Antennas Direct ClearStream 2V
Type: Indoor/Outdoor | Range: 60 miles | Resolution support: Up to 8K | Weatherproofing: All-weather mount | Directionality: Multi-directional
Best for: Watching crystal-clear UHD and HD TV for free from a pinpointed local tower.
Pros:
- Supports a long range and various frequencies
- Supports UHD resolutions
- Works well indoors and outdoors
Cons:
- Lacks extreme weatherproofing of more dedicated outdoor antennas
Antennas Direct makes a number of great indoor and outdoor antennas, but our favorite is the ClearStream 2V. It supports UHF and Hi-VHF and with its wide beam angle, it can grab hundreds of channels for you from broadcast towards up to 60 miles away. You can use the free app to find your nearest towers too, helping you orient it in the right direction. If you’re close enough, you don’t need to adjust it much. Its double-loop antenna design is multi-directional, so can grab channels from any nearby towers easily.
It supports 1080p, 4K and if you can find it, 8K streams, and makes them look far crisper than the compressed signal you’ll get from most streaming services. Designed for indoor and outdoor use, the ClearStream 2V comes with an all-weather mount, so the antenna should never come loose, even in extreme weather conditions.
What the reviews say: One Amazon customer says, “I mounted this antenna 7 feet above the ground on the side of the house, pointing somewhat towards the broadcast antennas. I wanted it in a less visible location. I was very impressed with the reception. I’m now getting stations more than 50 miles away. I mounted this on stucco using the existing hardware except for the screws; instead, I purchased four concrete screws. Two days later, we had 45 mph winds, and the antenna remained steadfast.”
Best Indoor TV Antenna
A Thin And Compact Design
Mohu Leaf 50
Type: Indoor | Range: 60 miles | Resolution support: Up to 8K | Weather proofing: None | Directionality: Multi-directional
Best for: Enjoying free UHD and HD TV with a low-profile antenna.
Pros:
- Affordably priced
- Easy to mount on a wall or window
- Supports UHD resolutions
Cons:
- Lacks extreme range of more-premium antennas
- Is indoors only
The Mohu Leaf 50 is an excellent indoor antenna that gives you a great selection of free channels to enjoy crystal-clear TV. If offers 4K and 1080p support, so whether you’re trying to watch a movie or just grab the local news before heading off to work, you can get a clear signal and picture. And again, if you can find it, it can support 8K streams for future-proofing. You get a 60 mile range with this antenna, and with its multi-directional design, you don’t need to worry too much about facing, either.
This is very much an indoor antenna, so don’t try mounting it outside your house. For your living space, you get some different mounting options inside the box. It’s a low profile design, so can be stuck to a wall or on your window tucked behind a curtain. It features an in-line amplifier which does a good job of blocking out interference from cellular and FM radio towers for a clearer signal.
What the reviews say: One Amazon customer says, “I would definitely recommend this antenna. It is pretty powerful and lightweight. It is reversible with both a black or a white side. It has a very long cord, which is a little distracting because it isn’t easily concealed. I have four TVs in the house. Three of them have different brands of antenna for each set, which will allow approximately 17-21 channels, with some that have a hard time focusing and cause the TV to have distortion in the picture. I attached the Mohu Leaf 50 on the TV that I watch the most and scanned it. I immediately had 35 solid channels, with no distortion on any of the channels. I didn’t have to constantly keep rearranging the antenna to get a focused picture like the other three antennas. I placed it on the wall quite a distance from the TV, near a set of French doors and viola. I haven’t touched it since I put it there. I will be ordering three more for the other TVs in the house. It’s night and day—and less frustration, love it. It was a ‘wow’ moment.”
Best Budget TV Antenna
Gets The Job Done For Cheap
1byone Amplified
Type: Indoor | Range: 200 miles | Resolution support: Up to 4K | Weather proofing: None | Directionality: Unidirectional
Best for: Watching free TV on a budget.
