The holiday season is here and that means Hallmark is rolling out its Christmas programming. From the lighting of the National Christmas Tree to the premiere of 21 new holiday movies, Hallmark brings the Christmas spirit into our homes. You don’t have to miss out on the Hallmark Channel if you don’t have cable.
Check out our guide to learn how to use Hallmark Channel Everywhere or the Hallmark Movies Now subscription service to watch Hallmark programming this holiday season. If you need to download Hallmark movies to watch on the road, you can find that content from your favorite online stores. Finally, you can plan your Christmas with Hallmark with our complete guide to the network’s Christmas movie premieres.
If you’re interested in watching the Hallmark Channel without cable, you’re not alone. Hallmark Channel is known as one of the best channels for original movies – particularly Christmas and other holiday movies, as well as reality and lifestyle TV programming. And, best of all, you don’t have to pay for a costly cable subscription just to watch Hallmark Channel.
With a modern internet TV “skinny bundle,” it’s easier than ever to get all of the Hallmark movies and programming you need – at just a fraction of the price of a cable subscription. Interested in learning more? We’ll explore your options to watch Hallmark Channel without cable now.
fuboTV
fuboTV is a bit of an oddball on this list. This streaming service was launched a few years ago with a huge focus on sports programming, especially internationally-popular sports like soccer, rugby and cricket. But in the last few years, it’s added a large number of news and entertainment channels, like Hallmark Channel.
Plans and channels
fuboTV comes with two primary channel packages to choose from, as follows:
It’s a bit on the pricey side compared to a few of our other options, but with the $45/month fubo package, you’ll get around 80+ channels, including Hallmark Channel. You’ll also get a few other entertainment networks and news networks you may be interested in, such as HLN, Lifetime and Lifetime Movies, as well as A&E, E!, and Bravo.
For an extra $5 fee, you can add on about 20 more channels with the fubo Extra package, like Cooking Channel and DIY Network, but you don’t need this package to watch Hallmark Channel without cable. You do get Hallmark Drama, though, which may make it worth the extra fee for some folks.
Features
fuboTV has a decent set of features, though it’s not the best on our list when it comes to DVR or simultaneous streams. Let’s start with the DVR. You only get 30 hours of storage, which is pretty low. The DVR is free though, which is always a good thing, and you can boost it to a huge 500 hours of storage for a $10/month fee.
As far as multiple streams go, you can watch on 2 devices at once by default, and add a third stream with the $6/month “Family Share” add-on, if you need to watch fuboTV on more devices.
Speaking of devices, fuboTV also has pretty good device support. When you’re on the go, you can watch Hallmark Channel without cable on your iOS or Android device, as well as on your web browser. At home, fuboTV supports Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku, as well as some Android TV devices.
Interested? You can give it a shot with a free 7-day trial today, and see if you like the service.
Philo
Philo offers a unique value proposition. Instead of focusing on replacing all traditional cable channels, Philo excludes sports, news and local channels, to provide you with a huge number of lifestyle and entertainment channels at a very low price. Get the details now.
Plans and channels
Philo offers 2 basic channel packages, as shown below:
| 45 Channels 7-day free trial $16.00/ month | 45 channels 3 simultaneous streams 30-Day DVR Roku Support | SIGN UP |
| 58 Channels 7-day free trial $20.00/ month | 58 channels 3 simultaneous streams 30-Day DVR | SIGN UP |
The lowest-cost, 43+ channel package will run you $16/month for a subscription. You’ll get Hallmark Channel, as well as Hallmark Drama and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. You’ll also get Lifetime and Lifetime Movies, as well as Investigation Discovery, TLC and a number of other great networks.
The 55+ channel, $20/month package includes a few other networks like Discovery Family and Law&Crime, but no other Hallmark channels.
Overall, Philo offers an extremely good value. You get the 3 biggest Hallmark channels for just $16/month, so it’s the cheapest on our list by far.
Features
Despite being inexpensive, Philo doesn’t let you down when it comes to features. You get a free, 30-day cloud DVR, and you can also “rewind” and watch most shows on-demand within 72 hours of their airing.
