Frndly TV Review: 40+ Live Channels for Less Than $7/mo!

Intro: Frndly TV Review

There seems to be a growing sentiment amongst cord cutters- you thought getting rid of cable would be cheap and instead it’s getting more expensive. In getting ready to review Frndly TV, though, I was struck at just how much lower their price is compared to their competitors.

It might not check every TV category, but for streamers looking for a low-cost alternative to higher priced services like YouTube TV, Frndly TV just might do the trick. This Frndly TV review will cover everything you need to know before signing up including pricing, the channel lineup, the Frndly TV app and how to get a free trial!

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The Basics

Frndly TV is a live TV streaming service that gives you access to over 40 live channels, plus on-demand shows and movies, with a focus on “feel-good entertainment.” Many of these are the same channels you’d find on cable TV, but are available at a much lower cost with Frndly TV.

Unlike cable, there’s no long-term commitment, meaning you can cancel at any time. There’s also no need for special equipment or installation since everything streams over the internet. 

You can watch Frndly TV on a variety of devices including smart TVs, streaming players (like Roku or Amazon Fire TV), smartphones, tablets, and computers/laptops.

Two of their plans, Classic and Premium, give you the option to record shows and movies with an unlimited cloud DVR. Otherwise, you can watch certain shows and movies on-demand whether you record them with the DVR or not.

Frndly TV Plans

Here’s what you need to know about Frndly TV’s plans. Take note that the channel lineup and on-demand content is the same with each plan.

• Basic: This plan streams in standard definition (SD) and can be watched from one screen at a time. With this plan you cannot record live TV, although you can still watch the on-demand shows and movies (some have unskippable ads, though). This price for Basic is $6.99 a month after a seven day free trial.
• Classic: This plan streams in high definition (HD) and can be watched from up to two screens at a time. You can record live TV with an unlimited DVR (no space restrictions) and keep your recordings for up to three months. This plan costs $8.99 a month after a seven day free trial.
• Premium: This plans also streams in high definition (HD) but it can be watched on up to four screens at a time. You have unlimited DVR recordings with Premium that you can keep for up to 9 months. This plan costs $10.99 a month after a seven day free trial.

Frndly TV also offers annual plans that will take the average monthly cost down by 15%.

What's on Frndly TV?

The channels on Frndly TV mainly focus on general entertainment with family-friendly, feel-good content. You’ll find shows like Heartland, Chesapeake Shores, The Chosen, and Gilmore Girls. There’s classic sitcoms like Bewitched and Leave it to Beaver.

Plus other things you’d expect to see on cable TV like Pawn Stars, game shows, and a plethora of made-for-tv movies. 

Since Frndly TV includes Hallmark Channel, Lifetime, UPtv, and Great American Family this very well could be the ultimate streaming service for Christmas movies.

Here’s the full channel lineup:

Hallmark Movies Now

Frndly TV gives you the option of adding Hallmark’s streaming service Hallmark Movies Now as an add-on for $5.99 a month after a seven day free trial. 

This is really only something for the die-hard Hallmarkies (as I’ve learned the term is now) since a base subscription to Frndly TV already includes 24/7 access to three live channels from Hallmark and a selection of on-demand content. 

For more info about Hallmark Channel vs Hallmark Movies Now, check out our article here.

What’s Missing from Frndly TV?

Save for some college basketball from BYU TV, you will not find any sports on Frndly TV. Other than weather on The Weather Channel or some local programming on Local Now, there’s also no news, either.

On top of that, even though there is a wide-selection of family-friendly content, there is a pretty limited selection of shows and movies directed specifically at children. 

You will need to find an alternate method if you plan to watch sports, news, local channels, or kid’s programming. Still at less than $10/month, it’s easier to incorporate this into your budget should you decide to stack it with other streaming services.

Frndly TV App & Features

The Frndly TV app is nothing fancy. You won’t get 4K resolution, offline downloads, the ability to create multiple profiles, or save on-demand movies and shows to a list. 

Oddly enough, you also won’t get parental controls. While the core base of channels (Hallmark, Great American Family, Dove Channel) focus on uplifting and sometimes faith-based content, there are channels like A&E or VICE that feature edgier shows. There’s no way to block these channels. 

As for the cloud DVR, the ability to record an unlimited number of shows and movies without space restrictions is nice. If you forget to record something through the DVR, there’s a good chance it will still be available on-demand but there may be commercials that you can’t skip past. Thus the DVR is your way to avoid commercials.

I found the menu navigation to be slightly jittery on the Apple TV version of the app, and it was a minor frustration that I couldn’t keep my video playing in the background while I looked through the Guide. 

Final Verdict: Is Frndly TV Worth It?

Compared to the competition, Frndly TV is more affordable by a significant margin and it isn’t even close. Whereas Frndly starts at just $7 a month, their nearest competitor (Philo) is $25 a month. Go up to Hulu + Live TV and you’re paying $70 a month- ten times the amount of Frndly TV’s cheapest plan.

So despite some issues with the app including an inability to create multiple profiles or add parental controls, it’s still a tremendous value to get over 40 live channels for the price. 

I suspect for most people this won’t be the only streaming service they sign up for. But paired together with an antenna for local channels or a streaming service with more kids content, this could easily make a robust alternative to a cable subscription for just a fraction of the cost. 

To try Frndly TV for seven days free, click the button below!