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6 Best TV Antennas of 2024 | U.S. News & World Report
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A TV antenna can get you free TV, and what's not to like about that? Ditch the cable bill and focus on the TV channels you actually watch. If you can get those from your local TV station, why are you paying above odds for them from someone else?
With a good antenna, you can pick up tens or even hundreds of channels, completely free of charge. Some of them even support 4K and 8K resolution, so you’re ready to enjoy the next generation of TV without paying any monthly charges. The Antop HD Smart Boost earns our best overall placement but read on to learn which of these TV antennas is the right fit for you.
The Atop HD Smart Booster antenna is the most versatile on this list, and thus it takes our top spot. It works indoors and outdoors, it has a long range, and it features a built-in filter to prevent 4G LTE interference. It also supports VHF frequencies, so you can get a wide range of channels even if you’re quite far from the nearest broadcast station. It works multi-directionally, too, so you needn’t worry too much about placement or orientation.
You can mount this antenna in your living room, in your attic, or on the outside of your house. It also works with two devices at the same time, so you can plug it into multiple TVs to allow more than one group of people to enjoy HD and 4K channels for free.
The 1byone Amplified Antenna is a great budget antenna at its standard retail price, plus it's often heavily discounted. Despite costing around $40, the 1byone Antenna supports up to 100 channels at up to 200 miles range, though most buyers suggest that it works best at under 30 miles. Mounting the antenna properly is important, too, as placement can have a big impact on the number of channels you receive and how strong the signal is.
Fortunately, with an approximately 17-foot coaxial cable and multiple mounting options, you can place it exactly where it needs to be to make the most of it. It supports VHF and UHF frequency ranges, so you get full support for higher-resolution content and cleaner signals.
The Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro is the premier paper-thin antenna at the top of Mohu’s range. It offers excellent multidirectional coverage with support for UHF and VHF frequency ranges. It's also incredibly thin, making it easy to stick to a wall or window and not get in the way. It's quite broad, however, so be sure it doesn’t take up too much wall or window space.
This antenna has a 65-mile range, which is perfectly adequate for most but may not be enough if you live a long way from a tower. However, you’ll get an excellent signal from a variety of channels, including support for 4K and 8K resolutions, which very few other antennas offer (most top out at 4K).
The Antop AT-500SBS is a powerful indoor antenna that will all but guarantee you’ll get great reception within an 80-mile radius. It is quite large, which presents some challenges for installation, but you can mount it vertically or horizontally. It also has a 15-foot cable for connecting to a central hub (and a 5-foot extension beyond that), so you’ll have no trouble reaching your TV or or other device.
Indeed, you can connect multiple devices to this multidirectional aerial. If needed, there’s a manual gain tuner you can adjust to boost the reception a bit. This can be particularly useful when you want to watch a channel that’s hard to capture, as you can always turn it down again when you’re watching something else.
For a TV antenna that gets the job done while being as unobtrusive as possible, choose the Ultravizion TV Antenna. It’s almost entirely transparent, letting you mount it on a window with minimal visual disruption. It works well on tables, walls, or even mounted behind the TV – although mounting placement can affect the signal strength.
It’s very compact, so wherever you choose to put it, it won’t take up much room. It supports both 1080p and 4K resolution content, so you can enjoy crystal clear UHD sports and TV without paying a thing. There’s no LTE connection, so this older design might be susceptible to modern phone cellular interruption in busy areas, but its built-in amplifier gives it a pretty strong reception to counter most problems. It’s also affordably priced, making this a great all-round antenna.
If you want to place your antenna on the outside of your house, you need a model that’s impervious to the elements. That’s what the RCA Yagi excels at. With its robust design and weatherproofing, it is ready to face whatever mother nature can throw at it, all while letting you watch 4K and 8K TV entirely for free.
It comes with an app to help you boost the signal. Although the design is a little more complicated to install than window-mounted interior antennas, this one comes pre-assembled to smooth out the process. If you don’t want to put it outside, it works just as well in attics. With its 70-mile range and multidirectional design, it can pick up just about anything you want to watch.
When you’re buying a TV antenna, you’ll want to consider range, directional placement, mounting options, and the ability to reject cellular and other airborne signals. Where you put it makes a huge difference as well. That’s why we love the Antop HD Smart Boost antenna. It offers good range, resolution support, and channel support, but it’s the mounting that’s so useful. It can be placed inside, outside, or in your attic, and it works well no matter how you orient it.
Indoor versus outdoor: Oftentimes the best way to improve your antenna signal is to place it outdoors. Not all antennas are designed for this, however, so you’ll need to buy one with the right weatherproofing and make sure that you can mount it somewhere effective. If you’re in an apartment, there may be limited locations or permissions for you to do so. Indoor antennas can be just as effective in some cases, and you can always go halfway and mount it in your attic. That gives you the height, even if it isn’t quite as clear of obstructions.
Range and reception capabilities: All the antenna manufacturers quote grandiose claims about their antennas, but these are often best-case scenarios. An antenna might be able to pull in frequencies from hundreds of miles away, but those signals will often be very noisy, especially in crowded areas. Find how far your nearest tower is so that you can choose an antenna with enough range.
Amplified versus non-amplified: Amplified antennas can increase the gain of a signal to improve reception. However, this can introduce noise to the signal, so if you find that the channels you want to watch don't look good with the amplifier turned on, try turning it off, as it’s not always required for certain channels at certain distances.