In addition, you can stream on 3 devices at once for no extra fee, so you’ll have no problem sharing your account across multiple devices in your household.
Device support for Philo used to be weak, but has improved quite a bit over the last few months. You can now stream on iOS devices, your web browser, and on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and Apple TV. Frustratingly, though, Android users don’t have a dedicated app yet, and are stuck streaming on their Chrome web browser, which is a less-than-stellar experience.
Want to try this ultra-low-cost entertainment “skinny bundle” for yourself? Give it a shot with a free 7-day trial, and see if you like it.
Sling
Sling offers a great value, while also providing some sports, local, and news channels that are missing from Philo. Founded in 2015, this company is owned by DISH Network, and is the oldest internet TV service in America.
Plans and channels
Sling TV subscriptions come in three basic types, as you’ll see below.
| Sling Orange Free Roku Deal $25.00/ month | 34 channels ESPN Free Roku Express 1 simultaneous stream. | SIGN UP |
| Sling Blue Free Roku Deal$25.00/ month | 49 channels ESPN Free Roku Express 3 simultaneous streams | SIGN UP |
| Sling Orange + Blue Free Roku Deal $40.00/ month | 56 channels ESPN Free Roku Express 4* simultaneous streams | SIGN UP |
You can choose to get just Sling Blue or Sling Orange for $25/month, or you can combine both to save some money, and get 53+ total channels for $40/month. However, Sling makes things a bit confusing, because you can’t get Hallmark Channel in either of these basic bundles.
You have to purchase the $5/month “Lifestyle” add-on channel package. For your extra fee, you’ll get Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama, as well as Lifetime Movies. The channels you get will vary somewhat, based on whether you have Sling Blue, Sling Orange, or both.
Features
Sling TV’s features vary somewhat, based on the channel package you choose. It’s a bit confusing, so let’s break it down.
Sling Orange exclusive channels, like ESPN and Disney Channel, can be streamed on only 1 device at a time. You can’t stream on any other devices while using your subscription. In contrast, you can stream on up to 3 devices with Sling Blue.
What’s important to note is that these limitations remain in place with Sling Orange + Blue. You can still only stream Sling Orange channels on 1 device. However, channels shared between Orange and Blue – such as the Hallmark Channel with the Lifestyle add-on – can be streamed on 4 (3 from Blue, 1 from Orange) devices at once.
Yeah, it’s confusing. That’s one of Sling’s big weak points. The other big weak point is the DVR. You don’t get it for free. Instead, you have to pay $5/month to get a 50-hour cloud DVR.
Because of these added fees, Sling TV is a bit more expensive than you would expect. You’ll pay $30 to get Hallmark Channel, or $35/month if you want a DVR. Add Sling Orange + Blue, and your total cost is $50/month.
On a brighter note, Sling TV has device support for just about any device you may want to use, from iOS and Android phones, to web browsers, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast and the Xbox One. Some Smart TVs from LG and Samsung are also supported.
If you’d like to try out this service, you can get started with a free 7-day trial, and see how you like it.
PlayStation Vue
PlayStation Vue is a bit pricey, but a good way to watch Hallmark Channel without cable, particularly if you are a member of a larger household or family, and want to share your subscription.
Plans and channels
You can choose from a total of 4 different plans with PlayStation Vue, which are as follows:
- Access – 45 channels, $45/month
- Core – 60 channels, $50/month
- Elite – 84 channels, $60/month
- Ultra – All Elite channels plus HBO/Showtime, $80/month
You can choose how many channels you want, and how much you want to pay, and add a few extra premium channels and bundles to your subscription. To watch Hallmark Channel without cable, the base-tier “Access” package won’t quite do it.
You will need a Core subscription, which costs $50/month, to get Hallmark Channel. To get Hallmark Drama and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, you’ll need the $60/month Elite subscription package.
This makes PlayStation Vue quite expensive compared to other options on our list, but you get a good overall channel package, and great features from this service – which we’ll talk about now.