Pros:
- Very affordably priced
- Supports UHD resolutions
- Low profile design is easy to mount
Cons:
- Limited range, despite claims
- Unidirectional means placement and mounting matters a lot
If you just need a capable TV aerial to catch those Sunday sports games, then the 1byone Amplified HD Digital TV Antenna is the best choice. While it’s priced at $40, it’s usually on sale for around $20, and so it’s a steal for watching HD or even 4K TV from a local TV tower. It has a claimed range of 200 miles, but that’s likely to be ambitious; most users claim it gets its best signal from around 30 miles. It can still pick up over 100 channels if you aren’t too far from your nearest tower. It’s designed as an indoor, unidirectional antenna, so make sure it’s placed somewhere prominent and facing towards your transmission tower.
You can find your local towers using one of many free apps, and the 1byone TV Antenna is designed with a low profile so it can be readily mounted to a wall or window and remain out of sight and out of mind. It has full support for VHF and UHF frequencies, and with its 17-foot long cable, you don’t even need to mount it near your TV.
What the reviews say: One Amazon customer says, “This antenna is well worth the money. It works better than a more expensive one which I returned. This antenna picks up more channels and is not as bulky as the other one I tried. I would definitely buy again for other TVs.”
Best Outdoor TV Antenna
A Powerful Outdoor Solution
RCA Yagi
Type: Outdoor | Range: 75 miles | Resolution support: Up to 4K | Weather proofing: All-metal construction | Directionality: Multi-directional
Best for: Enjoying a robust antenna with clear signal from the great outdoors.
Pros:
- Robust weatherproof design for outdoor mounting
- Works well in attics too
- Has great range and reception
Cons:
- Not the most attractive of designs
- Mounting is more demanding than indoor antennas
The RCA Yagi is the best outdoor TV Antenna you can buy, with a robust, weatherproof design that pops out when you’re ready to set it up, making it compact and easy to transport. It has a solid range of 75-miles, which is more than enough to grab a signal from nearby transmission towers in most areas. It also supports up to 4K resolution, so you can enjoy the clearest of UHD transmissions (as long as your local towers support it). Although the Yagi is designed as an outdoor antenna, if you don’t want to risk it in severe weather conditions, you can also mount it in your attic to give it more protection, and its signal is barely interrupted, so you’ll still get all your local channels.
The installation is more complex and demanding than the average indoor antenna, so you potentially want to hire someone to install it for you. But if you’re a handy with a drill and a ladder, you can get the job done yourself. Although it has a multi-directional design, you will get a better signal if you mount it facing your nearest transmission tower, and you can use the free bundled application to find it for better orientation.
What the reviews say: One Amazon customer says, “I bought this antenna based on my son having purchased this model for installation in his attic. It has super simple installation based on my need for it to be in my attic as well. It picks up all my local channels very clearly with the distance to the transmitters being approximately 40-50 miles away. No complaints.”
Best Low Profile TV Antenna
The Mohu Leaf 50 But Better
Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro
Type: Indoor| Range: 65 miles | Resolution support: Up to 8K | Weather proofing: None | Directionality: Multi-directional
Best for: Maximizing your TV reception with a low profile solution.
Pros:
- Excellent range
- Easy mounting with handy signal indicator
- Supports UHD resolutions
Cons:
- Needs a USB port from your TV for full function
- Indoor only
If the Mohu Leaf 50 is a great TV antenna, the Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro is an excellent one. It gives you a bigger antenna with better reception and support for the same UHD resolutions, but with greater amplification to make it easier to grab those high resolution channel signals in as clear quality as possible. You’ll need a USB port to power it, but outside of very old TVs that shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Mounting is very straightforward and with its low profile design, it first well on a window or inside an alcove or frame, so it’s easy to hide away if you’d rather not see it. If you don’t mind its look, you can grab the Leaf Supreme Pro in white or black depending on your preferences. To help with mounting, there’s a neat little indicator on the antenna to show you its signal strength at all times. That will help you get the most channels at the highest possible quality. With its 65-mile range, it has plenty of scope for giving you access to a range of channels, even if you’re outside the suburbs.
