How to watch HGTV without cable in 2026

A favorite for weekend warriors and real estate enthusiasts, you can watch HGTV without cable on a variety of streaming services. Our recommended providers include Sling TV, Philo and DIRECTV. The only free way to catch HGTV is during a free trial and their mobile app, HGTV GO, is an excellent way to catch up on episodes. Let's dig into all the details...

Table of Contents

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• Streaming services with HGTV
• HGTV on Sling TV
• HGTV on Philo
• HGTV on DIRECTV
• How to watch free
• Providers with HGTV
• Popular shows

Note: For all sections below, a checkmark next to a plan means that it's our favorite way of getting HGTV.

Streaming services with HGTV

If you dig reality shows that deal with home renovation, buying and flipping, you'll love Home and Garden TV (HGTV). Most of the shows focus on setting a big (or small) home goal and reaching it by the end of the episode. So, for current or prospective home owners, it's a great way to learn something new or just veg out. Where to watch it though? Well, good news is HGTV is widely available. We most often recommend Sling and, for those on a budget, Philo has it in their stripped down plans...

HGTV on Sling TV - our recommended service

• Channels: 50
• Best price: $23
• 7-day free trial

Visit Sling

Sling is a skinny bundle streaming provider. That means they don't carry a full lineup like you get with cable. Instead, they've removed most of the less popular channels to save on cost for subscribers. Good thing for HGTV fans is that it's a super popular network and found in both of Sling's plans, Orange and Blue. Each is $23/mo and features a different theme of channels.

For folks that dig HGTV, they'd probably slightly prefer Orange. Neither plan truly has extra home improvement channels but at least Orange also has TLC and USA. Both plans share A&E and Travel Channel.

Overall, Sling is a cheap and lightweight way to get HGTV. There's very little fluff and the lower price reflects that. Other than HGTV, there aren't any other home improvement channels (the closest you'll get are channels like Travel and A&E. So, if you're looking for just HGTV and at least a handful of other channels in Sling's lineup are a good match, consider giving Sling a try.

HGTV on Philo

• Channels: 70
• Best price: $33
• Year discounts

Visit Philo

Speaking of skinny, Philo wears a size 2. With just one plan (70 channels for $33/mo), it's a solid way to get HGTV, even if that's all you watch. For home improvement junkies, Philo carries a few other channels similar to HGTV: Homemade Nation, Tastemade Home and Tiny House Nation. So, quite a good selection of similar programming.

Not surprisingly, there are a couple major drawbacks with Philo. First, you won't get any local programming with Philo. Second, sports are basically non-existent (other than the Outside channel, beIN Sports Extra and MSG Sports Zone).

Overall, and for most folks, Philo is more of a piece of puzzle rather than the whole enchilada. Their lineup, while surprisingly good for the price, won't satisfy the needs of most households. So, when you really want HGTV, Philo is a good way to get just HGTV and hopefully a few other favorite channels mixed in. To their credit, they have an above-average program guide and the unlimited DVR storage is a nice perk.

HGTV on DIRECTV

• Channels: 160
• Best price: $49.99
• 5-day free trial

Visit DIRECTV

There's a lot to like when you stream DIRECTV. It shares a bunch of the same stellar programming as DIRECTV satellite, including regional sports. And, the big upside is it's contract-free so you can get it for just a particular sports season, event, etc. With regard to HGTV, it's available in all four of their plans. If you want to save as much as possible, consider the Entertainment plan first.

A nice bonus is that DIRECTV also includes a bunch of other channels that have home improvement programming. Some of those include BBC, Bravo, TLC, Discovery and Tastemade Home. They don't have diy, however.

Overall, there's plenty to like about DIRECTV. Its DVR tech is cutting edge and the user experience is top notch. Not surprisingly, these plans are the closest to mainstream cable or satellite TV. The big difference here is the lack of a contract. You're able to cancel anytime, no fees or penalties apply. New customers can even cancel anytime within the first 5 days and receive a full refund, so plenty of time to give the service a whirl.

How to Watch for Free

While there's no way to watch all of HGTV's programming for free (for an extended period of time), there are a couple ways to get a taste of the sawdust. HGTV's mobile app (HGTV Go) is quite good and they usually let you watch a few episodes or older programs for free, no provider login required. Simply download it and whatever is free will be noticeably unlocked.

The second way is during a free trial from a streaming provider, like those on this page. Most featured here offer a 7-day trial. You usually need to provide your billing details when you sign-up but it won't be charged until your trial is over. So, try it out, watch and record HGTV all you want, and decide if it's worth paying for the service.

Streaming services with and without HGTV

As mentioned, HGTV is a very popular AND widely-available channel - most medium to large streaming provider lineups will include it (as can be seen in the grid below). So, when you're shopping around, HGTV won't usually dictate your decision as it's probably already included. Just be sure to double-check the plan's lineup if it's a must-have. By the way, HGTV is available on Hulu + Live TV as well, we just don't think it's the best fit for most HGTV fans.

Popular shows on HGTV

Some of the best original home improvement shows were born on HGTV. For example, Flip or Flop is just about everyone's favorite. HGTV spends a ton of time and money carefully cultivating their shows (and how they fit in together). Unlike other networks, there's a bunch of overlap between HGTV shows that can easily lead to LONG binge-watching sessions (guily as charged!). Who can leave before seeing how that atrocious kitchen got remodeled? Anyhow, here's a quick look of some of their more popular channels:

Streaming devices with HGTV

HGTV has a VERY popular and functional mobile app. It lets you easily find, watch and download shows... all from your phone or tablet. You can also watch via a desktop or laptop browser, again excellent user interface as small learning curve. In general, all these mobile or online watching avenues are called HGTV Go.

Our personal favorite way of watching HGTV while on the go is the Android app. In our experience, it works a tad better than the iOS version. It also seems to load/respond faster thought that could just happen to be network-related. Here's an overall look at how to watch HGTV.