6 Best Free Streaming Services with Local Channels

Not so long ago, you had to have an antenna to tune into local TV stations. Live TV streaming services may have carried nationwide networks like ABC and FOX, but you still had to turn on a traditional TV if you wanted to get updates on regional events and community-wide affairs. Thankfully, that's about to change as more and more local stations turn to streaming for views. Broadcast companies like the Heritage Broadcasting Group and Gray Television (which operate more than a hundred US stations between them) have partnered with streaming sites to catch up to online viewers. 

Not only are there more streaming services dedicated to local TV now, but many of them are also free and available on the go. They have never been as accessible as they are now, so in this article, we've rounded up the best streaming services you can watch local channels for free. 

WatchFree+ is a free live TV streaming service exclusive to VIZIO smart TV users. It comes free on the device, with no download or registration needed, and it gives you access to more than 260 live channels and 8,000 on-demand movies and TV shows. Notably, WatchFree+ has a local channel category that covers news, sports, and the weather, making VIZIO more cord-cutter friendly than ever. It's partnered with FOX channels and Gray Television channels to cater to up to 20 local markets in the US, including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Washington DC. 

Price: free for 77 channels available

Device availability: Vizio, Vizio Smart TV, Vizio SmartCast, Vizio TV

Channel lineup: AMC En Español, AMC Thrillers, Architectural Digest, Ax Men, Baby Shark, Bein Sports XTRA, bein Sports Xtra en Espanol, BET TV, Black Cinema, Bloomberg Originals, Bon Apetit, Canela.TV, CBC News, CBS local channels, CBS News, CBS Sports HQ, CBSN, Cheddar News, CINE REAL, Cine Sureno, CNN Replay, Cony Canal Compentencias, CSI, Danger TV, Dark Matter TV, Dora TV, Dove, Estrella Games, Estrella News, Estrella TV, FilmRise Action, Filmrise Family, Flash TV, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports, Fox Weather, Fubo Sports, GQ, Hallmark Movies and More, History Hits, HSN, IGN1, ION, LiveNOW from FOX, Local news channels, MagellanTV, MLB Network, Modern Marvels, MotorTrend, NBC News Now, Newsmax, Newsmax TV, NFL Channel, Nick, Nick Jr., Paramount Movie Channel, Popsugar Fitness, QVC, Retro Crush, Reuters, Revry, Screambox TV, Scripps News, Sony Canal Novelas, Sportsgrid Live, Tastemade, TBN, TD Ameritrade Network, The Hill, Tru History, Tu Cine, TV Land, USA Today, WeatherNation, Wired, Women’s Sports Network, Yahoo! Finance

VUit is a free streaming service that has live and local feeds from more than 260 broadcast stations around the United States. While it does have on-demand content (mostly documentaries and food shows), VUit is focused on hosting local channels, which cover everything from high school sports updates to regional political news. Recently, VUit also partnered with Paramount to carry local CBS TV stations, two of which include the New York and Los Angeles stations. Unlike other live TV streamers, VUit isn't limited by geoblocking, so you can stream most of its local channels wherever you are in the world, which aligns with VUit's mission of reconnecting younger people to local TV. 

Price: free for 21 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG Smart TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, Vizio, Vizio Smart TV, Website

Channel lineup: 911 Encore Channel, AWEP Plus, CBS local channels, Food. Curated., FUEL TV, Fun Roads TV, Investigate TV, KTSF, Local news channels, N2, NewsNet, Nubian TV, NYC Live, Politics Uncut, PowerNation, Quili, Sino TV, Sports News Highlights, The Asian Cinema, The Henry Ford Museum, Us Weekly: News

NewsOn is a free streaming service that lets you access live TV newscasts from over 200 local stations around the United States. According to the platform, it has partnered with ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX and their respective local affiliates to cover up to 91% of the country (a full list of their local channels can be seen here).

You can also watch previous news, sports, and weather reports on NewsOn from up to 48 hours ago and select your favorite stations so that they appear first on the homepage. No registration is required, and it allows you to watch local channels wherever in the country you may be. 

Price: free for 1 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Website

Channel lineup: Local news channels

LocalBTV is a streaming service that delivers live feeds from local TV stations around the United States. Free of charge and offering cloud DVR with up to 1 TB of storage, it's an accessible resource for those looking to cut the cord without having to cut ties with their community. As of this writing, LocalBTV has yet to stream major news networks like ABC or CBS, but it is working toward that goal. It's set to set up a paid premium version that carries nationwide networks and doubles the number of available local stations. For now, it's still a handy live TV service that covers 52 areas in the US.

Price: free for 26 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV

Channel lineup: Ace, beIN ES, Bein Sports, BEKSports, CMC, CMC-USA, Cozi TV, Diya, France24, GetTV, ISciFi, Kpop, Local news channels, NewsNet, Nostalgia, NTD, Quili, QVC, RightNow, ShopLC, Sidewalks, Sportsnews, TCN, TCT, TeleXitos, The Country Network

Local Now is a free streaming service from The Weather Channel that offers up localized content geared to where you're using it from. That means you can get local news, weather updates, and even restaurant reviews that are specific to where you, the user, are from. Aside from the convenience of getting local coverage, Local Now also provides thousands of movies and live TV channels to choose from, perfect for when you're relaxing or on the go.

Price: free for 1 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Fubo TV, iOS, Roku, Sling TV

Channel lineup: Local news channels

Haystack TV is an independently-run streaming service that delivers live and on-demand news, 24/7. It's ad-supported so it's somewhat free, but if you want to get rid of the commercials and dive straight into the latest news, you can subscribe to Haystack Premium for $4.99/month or try it for free for 30 days. 

The convenient thing about Haystack is that it allows you to navigate not just by channels but by topics as well. It also picks up news from more than a hundred TV stations around the US (check if they cover your area here) which saves you the trouble of switching services when looking for local news.

Price: free for 12 channels available

Free Trial: 30 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Website

Channel lineup: ABC News, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Quicktake, CBS News, Cheddar, Deutsche Welle, Euronews, Local news channels, Newsmax, Newsy, Yahoo! Finance

Charter Spectrum customer? Here are the 7 most affordable streaming services where you can still watch ESPN.

More lists

The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.

That's all from us for the 6 Best Free Streaming Services with Local Channels!