Best free option
Philo
Philo's free week covers HGTV with no sports or news tier attached, which is why it ends up the cheapest thing to keep afterwards.
Start free trial →
You don't need a cable bill to keep watching HGTV. Here's every way to stream it online, and how to do it for free.
Reviewed and updated October 2026 by our cord-cutting team · 7 options
Whether you're a home improvement junkie, real estate aficionado, or design devotee, we know HGTV is a non-negotiable on your lineup. How else will you catch up on the Property Brothers or binge-watch (and dream about) those lavish homes in My Lottery Dream Home? Some of these shows are available on demand on Max and Paramount+, but if you want to know where you can watch them live, then read on.
You can stream HGTV live without cable on Sling TV Blue, Sling TV Orange, DIRECTV, Philo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, Spectrum TV Stream, Youtube TV Entertainment Plan , YouTube TV Sports + News + Entertainment Plan, or Youtube TV News + Entertainment + Family Plan .
The fastest ways to watch HGTV without cable, at a glance
Philo's free week covers HGTV with no sports or news tier attached, which is why it ends up the cheapest thing to keep afterwards.
Start free trial →Philo is the cheapest live HGTV, and it carries Food Network and Discovery with it, which is the exact block HGTV viewers leave running.
Get Philo →
YouTube TV carries HGTV next to the rest of the Warner lifestyle channels and the locals, for a household that watches more than one thing.
Get YouTube TV →
Sling TV carries HGTV live.
Get Sling TV →
DIRECTV carries HGTV live.
Start free trial →
Hulu + Live TV carries HGTV live.
Start free trial →
Spectrum TV Choice carries HGTV live.
Get Spectrum TV Choice →| Service | From | Free trial |
|---|---|---|
 Sling TV |
$45.99/mo | None |
 Philo |
$25/mo | 7 days |
 DIRECTV |
$89.99/mo | 5 days |
 Hulu + Live TV |
$89.99/mo | 3 days |
 YouTube TV |
$82.99/mo | 7 days |
 Spectrum TV Choice |
$53.19/mo | None |
We routinely follow over a hundred live TV and streaming services in the US, closely monitoring their plans, features, and channel lineups. All of that work is on our cord-cutting hub.
Beyond this, we have been reviewing the best on streaming services since 2013, recommending highly-rated but little-known movies and shows: we find the gems that you haven't yet watched, that you will probably like.
In addition to HGTV, Sling Blue also has TLC, The Food Network, BET, and Bravo in its lineup. It also airs local channels in select markets, which is a huge plus for many people, even though it does come with a $5/month broadcast fee.
Sling TV plans
While live TV streaming services continue to increase their prices, Philo is staying consistently affordable at just $28/month. Its strength lies in its extensive entertainment channel lineup—along with HGTV it offers TLC, the Food Network, and more recently, AMC+ (with ads). Its weakness? Very limited news and sports coverage, so if those are deal-breakers, it’s best to look elsewhere.
Philo plans
DirecTV Stream is a comprehensive streaming service, hence the high price. It has unlimited DVR and simultaneous streams, more than a hundred channels, and dozens of add-ons and skinny bundles (called “genre packs”) to choose from. Though it’s ultimately good value for money, the interface can get overwhelming and the updates hard to follow. It’s also not immune to price hikes.
DIRECTV plans
If you live in a household with different-aged people, Hulu with Live TV will likely satisfy everyone’s viewing needs. The kids have Disney+, the adults have Hulu, and you get your fair share of Discovery, lifestyle, and entertainment channels. There’s also enough sports, news, and local programs to go around. It’s a great option if the high price is within your budget.
Hulu + Live TV plans
Our breakdown of Hulu + Live TV →
YouTube TV is popular for good reason: it has a nice variety of sports, news, and entertainment channels, including HGTV, TLC, Bravo, Hallmark, and the Travel Channel. It helps, too, that it’s easy to use anywhere, whether you’re on your phone, desktop, or TV. But it’s quite pricey, so if you’re only after entertainment channels, we suggest checking out cheaper alternatives in this list.
YouTube TV plans
Spectrum TV Choice costs a little bit more than Spectrum TV Stream, but that’s because the plan allows you to choose 15 channels (including sports and local channels) and change them monthly. However, like TV Stream, you’d need to have an existing Spectrum internet subscription and pay extra for cloud DVR.
Spectrum TV Choice plans
Our breakdown of Spectrum TV Choice →
Yes, but on demand only. HBO Max carries HGTV’s shows on demand, since Warner Bros. Discovery owns both. You get the back catalog to stream any time; you just don’t get the live feed or its schedule.
When Warner Bros. Discovery folded discovery+ into HBO Max, the whole Discovery and Turner library came with it, so those networks stream on demand here.
The honest way to watch HGTV for free is a free trial, and the trick is not to spend them one at a time. Start one, then start the next when it ends, and you can string together a few weeks of free live TV back to back, usually enough to cover a tournament or a playoff run without paying for a month.
HGTV and the US services that carry it are geo-locked to the United States, so your login stops working the moment you leave the country. A VPN fixes that: connect to a US server and the service sees a US address again. The catch is that streaming platforms actively block most VPN traffic, so the VPN you pick matters far more than the service does. These three reliably get back in:
A huge US server network (thousands of IPs across 15-plus cities) with SmartPlay DNS baked into every server, so streaming just works without extra setup. The best value of the top tier on a two-year plan.
Best for streaming HGTV with: Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, Philo
Get NordVPN →The budget pick, and the one to get if the whole household travels: it allows unlimited simultaneous devices on one account, plus a Smart DNS for TVs. Reliable with the on-demand and lifestyle services.
Best for streaming HGTV with: Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, Philo
Get Surfshark →Whichever you pick, connect to a US city first, then sign in to HGTV or the service that carries it as normal. Choose a VPN with a money-back window so you can confirm it un-blocks HGTV before you commit.
No. HGTV is a cable channel and doesn't broadcast over the air, so an antenna can't pick it up. An antenna only gets the free broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, The CW), which pair nicely with one of the services above; check which of those reach your address here.
Most of last year’s shows were renewed in 2025, including Rock the Block and Innovation Aloha. The Property Brothers are also headlining an all-new show called Chasing the West, which situates them in ranches across the west coast. Unfortunately, fan-favorite Building Roots was cancelled after just two seasons, along with Rico to the Rescue and Home in a Heartbeat.
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Five criteria, each scored out of 10. The overall score is their weighted average: content 50%, value 20%, apps 20%, streaming quality 10%. Live TV packages are also scored on customization and add-ons (20%), with the other four scaled to 40%, 16%, 16% and 8%.
Value for money
0The most expensive service of its kind.
10The cheapest service of its kind, with full content.
Content quality
0None of the 20 most-watched cable channels, or nothing from our recommended list.
10All 20 channels, or the deepest catalog of titles we recommend.
Apps and devices
0A one-star app that runs on none of the 12 major devices.
10Five-star apps on all 12 major devices.
Streaming quality
0Below 720p.
104K on the plan we price.
Customization and add-ons
0A live TV package with no add-on packs to build on.
10Eight or more add-on packs at $15 a month or less.