How to Watch History Channel Without Cable

It’s easy to watch History Channel on your TV without cable. All you need is a streaming service that carries History Channel. But which one should you pick? Frndly TV starts at $6.99 per month. However, the most notable channels on the service are A&E, History, Lifetime, and Hallmark. If you need more than Frndly offers but don’t want a heavy monthly payment, Philo starts at $25 per month and adds networks like History, AMC, Paramount Network, Discovery, HGTV, MTV, Nickelodeon, and more.

If you want a streaming service with an experience closer to cable TV with local network channels, cable news, and live sports, then I would look at DIRECTV STREAM (which offers a free trial) or Hulu Live TV. Those services will have most of the channels you are looking for but are priced closer to $70 per month.

These streaming services let you watch the same History channel airing on cable, so you can watch History Channel Shows like Ancient Aliens, The Curse of Oak Island, and History’s Greatest Mysteries as they air. These streaming services also provide you with History Channel shows on-demand. Read on for more information on all your options to steam History Channel without Cable.

The Cheapest Ways to Watch History Channel

While quite a few streaming services offer History Channel (I cover all of them in this article,) Frndly TV and Philo are the most affordable ways to watch History. Read on for more information on these live TV streaming services.

History on Frndly TV

Frndly TV is the most affordable way to watch History Channel live and other channels like A&E, Game Show Network, Hallmark Channel, QVC, and The Weather Channel. A subscription to Frndly TV starts at $6.99 per month. However, we find their $8.99 per month “Classic Plan” is the best value as it includes the following:

• Over 20 Channels Live TV & On-Demand
• HD Video Quality
• Watch on 2 Screens at a Time
• Unlimited DVR recordings. You can keep recordings for 3 Months
• Supported on Apple TV, Roku, Roku TVs, Amazon Fire TV or Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android and iOS mobile devices, and most major web browsers

You can try their service with no commitment using this 1-week trial or reading our review of Frndly TV.

History on Philo

Philo is another affordable way to watch History Channel without cable. For just $25 a month, you get over 60 channels, including History, as well as the ability to record as many shows as you like in Philo’s unlimited DVR.

Philo offers a 7-day free trial to try out their service. There is no contract, so you can cancel at any time without penalty. If you cancel before your free trial ends, you won’t be charged. Here are all the features included with your subscription:

• a cloud DVR for recording shows
• stream on 3 different devices at the same time
• over 60 channels, including History, HGTV, Nickelodeon, Discovery, MTV, and more.

Philo even has some History Channel content on-demand, and you can use your Philo log in to use individual channel apps just as if you had cable. See instructions on Philo’s TV Everywhere page.

To watch Philo, all you need is an internet connection. Philo recommends the following speeds based on your needs:

• 13 Mbps – Recommended for reliable HD streaming, even with multiple streams or other devices using the same network.
• 7 Mbps – Stream one HD video. If multiple devices are streaming or using the network at the same time, there may be buffering issues.
• 3 Mbps  – Stream SD quality video.
• Under 3 Mbps – The video quality is reduced. Philo may load slowly or rebuffer.

You can watch Philo on the web, or on iPhone, iPad, Android phones & tablets. You can also watch Philo on your TV using Android TV, Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV.

Philo keeps costs low by not carrying expensive sports or cable news channels. If those options are a priority for you, you may want to look elsewhere. Check out our review of Philo for more information on the service.

Other Streaming Services With History Channel

Philo isn’t the only streaming service that carries History Channel. There are alternate ways to enjoy the History Channel shows you want without forking over mountains of cash to a cable TV provider. Here are a few cable subscription-free ways you can stream History Channel online.

History Channel on Hulu

Hulu is another way you can stream History. Previously Hulu was known for its vast on-demand streaming library. However, Hulu also offers Hulu Live TV service for $69.99 a month that offers Live History Online Streaming. Hulu Live TV is one of the best live TV streaming services available. It includes the following features:

• Unlimited cloud DVR storage. (Recordings save for 9 months)
• Watch on 2 screens at once. (Upgrades available)
• Comes with 6 customizable profiles
• Includes entire Hulu streaming library
• Includes Disney+ and ESPN+

Check out our full review of Hulu Live TV for more details. To try Hulu Live TV, you can sign-up on their website.

History Channel On-Demand

Many of History’s shows are available on-demand on Hulu’s Streaming Library as well. This may be a much more affordable way to enjoy History Channel shows on Hulu, as the Hulu Streaming library starts at $7.99 a month. Hulu also offers a 30-day free trial with this plan which is plenty of time to see if this solution will work for you. The service streams many History Channels shows, including Pawn Stars, Ancient Aliens, American Pickers, Alone, and Vikings. You can see all the History Channel shows on Hulu’s History Channel Page.

