, and The Green Book.
In addition to applications for smart TVs, TVZavr has clients for set-top boxes and mobile operating systems (Android and iOS).
5th place: Tvigle
Rating: 4.7
Tvigle is the weirdest payment model in the rankings. In fact, it is free. The vast majority of films, cartoons and TV series presented here can be watched without spending a single ruble.
Of course, free content is showcased with ads. A subscription to turn it off costs 99 rubles a month – which, in principle, is not that much. But the expediency of this is rather small, since there are very few really popular films in the base of the online cinema. For example, in October 2019, Tvigle offers to watch 'You've Never Been Here', 'Interview with God', 'Beaver' and 'Acid'. These are not exactly the pictures that were on everyone's lips.
In addition, many famous films from among those presented in the database of this online cinema – for example, 'Power' with Christian Bale and Amy Adams – are available for a separate payment.
On the other hand, no one forbids watching movies for free. Fortunately, there is very little advertising in them, and it is unobtrusive. In addition, Tvigle has apps for smart TVs, set-top boxes, consoles and mobile devices.
4th place: Amediateka
Rating: 4.8
Amediateka is an online movie theater that specializes in TV series. Especially a lot of content here from the American HBO channel. It was on the 'Amediatek' that episodes of 'Game of Thrones', 'Chernobyl', 'American Horror Story', 'Westworld' and many others, which have already become truly iconic, were released – and are still being released.
However, 'Amediateka' also has serials from other channels in its database – Fox, BBC, Starz and several others. So the likelihood that your favorite American TV show will end up in this online cinema is very high.
True, 'Amediateku' is difficult to perceive as the only online cinema by subscription, which is needed by a modern person. The fact is that there are almost no films here, and those that are presented were shot specifically for television and therefore, unfortunately, they do not differ in high quality.
In particular, for 599 rubles a month – and that is how much a subscription in this online cinema costs – the user gets access to 165 TV series and 200 TV films. Fortunately, the database is constantly updated with new titles, but it was not as we would like. But Amediateka is the way to watch HBO and other American TV shows first, in high quality and with official dubbing.
Amediateki apps are available on most modern smart TVs as well as mobile devices and Apple TVs. Browsing online from a computer through a browser can be complicated by the not always stable operation of the site. Amediateka can also be used through other online cinemas, including Kinopoisk HD, Okko and Megafon TV.
3rd place: Megogo
Rating: 4.9
Megogo is one of the largest online cinemas in Russia that offers an advanced payment model. There is:
Free movies and TV series, before watching which commercials are shown;
A subscription that covers almost all series (except those presented on the Amediatek platform, you need to pay extra for them) and most of the outdated or not very popular films;
Purchase that covers the seasons of selected TV shows and contemporary films.
Megogo is preinstalled on most smart TVs sold in Russia, so you don't need to bother with its settings. In addition, the content presented in this online cinema is delivered in high definition.
In addition, Megogo rebroadcasts a large number of TV channels. And many of them are available for free. And this also adds a plus sign to the collection of this online cinema. Actually, for a large amount of free content and ranks third in our rating.
2nd place: IVI
Rating: 5.0
Ivi is an online cinema with one of the largest free content databases. Here are films, cartoons and series, for watching which you just need to endure one or two commercials in front of the video itself. At the same time, even more or less modern and good pictures are available for free – in contrast to the same Tvigle.
The other half of the Ivi content is available by subscription. It will cost 399 rubles a month and open access to more than 80 thousand TV series and films. Content is available in high definition, including 4K, and 5.1 sound. Several movies even support HDR, which will be especially appreciated by the owners of modern TVs.
You can also pay with 'Thank you' bonuses in Ivi. Finally, you will find where to apply them.
The disadvantage is the slow updating of the database – both free movies and content by subscription. In addition, boring, low-quality pictures are often among the new products.
You can also buy movies. Then they will be available in the database even after the subscription ends. And one more plus – many films support multiple audio tracks. So you can watch them both in the original and, for example, in Ukrainian.
Like all major online cinemas, Ivi has clients for most smart TVs (including Samsung, Sony, LG and Philips), mobile devices, and Apple TVs.
1st place: Okko
Okko is one of the largest online cinemas in Russia. Its main advantage is that almost all of the presented content is available by subscription. And films, including quite popular and well-known, and serials.
Okko has several subscriptions. But there are two convenient packages – 'Optimum' (399 rubles per month), which includes 20 thousand films and TV series; and 'Premium' (799 rubles a month), which already has 30 thousand titles. In addition, Premium includes a subscription to content from Amediateka, so this is even a small life hack – why pay for Amediateka and 400 titles when you can get 40,000 titles for the same money?
In addition, Okko has a separate category of films in UHD 4K resolution. And this is a great excuse to test your new TV and finally enjoy the highest detail. Moreover, all these films are broadcast only through the smart TV application.
Okko can be run on smart TVs (Samsung, Sony, LG, Philips and Loewe supported), mobile devices, PlayStation 4, Apple TV, NVIDIA Shield, and also watch online on a computer via browser. Cloud management is supported – that is, you can start viewing on one device, and continue on another.
Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
