21 reviews for Crackle are not recommended

These reviews are not recommended because our content quality algorithms have determined them to be less useful for users researching this business. Our content quality algorithm makes decisions based on a number of proprietary evaluation factors, and is constantly updating and improving over time. Even though these reviews are not displayed by default, they still factor into the overall number of reviews and the average rating for the business.

Kelly M.

Texas

1 review

7 helpful votes

Beyond Maddening!

April 22, 2020

Let's start at the beginning. When you first open Crackle, you're greeted with a hime screen with various titles. The interface isn't at all appealing or easy to navigate. There are no features such as a queue, so you have to browse around for a specific show or movie. I can deal with that if the app is providing free content but before you can even begin to browse, whatever Crackle sponsored TV show or movie begins autoplaying full screen making navigation nearly impossible because the screen freezes. But don't worry, that movie or show you didn't want to watch will keep playing uninterrupted! It takes real effort to stop the show or movie which leads me to believe Crackle gets paid only if a viewer watches the promoted content for a certain amount of time. You're basically going to watch that mess you didn't want to watch for at least one minute. No amount of quick maneuvering is going to stop it playing.

Like others have repeatedly stated, Crackle has a decent library of free movies and television shows but trying to watch them is maddening because of the volume of commercials. I don't mind ads, especially when the app is providing free content, but the amount Crackle plays is ridiculous. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when the commercials air. I tend to watch old sitcoms and oftentimes, the opening credits are interrupted by six commercials that stop and start at random. Then one scene of the video will air followed by more commercials! You can forget about trying to fast forward, rewind or start any video over. You'll get six commercials and then the video goes right back to the place the original place.

There's also feature that allows you to watch just one "interactive commercial" that is suppose to last just 30 seconds instead of the normal six stop and start ads. That is a joke. It takes a good minute to "interact" with the video which will eventually load to play at an ear drum blasting volume. The video will then freeze and restart giving you the option to press a button to start your show. That button never works the first five times. This entire time saving process takes at least three minutes, so you're not saving any time.

Overall, Crackle is a bust which is a shame because they do have some good content that seemingly isn't available elsewhere. There are far too many apps that provide free content with ads on the market now that have more user friendly features and don't force you to watch things you don't want to watch. Find those and avoid Crackle.

Date of experience: April 22, 2020