Answer 3 questions. We'll tell you exactly what to do — most households don't need an antenna anymore. The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Tubi cover 90% of what people actually use cable for, all free, no hardware.
We use it to estimate distance to broadcast towers and your local channel lineup.
This decides whether a $0 streaming-app setup works or you need a single physical antenna.
This tells us how far you are from broadcast towers — the single biggest factor for antenna reception.
For 22 years we recommended a $30 antenna as the default. As of 2026, the math has changed.
The Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, Freevee, and Samsung TV+ collectively offer 800+ free live channels — including ABC News Live, CBS News, NBC News Now, FOX Weather, dozens of MLB/NHL classics, and the entire FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) ecosystem. None of it requires hardware beyond a Roku stick or a smart TV most households already own.
A physical antenna still makes sense in three cases — single-TV setups, rural homes 25+ miles from towers, or sports purists who want ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV) 4K broadcast. For everyone else, the streaming-app stack is cleaner, more reliable, and works on every TV in the house simultaneously.
Most households no longer need a physical antenna. Free streaming apps like The Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Samsung TV+ carry 500+ free live channels including ABC News Live, CBS News, NBC News Now, and FOX Weather. A physical antenna only makes sense if you have a single-TV setup, live 25+ miles from broadcast towers, or want broadcast sports in true ATSC 3.0 4K quality.
The Roku Channel is the default pick for most households — cleanest channel guide and a channel-favoriting feature. It runs on Roku, smart TVs, mobile apps, and the web. Tubi has the deepest movie library. Pluto TV has the most cable-style channels. Samsung TV+ is built into Samsung TVs.
Distance from the nearest broadcast tower. Within 10 miles: any indoor flat antenna ($20-40). 10-25 miles: amplified flat or larger indoor ($40-80). 25-50 miles: outdoor directional or attic-mounted ($60-150). 50+ miles: roof-mounted outdoor with pre-amplifier ($100-250). Verify at antennaweb.org with your exact address.
Yes. ABC News Live, CBS News, NBC News Now, FOX LiveNOW, and most local-market news streams are free on The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and the network apps. National network news is free without cable or an antenna in 2026.
Yes — about 60 of the 104 World Cup matches air on FOX broadcast, which is free with an antenna OR a smart TV's FOX app for live news/sports streaming. Telemundo broadcasts every match in Spanish, also free OTA. Full World Cup guide →