Installation requirements and ease of setup: If you plan on mounting your antenna on the outside of your house, do you have the expertise and equipment to do so? You may need a certain type of drill and mounting hardware, as well as a large enough ladder and safety equipment. Alternatively, budget for hiring someone to mount it for you.
Interior antennas are easier to install. That said, some antennas are designed to work right out of the box, and others can take some configuration. Make sure you buy an antenna that works for your level of technical expertise.
Directional or multidirectional reception: If your antenna is multidirectional, it doesn’t matter too much what direction you aim at; it’s designed to simply pick up the signal from around it in any direction. If your antenna is directional, then you will need to carefully consider placement and which way it faces. While the simplest way to manage that is to point it directly at the nearest broadcast tower, that’s not always the best solution.
“A little-known fact is that sometimes we are collecting reflected signal -- so if the broadcast tower is 15 miles due North, you may be thinking you'd want to arrange your antenna with the best line of site to the north,” says tech editor at large, Caleb Denison. “But sometimes, you may actually get a better signal that's reflected off a big building off to the east, meaning the signal you want to grab is due east, and that's how you want to optimize your antenna placement. Unfortunately, these signals are invisible, which is why some experimentation in the home is often necessary to get the best results.”
Our contributor, Jon Martindale, spoke with a number of professionals with deep knowledge of TV and antennas for this review. They included Techsponential founder, Avi Greengart and A/V editor at large, Caleb Denison, among others. Jon considered their expert opinions alongside many reviews from users on each recommended product, and compared spec sheets and features to find the absolute best antennas money can buy. For each antenna, he looked at their effective range, channels supported, mounting options, their weatherproofing, and resolution support, among other factors.
WHY YOU SHOULD TRUST US
Jon Martindale is a technology journalist with 20 years of industry experience. He’s written for Digital Trends, Forbes, PCGamer, and many other publications. He’s interviewed many analysts and experts over the years and prides himself on being able to distill complex topics into easily digestible recommendations. To Jon, the best TV antennas are easy to mount, have great range and resolution support, and give you options to adjust the gain so you can fine-tune the signal you receive.
There are a lot of reasons why someone should get a TV antenna. Despite the initial cost, a TV antenna could save you a lot of money by providing free local channels with a variety of programming. If you’ve cut the cord on cable but don’t want to buy a live TV streaming service, a TV antenna provides access to daytime, primetime, and sporting events completely free. The visual quality is often better than cable, too.
Whether your TV antenna is mounted outside or inside or is directional or multidirectional, its placement matters.
“There are a long list of factors that will affect signal strength in the home,” Denison says. “You want to consider what obstructions may be between the broadcast antenna and you. In most cases, that's going to be tall buildings or trees right around your home. It's hard to account for obstructions that are further away, plus they tend to have less impact.
He adds to watch out for other obstructions, such as "multiple walls, or other electronic devices. Sometimes, your home itself is a big blocker. In any case, where there are significant obstructions in or around the home, it may be a good idea to elevate the home antenna as much as possible.”
In a rural area, you may need an antenna with a longer supported range, since you probably live farther from a broadcast tower. However, that doesn’t mean you necessarily want a shorter range in urban areas. While it can be beneficial to target the nearest tower, that’s not always the best solution.
“In some cities/towns, whatever – the broadcast antennas will all be grouped in one area – usually on a high-elevation hill that overlooks as much real estate around it as possible,” Denison says. “But, when there are more than one good option for broadcast antenna location, you may end up with a broadcast antenna 15 miles due north from your home, and another located just 6 miles due east. Therefore it is important to buy an antenna that aims to pull in signal from the most distant broadcast antenna in your area.”
You can find a list of local broadcast towers using AntennaWeb, including how far away each one is. That will give you a starting point to what kind of range you need, and what kind of channels you can expect to pick up once you install your antenna.
You may need to experiment with placement, or even a couple of models to find the best solution, but this is a great place to start.
Most outdoor antennas are designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, including torrential rain, and even light hail. However, heavy snowstorms, very high winds, and other irregular weather patterns may push even the best outdoor antennas to their limits. Make sure that you mount your antenna carefully, with additional support if you expect heavy winds in your area. You can also check the temperature specifications of your antenna if you expect to be in a particularly hot or cold area at certain times of the year.
Buying an antenna that supports 4K and 8K resolutions will give you some future-proofing. That said, there’s no guarantee that any antenna bought now will support future broadcast standards. As with any technology, buy the best solution for you now with some upgrade potential in the future, but assume you will need to upgrade it one day if it continues to be your primary way of watching television.
Jon Martindale is an author and tech journalist with 20 years of industry experience. He’s written for a number of major publications, including U.S. News, Forbes, DigitalTrends, and PCGamer, among others. He prides himself on being able to distil complex information down into digestible formats that entertain as much as they inform. He is an avid PC builder and gamer, and enjoys tinkering with the latest generations of a range of PC components.
Jeff Kinney has been a writer and editor for more than 20 years. He currently is a senior editor at U.S. News 360 Reviews, where he focuses on consumer electronics and technical services. Prior to joining U.S. News & World Report, Kinney worked as a reporter and editor for Bloomberg, LexisNexis, and other news organizations.
U.S. News 360 Reviews takes an unbiased approach to our recommendations. When you use our links to buy products, we may earn a commission but that in no way affects our editorial independence.