Features
The main selling point of PlayStation Vue, in our mind, is the fact that you can watch on up to 5 devices at once, depending on which ones you’re using on your home WiFi network. This means it’s great for large families who often watch a lot of TV, and need to share a single subscription.
Adding onto this, PlayStation Vue supports up to 10 different user profiles, and each person gets their own, 28-day unlimited DVR. You can record as much content as you want, but it will be deleted after 4 weeks.
As far as device support goes, PlayStation Vue supports the PlayStation 3 and 4 – not exactly a surprise! But it can also be used on iOS and Android phones, as well as Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV – you don’t even need a PlayStation to use Vue.
If you want to try it for yourself, give it a shot with a 5-day free trial, and see if the high price of entry is worth it for the advanced features and flexibility you’ll get in return.
DirecTV Now
DirecTV Now is the internet TV streaming arm of AT&T’s DirecTV Now service. Because of this, the service offers a great package of channels at reasonable prices. However, DirecTV Now is still behind when it comes to features and flexibility, compared to our other choices for how to watch Hallmark Channel without cable
Plans and channels
Like PlayStation Vue, you get 4 basic options, to which a selection of premium and extra channels can be added. Your choices are as follows:
- Live A Little – 65+ channels, $40/month
- Just Right – 85+ channels, $55/month
- Go Big – 105+ channels, $65/month
- Gotta Have It – 125+ channels, $75/month
You can get both Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries with the cheapest, $40/month Live A Little package. This package also comes with pretty much every other basic sports, news, local, and entertainment network you would want.
You don’t get any extra Hallmark channels from the Just Right or Go Big packages, despite what you may think. In fact, if you choose Just Right or Go Big instead of Live A Little, you actually will LOSE Hallmark Movies & Mysteries – which is definitely a bit odd.
Features
While DirecTV Now has come a long way in the last year or so when it comes to features, it still lags behind the competition. How? Let’s start by discussing the DVR.
Until summer of 2018, DirecTV Now didn’t offer a DVR at all. Customers now do get a DVR for free, but it gives you a paltry 20 hours of storage, with a 30-day content limitation. That’s the worst DVR in the industry.
You also can only stream on 2 devices at once. While this is pretty standard in the industry, most of our picks for watching Hallmark Channel without cable let you watch on 3 or more devices. You can add a third stream with DirecTV Now, but for an additional cost of $5/month.
However, device support for DirecTV Now remains pretty good. You can stream on your computer, as well as on all modern iOS and Android devices. As far as living room devices go, the Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku, and Chromecast are all supported.
Hallmark Channel Everywhere
If you have a subscription to a cable provider, you may be used to logging directly into the Hallmark Channel website or app to watch your shows.
And the good news is that you can still do this with an internet TV subscription. Unfortunately, though, not all of our picks support this. As of publication time, only Philo and fuboTV support this option on the Hallmark website. You can’t watch live or on-demand episodes with DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, or Sling, which is a bit strange.
Why bother doing this at all? Well, it’s a good way to add some flexibility to your cord-cutting plan. You see, when you log into Hallmark to watch content directly, you don’t have to use up one of your simultaneous streams.
Basically, if you are using Philo, and 3 of your family members are streaming TV with Philo, you can still log into the Hallmark website, and stream live TV without having to force anyone to stop watching their show. This is definitely a nice feature for larger households.
Hallmark Movies Now
If you’re just interested in Hallmark Original movies, you have another option – the Hallmark Movies Now on-demand service. This service collects all of the very best Hallmark movies, and lets you stream all of them on-demand.
You can stream on your computer and iOS/Android devices, as well as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast, some Samsung and Sony TVs and Blu-Ray players, and on the Chromecast. The Xbox One is also supported.
A subscription costs $4.99/month (billed annually), or you can choose a month-to-month subscription for $5.99/month. Your subscription will get you unlimited streaming, commercial-free, of the entire Hallmark Movies content library, with new content added regularly.