History Channel on Sling TV

A more price-conscious alternative is Sling TV. History is in its “orange” and “blue” packages, each of which is $40 a month. Sling TV provides a live stream of History, so you can watch exactly what would be airing on History just as if you had cable.  It is included in its Cloud DVR program, so you can record shows for later.

Sling TV is available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and more, so it’s not a problem to enjoy History on a TV, tablet, computer, or other smart devices.  There are more channels available on Sling TV than what I’ve mentioned here. To find out more about what Sling TV has to offer, and more information about Sling TV device compatibility, check out this detailed review of Sling TV.

Sign up for Sling TV!

History on DIRECTV STREAM

DIRECTV STREAM is another way you can watch History Channel. Channel packages with History start at $74.99 per month. A subscription to DIRECTV STREAM includes the following:

• watch 20 streams simultaneously per subscription 
• a cloud-based DVR
• channels like History Channel and more
• supported on Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, Amazon FireTV, and more

You can check out this streaming service through this online offer or read about it in our DIRECTV STREAM review. DIRECTV STREAM provides a 5-day free trial for new customers

History Channel on Vidgo

Vidgo is a newer streaming service that offers fairly competitive pricing over other live streaming services. They provide a DVR for 90 days with the Vidgo “Plus” plan, but you need to upgrade to the “Ultimate” plan to keep the DVR past 90 days. Vidgo includes History Channel in its Core package, along with over 60 other channels. New customers can sign up for the Core Plan for $59.95 per month, on sale from its usual $79.95 per month.

Vidgo doesn’t force you into a contract so you can cancel any time. They do offer special pricing for signing up, and you can cancel at any time.

Vidgo is supported on available on Android, iOS, Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV. You can also stream the service on up to 3 devices at the same time. We have the full details in our guide to Vidgo’s live streaming service.

Watch History Channel for Free

A few of the streaming services that carry History Channel offer a free trial. You can take advantage of those and watch free History Channel for almost a month or longer if you use different email addresses. Let’s look at the free trials available.

• Frndly TV – offers a 1-week free trial
• Philo – offers a 7-day 1-week free trial
• DIRECTV STREAM – Watch with this 5-day free trial.

As long as you cancel before the free trial expires, you won’t be charged. If you get creative with email addresses and payment methods, you could watch the free History Channel even longer. Doing this would also let you test out the various live TV streaming services to see which one you like the best.

How To Watch Shows On History Channel

Below are articles explaining how to watch popular History Channel shows.

Watch History Channel Live on Roku

To watch History Channel on Roku, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries History Channel (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, or Philo)
2. On your Roku Menu, navigate to “Search” and press “OK” on your remote
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Add Channel” press “OK” on your remote. If the channel is already installed, “Go To Channel” will be an option.
6. The App is now installed on your Roku. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. History Channel will be a channel available through the apps live TV guide.

Watch History Channel Live on Fire TV

To watch History Channel on Fire TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries History Channel (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, or Philo)
2. On your Fire TV Home screen, click on the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service and press “OK.”
5. Select “Download,” and the channel will install
6. The App is now installed on your Fire TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. History Channel will be a channel available through the apps live TV guide.

Watch History Channel Live on Apple TV

To watch History Channel on Apple TV, follow these instructions.

1. Subscribe to a streaming service that carries History Channel (Sling TV, Hulu Live TV, Vidgo, or Philo)
2. Scroll right to the search icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
3. Enter the name of the streaming service you subscribe to in the search bar
4. Select the streaming service click the cloud icon, and the channel will install
5. The App is now installed on your Apple TV. Open the app, and log in with the credentials you used to subscribe to the service. History Channel will be a channel available through the apps live TV guide.

History Channel App

While all the streaming services mentioned above are supported on Roku and Amazon Fire TV Stick, you may want to watch History Channel on the History Channel app. Not to worry, the History Channel app is available on several streaming devices, and you can use your login credentials from Hulu Live TV, Vidgo, or Philo to unlock all the content available on the History Channel app. This will allow you to watch History Channel live through the app.

How To Watch on Your Device

For our example, let’s assume we have a Philo subscription and a Roku. We can follow the steps below to get the History Channel app working on our device. While the steps below use Philo and Roku to watch History Channel, most streaming services and devices will have the same process.

1. Go to the channel store or app store on your device. On Roku, it’s called the “Channel Store.”
2. Search for “History Channel”
3. Add the History Channel app to your device and then open it. 
4. Your Roku device will then show you an activation code and a URL.
5. Using a computer or mobile web browser, you go to the URL.
6. You will then be asked for a TV provider and a username/password. I’m entering the username and password I use for Philo.
7. Once you sign in on History Channel’s website, your TV screen will refresh. You should now have access to all the video content the app provides.

Supported Streaming Devices

The History Channel app is supported on all of the following streaming devices:

• Android Devices
• iOS Devices
• Apple TV
• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Chromecast
• Android TV
• Samsung TV

For information on watching other TV channels online check out: How To Stream Specific TV Channels

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