7 Great Showbox Alternatives [December 2020]

Showbox was a terrific, popular app for streaming movies and TV shows that worked on just about any device. It was well-designed, had a slick UI, and generally performed flawlessly. Unfortunately, though, Showbox was shut down permanently, but there are plenty of other great alternatives you can use right now.

When it comes to looking for Showbox replacements, we’ve considered apps across multiple platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. Some are also compatible with Linux. Thanks to apps like Bluestacks and Nox, you can use Android apps right on your desktop, which is how some of the alternatives below work on a PC.

With that in mind, let’s dive into 7 of the best Showbox alternatives in 2020.

Movie Box is the iOS version of Showbox, but there are also versions available for Android, Windows, and Mac. It looks and feels a lot like Showbox and even has the same layout. If you were comfortable using Showbox, you should have no issues when transitioning to Movie Box.

The app installs using the same APK install method, runs smoothly, and makes it easy to find the latest media to stream. It also has a decent search function, which makes it even easier to find the content you’re looking for.

Ultimately, Movie Box is a great option for former Showbox users who want an easy solution for streaming on iOS.

PlayBox HD is a great Showbox alternative for iOS, Android, and PC (using the Bluestacks emulator). It looks and feels like Showbox, and it works just as well.

As the title suggests, there is a lot of HD content on PlayBox HD, which makes it better than Movie Box for newer phones and larger screens. Users don’t have to worry about sorting through low-quality streams as much as they do with other services.

The UI design keeps menus and navigation simple, and categories populate quickly if your Wi-Fi network is up to the task. Streaming is fast and mostly buffer-free. Again, much of your experience using the platform will depend on your network, though the app itself seems very smooth indeed.

Megabox HD is a streaming app for iOS and Android devices that offers a wide range of HD content and doesn’t have too many low-quality streams.

Megabox HD often gives you the option to choose the quality once you select a stream, so you can adjust the resolution to your liking. This feature is great for those with slower internet connections as you can lower the resolution to avoid lag and buffering.

Megabox HD looks and feels like the other options on this list. It has a user-friendly UI and a solid selection of content. The design is simple and effective, and the app loads content quickly. Streaming is smooth and seamless, as long as your connection is up to the task.

Popcorn Time is still the king of the castle when it comes to streaming, yet with competitors snapping at its heels, that lead isn’t as assured as it once was.

Popcorn Time is available for Windows 7+, Mac OSX 10.7+,  Linux 32-bit and 64-bit, Android 4.03+, and Android TV 5.0+ (ARM v7a and x86). As such, you should be able to use this app on your preferred device.

The design is simple and the UI is uncluttered. The content is front and center, making browsing a breeze. Category browsing is intuitive and straightforward. The search function is quite fast, too, and you can stream it to your Chromecast in more than one way, making it easy to use on a variety of platforms.

Crackle is another well-established movie and TV streaming service with a couple of standout features. It does what many other apps in this list do: play movies and TV shows for free in high quality. However, the app also allows you to save favorites and create playlists, which is a nice bonus for binge-watching your favorite TV shows or for keeping track of where you are in a series.

Unlike some of these other services, Crackle is an official streaming service owned by Sony, so you don’t have to worry about using a VPN or anything while using the app. This also means you don’t have to worry about low-quality streams as all of the content is officially uploaded.

The Crackle app is simple and straightforward like the others here. The UI is simple and easy to navigate. Streams appear on the front page and you can sort and search through content as you would expect.

Movie HD is another Showbox alternative for Android, iOS, and PC (using Bluestacks or YouWave) that is worth trying if you want a little variety.

It specializes in HD content, but it does offer lower quality, too. Movie HD has a neat trick up its sleeve in that you can download movies to your device as well as stream them. So if you’re going to be away from your Wi-Fi or want to watch something on the train, you can select a stream and download it to watch without an Internet connection.

The UI is slick and well designed. Like the others, it allows fast access to trending streams as well as categories and search.

Stremio is a little bit different than the other Showbox clones presented here. Rather than allowing you to stream content from torrent sources, Stremio organizes your legit streams from Amazon, iTunes, Netflix, and other legal sources. It essentially serves as a hub for all of your streaming subscriptions. So content-wise, if it is available on the services you link to it, then Stremio can stream it. Stremio will work on just about any platform, offering Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android versions.

The UI looks the same no matter what platform gets used, and it is similar to the other listed movie streaming apps in this article. Stremio seems reliable and stable, and it even allows you to add your own locally stored content.

While it may not be a replacement for Showbox, it is a great option for those who want to consolidate all of their streaming services onto one platform.

Stream Safely

You may have noticed that some of these apps are only available as APKs from random-looking websites. While they may be safe now, they might not be in the future. Also, most of these apps obtain content from dubious sources. Depending on where you live, streaming such material is not necessarily illegal, but you should be careful when doing so as you may still run into issues with your ISP.

As such, you should  consider installing and using a high-quality VPN on your device at all times when streaming content. Content providers like movie and TV studios, and their hired security companies, actively monitor the torrenting world and look for copyright violators, so you need to be careful and protect yourself at all times.

Read ‘What is the Best VPN Service?’ if you need recommendations on some good VPNs to help you remain anonymous online.