What the reviews say: One Amazon customer says, “Although I had to have help getting the reception figured out, I love having this antenna. It sits nicely on the table with the TV and the picture quality is excellent. There are times that I just want local television and this antenna did the job.”
Best Invisible TV Antenna
Translucent Design Makes It Hard To Spot Wherever You Mount It
Ultravizion TV Antenna
Type: Indoor| Range: 300 miles | Resolution support: Up to 4K | Weather proofing: None | Directionality: Multi-directional
Best for: Hiding your antenna as best you can.
Pros:
- Near-invisible design
- Supports UHD channels
- Low profile and easy to mount
Cons:
- Lacks LTE protection
- Indoor only
If you really, really don’t want to see your TV antenna but still want the ability to watch a range of UHD and HD TV channels for free, then the Ultravizion TV Antenna is your best bet. It’s not only very low profile, but is almost completely transparent. If you mount this on a wall or a window, it becomes almost completely invisible, making it the best stealthy antenna option out there. Despite its near-invisible design, though, it still supports a massive range of up to 300 miles—though that’s likely in best case scenarios, so take it with a pinch of salt.
It supports 4K, 1080p and SD channels, with the built-in amplifier helping it to grab as many channels as possible. However, it does lack any form of LTE protection, so it’s not the best solution for built-up areas where modern 4G and 5G signals might interrupt it. Use a free tower detection app to find the best placement for it too, as though it is multi-directional, it works best when placed facing a nearby transmission tower.
What the reviews say: One Amazon customer says, “I connected this to my living room TV and located the antenna on a nearby window. I was able to get more channels than with the one I had before, and the picture was more clear with less interference. With the antenna being clear, it was hardly noticeable. Setup was very easy. Great results!”
How We Chose The Best TV Antennas
To find the best TV antennas, we combined our first-hand knowledge of a wide range of antennas, with the opinions of our fellow tech writers here at Forbes, thoughts of colleagues throughout the industry and robust research.
- We cross-referenced stated stats and features shared by the brands under consideration.
- In addition to checking stats, we also combed through ratings and reviews left by confirmed customers. With all that background work in hand, we narrowed the list down to these selections of the best TV antennas for a variety of needs.
- We’ve performed extensive comparisons between both professional and consumer reviews, so we’re confident these are the best TV antennas available in 2024.
- Jon is a regular Forbes Vetted tech contributor who has bylines in digital publications including Digital Trends and PCGamer, and formerly ran his own PC hardware review website. He also is a home entertainment expert who knows the inner workings of TVs.
- In addition to writing about TV antennas, Jon has also written many TV guides, from finding the best place to buy a TV to TV mounts. He has also written about the best TVs, from 85-inch models to the age-old question of LG versus Samsung panels.
- We know tech trends can quickly become outdated. This story’s most recent update was in April 2024 to expand our frequently asked questions and add the Ultravizion TV Antenna as the best invisible TV antenna.
How Do I Know What Kind Of Antenna I Need?
Start by considering where you live. Urban areas with closer proximity to broadcast towers might require a simpler indoor antenna, while rural locations or areas with obstacles like forests or hills may require a stronger outdoor antenna for better reception. Also consider the number of TVs you plan to connect, where you plan to install the antenna, and your budget to decide which is best for you.
What TV Antenna Picks Up The Most Channels?
Multi-directional antennas are often recommended as they can capture signals from multiple directions, and so they can increase your chances receiving more local channels. Amplified antennas, which boost weak signals, can also improve channel reception, particularly in areas with obstacles or if you’re a long distance from your broadcast towers. Again, take into account your location and your needs before purchasing.
How Far Away Can A TV Antenna Pick Up A Signal?
The range at which a TV antenna can pick up a signal varies depending on several factors, including the antenna’s design, its height above ground level, the power of the broadcast signal and any obstructions like buildings or terrain. Generally, indoor antennas have a range of about 30 miles, while outdoor antennas can reach up to 70 miles or more. However, these ranges are estimates. Actual reception may vary based on your location and environmental factors, from building obstructions to your local terrain to the distance from the broadcast towers.
