What is the cheapest way to watch the Hallmark Channel including the 3 best options? This is the title of this post because Hallmark is one of the most popular cable channels on TV. Many people love the Christmas movies available every Friday night on the platform. However, because of Covid-19, the way we watch TV is changing and consumers are re-evaluating their expensive cable subscriptions.
In this post, we will show you the least expensive option first. We also include a 4th bonus option at the end of this article for the Hallmark Channel super fans. All the options outlined here, do not require a cable subscription.
Frndly TV: $5.99/Month
They may have an unusual name but FrndlyTV offers the cheapest way to stream the Hallmark Channel at $5.99/month. It’s a bare-bones package of channels primarily targeted to American families, so you won’t have to worry about mature content like obscene language or violence. It’s a price you can’t beat if you love the Hallmark family of channels especially around the holidays.
Frndly-TV-PricingCurrently, if you purchase 10 months, you get two months free, a savings of over 15%.
No Contracts
FrndlyTV has no contracts, no set top boxes and no hidden fees. There is also a 7-day no obligation free trial.
Channel Lineup
Frndly TV includes 12 channels including over 1,000 on-demand shows & movies. They are the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, UPtv, INSP, PixL, The Weather Channel, Game Show Network, CuriosityStream, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, BabyFirst TV, Light TV and QVC.
Something for Everyone
The lineup has something for everyone. Hallmark is popular with women. The Outdoor & the Sportsman Channel is primarily targeted to men but women are becoming an increasing subset. PixL is geared to young adults with original movies and miniseries and BabyFirst TV is aimed at moms with young children.
Popular Devices
You can stream FrndlyTV on all the popular devices including Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Mac, PC, iOS and Android.
Internet is Required
Frndly TV’s recommends a minimum of at least 1.5Mbps speed and the video quality will automatically adjust based on the speed of your internet service. However, we recommend internet speeds of at least 3 Mbps to stream most videos in standard definition.
Video Quality
FrndlyTV gives you standard definition video quality at the $5.99/month price point. However, if you want high definition video quality, you will have to buy either the “Classic” plan for $7.99/month or the “Premium” plan for $9.99/month.
Multiple Screens
Again, FrndlyTV keeps the package very simple. But if you want more, you will have to pay a little. If you are only streaming one device at a time, the “Basic” plan will do but if you want to stream on 2 devices, you will have to upgrade to the “Classic” pricing plan. The “Premium” plan gives you the ability to stream on 4 devices at the same time.
“Look Back” Feature
There is a 72-hour “Look Back” which is included on all plans. This is great if you don’t want to pay for the optional DVR or you forgot to program it.
With this feature, you can watch any show aired within the 72 hours time frame, allowing you to start the show from the beginning.
DVR
However, with the Classic and Premium packages, cloud DVR is included with no additional hardware. You can record and save anything currently airing or scheduled to air on all channels.
Frndly TV includes unlimited storage with these two plans so theoretically, you could record all channels at the same time.
The only difference is under the Classic Plan, your recordings are available for 45 days and 180 days under the Premium Plan.
AT&T Watch TV $15/Month
The next cheapest way to watch the Hallmark Channel is AT&T Watch TV. If you are already an AT&T customer using their phones or internet, this service is $15/month.
At this price point, AT&T Watch TV gives you 35+ channels of live TV and 15,000 titles of on-demand movies. It’s a good option for people who want more than what the FrndlyTV plan offers but don’t care about the extras.
No Contracts
AT&T Watch TV has no contracts and no set top boxes. There is a 7-day no obligation free trial.
Channel Lineup
The channels are A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, Boomerang, Cartoon Network, CNN, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, Fyi, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, Hello, Labs, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, MTV2, Nicktoons, OWN, Sundance, Taylor Swift, Now, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, TLC, TNT, TruTV, Velocity, VH1, Viceland and WeTV.
Device Options
You can stream AT&T Watch TV on the Watch TV app, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Android device, iPad, iPhone and Apple TV.
However, AT&T Watch TV is not supported on Roku.
Multiple Screens
Since this is a basic service, you cannot stream more than one device at a time.
DVR
There is no DVR service with AT&T Watch TV.
Philo TV $20/Month
Another cheap way to watch the Hallmark Channel is to sign up with Philo TV. This platform is especially convenient if you don’t want to miss your reality TV, children’s programming, documentaries and movies. Philo’s package of 59 channels is a very reasonable $20/month.
No Contracts
There are no contracts or installation fees with this plan and you can jump on or off your subscription anytime.
Philo is the only streaming service to offer a free 2 day trial with just your phone number. If you want to get the 7-day free trial, you will need to enter your billing information.
Channel Lineup
Along with Hallmark, Hallmark Drama and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries are other popular channels. These include Discovery Family, History and Nickelodeon.
Supported Devices
Philo is available on a variety of devices including Mac, iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, Windows, Android phones, tablets, Android TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV.
Multiple Screens
You can stream on up to three devices at the same time with Philo TV.
DVR
Philo comes with generous unlimited DVR storage. Philo’s only stipulation is to watch your recordings within the 30 days window. You can also fast forward the commercials.
Hallmark Movies Now
Finally, we are including Hallmark Movies Now as a cheap way to watch Hallmark. However, this streaming service is not the traditional Hallmark Channel or the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel.
Instead, Hallmark Movies Now is a streaming service that offers unlimited, commercial-free streaming of Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, original movies, specials and Hollywood favorites from the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Like the other streaming services mentioned above, you will need a high-speed internet connection
This standalone service is $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year with a generous 1-month Free Trial subscription.
Hallmark Movies Now is supported on Roku, Samsung TVs, Sony TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, iPhone models 5 and up, iPads 2, 3, 4 and mini, Android tablets and phones, Kindle Fire 2nd Gen, HD, HDX, Xbox One, Windows 10 devices, and desktop computers.
Conclusion
Each of the streaming services supporting the Hallmark Channel offers something different.
FrndlyTV and Hallmark Movies Now are clearly for the budget minded.
AT&T Watch TV are for those customers who want a cable like experience with the huge bill. If you are already a happy AT&T customer, this service is for you.
Finally, Philo TV gives you the most bang for the buck with many popular channels at an affordable price.
Are you streaming any of the Hallmark Channels on the above platforms? If so, are you happy with your options? If not, would you consider signing up with any of the above platforms? Let us know below.
Additional Resources
Learn the 3 important things you need to know about AT&T streaming service here
Read our review, if Philo TV is a good streaming service here.
Or what is the cheapest way to watch Fox News here