How to Watch HGTV Online Without Cable: Top 4 Options

Are you trying to get rid of your high cable bill?  If you are, cutting the cord is a recommended option.

But what about your favorite networks and shows?  Where can you watch shows like House Hunters, Good Bones, or Home Town without cable?  Luckily, HGTV is available on most streaming services.

Streaming services are cost-effective ways to catch the latest episodes of your favorite shows.  They can be confusing at first due to the long list of options, but we can help.

Here are the four best streaming options to watch HGTV live online without cable.

Philo

Philo is the most affordable option to watch HGTV. 

For $20 a month, the service guarantees 62 entertainment and lifestyle channels alongside HGTV.  This includes AMC, BBC America, A&E plus many more.

Philo also provides entertainment for your kids at home with channels like Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons and TeenNick.

Unfortunately, if you love sports, Philo doesn’t have it. It does not offer any sports networks like ESPN or Fox Sports.

In addition, you won’t be able to access local channels, which means no broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, or NBC. However, you will receive those channels plus more if you purchase an antenna. You can read more about TV antennas in our blog post titled: 4 Things Cable Companies Don’t Want You To Know About TV Antennas.

However, they do have great add-on packages available.

For an additional $6 a month, Philo gives you the EPIX package, which consists of EPIX, EPIX Hits and EPIX2. 

If you want to watch hit original shows like Power or Outlander, you can opt for the STARZ package. This package includes channels like Starz, Starz Encore and Starz Kids & Family for $9 a month. 

A 7-day free trial is available for both packages.

If there are multiple people in your household, Philo allows three simultaneous streams on three different devices.

Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and most mobile devices support Philo, so you have plenty of ways to stream your favorite shows.

Up to ten people can share the account with their own sign-in credentials allowing them to save shows and view their history.

If you are a busy person, Philo comes with a DVR function.  Many services limit the number of hours you can record.  Thankfully, Philo offers a generous unlimited DVR storage to let you record as many shows as you want while skipping commercials. However, the recorded shows are only saved for 30 days, so you must quickly watch before they disappear.

Philo’s free trial lasts for 7 days.  If you feel the service is not for you, you can easily cancel your subscription since there are no annual contracts.

Sling TV

HGTV is one of the many channels available on Sling TV’s Blue package.  Like Philo, Sling TV Blue’s lineup of channels also focuses on news and entertainment.

This option provides fewer channels than Philo for $30/month.  However, you will find some of the best networks available with those 45 channels such as CNN, NFL Network, and TBS.

Additionally, some local channels are also available. However, we again, recommend, separately purchasing a quality antenna for your local channels.

If you are looking for specific channels not available in the basic Sling Blue TV lineup, the service allows you to add extra channels for a fee.

You can watch lifestyle networks like VH1, Oxygen, or DIY Network for an additional $5/month.

If you or anyone in your household likes sports, you can couple HGTV with the Sports Extra add-on package for $10/month. This includes NBA TV, FOX SPORTS 2, NFL Redzone and more.

Premium channels like SHOWTIME, STARZ and EPIX are also offered for a cost. The price of these networks ranges from $3/month to $10/month. There are more add-on packages and premium channels available in the chart below.

Like Philo, Sling TV Blue allows three streams at a time on any device from anywhere in the U.S.  This means you can share your account with your loved ones across the country.

Plenty of streaming devices support Sling TV, including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, mobile devices and many more.

You can also record HGTV with its standard Cloud DVR.  However, unlike Philo, the function is limited to recording only 10 hours of shows and movies.  

You do have an option to upgrade to Cloud DVR Plus. The add-on costs $5/month but will allow you to record up to 50 hours.

Sling TV Blue allows you to keep your recorded shows as long as you subscribe, so don’t worry about losing your recorded shows.

If you wish to pause your subscription, the service allows you keep your recordings for 30 days before they are deleted.

Sling TV Blue may cost more than Philo, but the service provides customizable features depending on your viewing preferences.

You can try the service with its 3-day free trial. There are no surprise fees, no annual contracts and you can always cancel anytime.

Vidgo

Vidgo offers four different plans, but Vidgo Core is the least expensive option with access to HGTV.

Vidgo Core is regularly priced at $45 a month. Currently, the first three months is $40 a month.

With its initial lineup of 68 channels, Vidgo Core is perfect for the whole family.

The service includes most of the channels from Disney Media Networks like Disney Channel, A&E, FX Movie Channel and many more.

For those who love sports, you also have access to five ESPN channels, FOX Sports, and BTN—streaming college sports.

Additionally, Vidgo Core will get you some local TV channels like ABC and Fox.

Like its competitors, Vidgo Core allows its users three separate streams at once.

Apple TV, Roku, Google Chromecast and mobile devices are by Vidgo Core.

No cloud DVR storage, puts Vidgo Core at a disadvantage.  What it does have is 24-hour playback for most of its channels. You only have 24 hours to catch up on viewing content you may have missed.

Despite no DVR, Vidgo Core is still innovative with its Social TV experience.

Through its Watch Party feature, you can watch the same show at the same time with other Vidgo subscribers. The feature also allows you to share your thoughts on movies or shows through comments, reaction pictures, or emojis.

If you want to try the service, they offer a 3-day free trial with no contracts or hidden fees.

Free HGTV

If you lack the resources to subscribe to the streaming options mentioned, there is still a way to watch HGTV and it’s free. You can stream shows directly from the HGTV website.

However, this option is very limited. You can only watch select episodes or clips from certain shows.

In some cases, you can watch the whole show. For instance, season 1 to season 8 of Selling New York is available on the website.

But most of the time, HGTV teases you with a single free episode to convince you into subscribing to a cable network or streaming service.

Conclusion

HGTV boasts some of the best domestically focused TV shows in the U.S.  But you don’t need to keep paying high monthly cable bills to access it.

If you don’t care about sports and only want lifestyle and entertainment networks in your line-up, Philo may be the streaming service for you. It’s also the least expensive at $20/month.

But for those who want a more customizable experience, Sling TV Blue is a good option.

We still recommend Vidgo Core even though it lacks a DVR function. It still offers a good deal with a variety of channels. Plus, its Social TV feature is well-suited for those who miss socializing because of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

If you cannot afford any of the options, you can still stream a couple of episodes of certain HGTV shows for free on their website.

We listed many ways to watch HGTV without cable. But at the end of the day, it boils down to your family’s needs and preferences. All the streaming services mentioned, all provide HGTV, plus so much more.

Are you still watching HGTV on cable? Would you stream it? If you are streaming, which service are you using? Let us know in the comments below.

Lloyd Rano Opalec

Additional Resources

Read our previous blog called What is the Cheapest Way to Watch Fox News here.

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