Frequently Asked Questions

ThumbScore is the percentage of everyday Google users who liked a movie. When you search for a movie on Google, you can give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. We aggregate millions of these votes into a single, easy-to-read percentage. A ThumbScore of 92% means 92 out of 100 regular people enjoyed the film.

We were tired of critics telling us that the movies we love are "bad." ThumbScore was built to show what real, everyday people actually think — not just professional reviewers. The audience's opinion matters.

Anyone who wants to find a good movie to watch tonight. Whether you're looking for a date night pick, a free movie to stream, or just want to see if a movie is actually worth your time — ThumbScore has you covered.

Rotten Tomatoes primarily reflects professional critic reviews (the Tomatometer) or verified ticket holders (the Audience Score). ThumbScore reflects everyday Google users — anyone who searched for a movie and voted. No account required, no review to write, no ticket to prove. We also average Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic together into one Critics Score for easy comparison.

The Review Gap is the difference between the ThumbScore (audience approval) and the Critics Score (RT + Metacritic average). A large positive gap means audiences loved it more than critics. A large negative gap means critics loved it more than audiences. The most interesting movies often have the biggest gaps.

Yes, completely free. No account needed, no subscription, no paywall. Browse 10,983 movies across 54 languages and 12 decades without paying anything.

No. You can search, browse, filter, and compare scores without creating an account. Watchlists are saved locally in your browser using localStorage.

Not yet, but the website is fully mobile-responsive and works great on phones and tablets. An app may come in the future if there's enough demand.

Use the search bar on the homepage or any movie page. You can search by title, director, or actor name. Results appear instantly as you type.

Hidden Gems are movies with high audience approval (85%+) but relatively low vote counts — meaning fewer people have discovered them. These are the under-the-radar films that the people who do find them absolutely love.

Click the heart icon on any movie card or movie page. Your watchlist is stored locally in your browser — no account needed. Access it from the heart icon in the navigation bar.

Yes! The homepage has filters for genre, decade, language, country, and minimum vote count. You can also sort by ThumbScore, Critics Score, year, popularity, and more.

Every movie page shows where you can watch it — including free platforms (Tubi, Roku, Peacock, YouTube), subscription services (Netflix, Disney+, Max), and rental/purchase options (Amazon, Apple). Data comes from JustWatch via TMDB.

ThumbScore currently has 10,983 movies. If a movie is very new, very obscure, or primarily a TV movie, it may not be in our database yet. We're constantly adding more.

The movie scores are global. Streaming availability data is currently US-focused, but we're expanding to include UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, and Japan.

ThumbScore curates thousands of movies available for free on ad-supported platforms like Tubi, Roku Channel, Peacock, YouTube, and Archive.org. All completely legal, all completely free.

Yes, 100% legal. We only link to official, licensed sources. These are ad-supported streaming platforms (like free TV) and public domain archives. No piracy, ever.

Most do — they're ad-supported, like free TV. YouTube free movies have occasional ad breaks. Archive.org public domain films are completely ad-free.

No. We link to the official platforms where the movies are hosted (Tubi, YouTube, etc.). YouTube movies can be watched embedded on ThumbScore or on YouTube directly.

Streaming availability changes frequently. If a movie is no longer free on a platform, let us know via the contact page and we'll update it.

ThumbScore uses three sources: (1) Google audience ratings for the ThumbScore percentage, (2) Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic for the Critics Score, and (3) TMDB for movie metadata, posters, and streaming availability via JustWatch.

The Audience Score (ThumbScore) is the percentage of Google users who gave a movie a thumbs up out of total votes. If 920 out of 1,000 people liked it, the ThumbScore is 92%.

Currently 10,983 movies across 54 languages and 12 decades. We add new releases regularly.

Movies need a minimum number of votes to appear with a ThumbScore. You can adjust the minimum vote filter on the homepage to see more or fewer movies.

Different sites use different populations. Rotten Tomatoes uses verified critics and ticket buyers. IMDb uses registered users. ThumbScore uses Google's massive, casual user base — the broadest possible audience. This often produces very different results.

ThumbScore participates in the Amazon Associates Program. Some streaming links (particularly Amazon Prime Video) are affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We may add tasteful, minimal advertising in the future.

No. ThumbScore is completely independent. We have no affiliation with any movie studio, streaming service, or review aggregator. Our only allegiance is to the audience.

Visit our contact page to send us a message about business inquiries, partnerships, bug reports, or general feedback.

Absolutely! Use the contact form and select "Feature Request" from the dropdown. We read every submission.