Stream4U is a streaming content and video file aggregator application that links visitors to file locations off-site. In other words, Stream4U links visitors to (very likely) unlicensed content. But is it safe to use?
You may be thinking, “unlicensed?” Yes, Stream4U, like others we’ve reviewed in 2022, is essentially a file-sharing site that doesn’t make file copies to share. Instead, it refers you to the file’s location, wherever that may be. You click on the title you want to stream, and you’re linked to the file’s location. In this way, the site isn’t making a copy of the media, so it isn’t technically breaking any law.
But does this expose you to any risk? Well, it depends.
“Whether it’s wrong or not, in a moral sense, is something you can ask your friends or your minister. But whether it’s illegal from a copyright viewpoint, the best answer is, probably not on an individual viewer basis,” says Jim Gibson, law professor and founder of the Intellectual Property Institute.
This is because you are neither sharing copywritten content nor copying it. Downloading copywritten content is illegal because you are making a copy; however, streaming media is not because a new copy is not created.
Of course, streaming could be considered copying, even if the copy is only temporarily located in RAM, but we digress. In short, it’s complicated.
Content Library
As long as websites like Stream4U are up and running, you will always have free movies and TV shows to watch. Despite a lower monthly audience of around 50 thousand viewers, Stream4U has an extensive library of movies and TV shows. For example, as of this writing (October 2022), the following titles were listed in the latest section:
- Black Adam (still in theaters)
- Jeepers Creepers Reborn
- Halloween Ends
- Fall
- Athena
- House of the Dragon
- Rings of Power
Again, we’re talking about a site that links to unlicensed video copies, so it’s up to you whether you’re comfortable using a service like this. But for our international viewers, many of whom do not have access to premium streaming services, these sites are critical to keeping up with the masses.
Neat little features
There are a lot of small features on Stream4U that we only commonly witness on free websites. One of the valuable features is “filters.” These filters make your life easier when browsing the catalog. You can sort movies based on genre and other characteristics.
What’s cool about Stream4U and makes it stand out in the pack of free OTT is the site’s design.
Many free OTTs have similar designs (almost as if there’s a class somewhere in an undisclosed location off the shores of America to build free OTTs, they all look alike in many ways). But not Stream4U. The design is clean, easy to use, and very professional looking.
Of course, we can’t say it enough; it is professionally designed for a free OTT. But we have to respect the craft; very clean and intuitive. And when you click on a movie to play it, you don’t get the type of popups many users have become accustomed to on sites like AZMovies and Solar Movie.
And while we can’t promise you won’t experience ads at all, in our second revision of this article, we decided to test the link for Black Adam to make sure the site was still functioning as it did last summer, and not only did the movie start playing, there were no ads.
Not sure how a free OTT stays in business with no ads or misleading links, but for this test, it was like using any free premium service, except that these files are obviously not permitted in the US. But that’s where the difference ends for this free OTT. It works well.
Backup link
Stream4U also offers a “backup button” that allows you to run the movie from a different source than the primary link provided by the website. In many cases, we run into some errors on free streaming websites.
In addition, in our test click of Black Adam, we found that not only did the site provide a backup button, but we also had several options to choose from (in case one had been taken down). Our choices were 480p, 720p, 1080, “watch HD”, and “download.”
Pretty nice.
Ad annoyance
Users may experience several popups and ads on this website. However, the ad occurrence will decrease significantly once you initiate the movie session. And again, on our second revision of this article in October of 2022, we didn’t experience any.
VPN compatibility
Stream4U is compatible with VPN connections.
Summary
Stream4U is a small website; however, it has a lot of content available for free. The ads are bearable, and this website’s watch experience is unique compared to other free OTTs.
Pros
- Filters to categorize the content
- Backup link
- Very clean design
Cons
- Shady legality
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