Indoor TV antennas give you access to free channels for news, sports, and entertainment, making them a perfect addition to any home theater where you’re looking to cut the cord with cable or satellite or reduce your dependence on streaming services. While they may take a bit of time and effort to set up and get the best reception, it’s worth not having to pay expensive subscription fees or monthly bills just to keep up with headlines or catch the occasional football game.
Modern indoor antennas are much more powerful (and better looking) than the rabbit ears you may remember from your grandparents’ house. With slim, compact designs that fit into just about any decor and decent reception ranges, you’ll be able to pick up most local channels without any issue – as long as you live in a more populated area. For rural residents, you’ll need to invest in an outdoor TV antenna, which is much more powerful and can pick up signals from much further away.
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What’s the best indoor TV antenna you can buy right now?
I grew up installing TV antennas for my dad’s television business in backwoods West Virginia, so I know antennas. I’ve gone hands-on with all of the brands on this list to determine the best indoor TV antenna for your needs. My pick for the best indoor TV antenna overall is the Mohu Gateway Plus. It simply did the best job of any antenna I tested, pulling in distant, hard-to-reach channels.
That said, there is no “one size fits all” antenna, nor is there one antenna type that’s better than any other. It all depends on your location and what signals you can expect to get. Then, look for the antenna that best fits your specific needs. Here are my tested picks for the best indoor TV antenna you can buy right now.
In our February update, we made sure every recommended TV antenna was in stock and the latest model available from each brand.
Also: The best TVs
The best indoor TV antenna of 2026
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Why we like it: At a list price of $80, the Mohu Gateway Plus is one of the most expensive antennas I have looked at, but it also has the best reception. Let’s face it — if you can’t get the channels you want, it doesn’t matter what a great price you paid. It’s not worth it.
Who it’s for: It’s a bit large at 8.25 inches x 11.75 inches x 2.5 inches, and thanks to the included coaxial cable, you can put it up on a shelf up to 10 feet away from your TV. You also don’t have to use the stand if you’d rather hang it near a window. The Gateway Plus’s best extra feature is it includes four LEDs, so you can see how strong the signal is by moving it around your room. I wish more indoor antennas had this.
Who should look elsewhere: While the Mohu Gateway is an excellent indoor TV, it is one of the more expensive options on the market. So if you’re looking for something a little bit cheaper, there are more affordable options out there. Just remember that cheaper antennas may not have enough power to pick up all of the channels you want to receive.
Mohu Gateway Plus features: Signal support: VHF/UHF | Coax cable length: 10 feet | Indoor | Reception range: 60 miles
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Why we like it: I found it hard to believe, but the Best Buy Essentials Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna actually delivers great reception for just $20. It has absolutely no frills. You can’t point it out, it has no amplifier, and it has no signal meter. It’s just a simple 11.75-inch x 8.25-inch rectangle with an attached 10-foot coaxial cable.
Who it’s for: This simple antenna does an excellent job of picking up TV channels within a range of about 35 miles. You can’t beat its combination of price and reception. It’s cheap enough to have one for every TV in the house while being strong enough to pick up the channels you actually want to watch.
Who should look elsewhere: The Best Buy Essentials antenna is great if you live in-town or close to a signal tower. But with a range of only 35 miles, if you live in a more rural area, you’ll need a more powerful — and unfortunately, more expensive — option.
Best Buy Essentials Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna features: Signal support: VHF/UHF | Coax cable length: 10 feet | Indoor/outdoor: Indoor | Reception range: 35 miles
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Why we like it: Over the last few years, I’ve become very fond of the ClearStream antenna family. The least expensive model with the best reception is this $70 ClearStream 2Max. It’s my top pick for the best TV antenna overall due to its flexibility. It works just as well out in the woods as it does in a city.
Who it’s for: You can install this figure-eight TV antenna either indoors or outdoors. It comes with a stand for indoor use and a 20-inch mast with a clamp for outdoor settings. As a nonamplified unit, you don’t need an electrical outlet. Even without amplification, it has about a 60-mile range of reception. In contrast to many other antenna packages, it doesn’t include a coaxial cable in its package.
Who should look elsewhere: The ClearStream is a powerful antenna capable of picking up just about any signal as long as it’s in range. Unfortunately, it doesn’t exactly add to the curb appeal of your home. There are plenty of options available for indoor TV antennas that don’t look like you’re trying to start your own pirate radio station.
ClearStream 2Max features: Signal support: VHF/UHF | Coax cable length: N/A | Indoor/outdoor: Both | Reception range: 70 miles
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Why we like it: Sometimes, smaller is better. The recently remodeled Mohu Leaf only costs $60, but it picks up many channels within its 60-mile range. It also comes with a 12-foot detachable cable and supports both 1080p and 4K resolution video output. This means you’ll get great picture quality no matter the broadcast.
Who it’s for: I recommend this antenna if you’re living in a single room or a small apartment. It’s also handy for watching TV on the go in an RV. Amazon reviewers report that they were satisfied with the size, ease of installation, image quality, and multiple hanging options of the Mohu Leaf antenna. However, customers noted you have to hang it high for it to work best, but that’s true of all antennas.
Who should look elsewhere: The Mohu leaf is a great option at a decent price, but it does have a few limitations. For the absolute best reception, I suggest picking up the Mohu Gateway Plus for just $20 more.
Mohu Leaf 50 features: Signal support: UHF and Hi-VHF | Coax cable length: 12 feet | Indoor/outdoor: Indoor | Reception range: 60 miles
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Why we like it: Another excellent small, flat indoor antenna is the Winegard FlatWave Amped FL5500A. This $50 antenna is more expensive than most flat antenna models. It also gets better reception than most up to its range of about 50 miles. As an amplified model, it requires either a USB port or a wall socket for power. It has a 3-foot USB cable and a long 18.5-foot coaxial cable.
Who it’s for: The Winegard antenna packs a lot of power into a small package. It’s perfect to tuck out of the way in smaller rooms or hang discreetly in a window for better reception. With a reversible design, you can choose the best color to match your wall or decor to help the antenna stand out less.
Who should look elsewhere: While this is a great TV antenna, the size does pose a few issues. After all, the smaller the antenna, the more dialed-in you have to be to get reception. If you’re worried about not being able to pick up a signal with such a small antenna, there are larger options available for similar prices.
Winegard FlatWave Amped FL5500A features: Signal support: VHF/UHF | Coax cable length: 6 feet | Indoor/outdoor: Indoor | Reception range: 50 miles
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The best TV antenna is the one that works best for you in your location. The cheapest one might give you all the channels in your area. Generally speaking, with indoor models, you’ll want to place it on a window or an external wall there. If you’re having real trouble pulling in a clear signal, you’ll want an outdoor antenna.
Best indoor TV antennas | Price | Range | Model |
Mohu Gateway Plus | $80 | 60 miles | Indoor |
Best Buy Essentials Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna | $20 | 35 miles | Indoor |
Clearstream 2Max | $95 | 60 miles | Indoor or outdoor |
Mohu Leaf 50 | $50 | 60 miles | Indoor |
Winegard FlatWave Amped FL5500A | $60 | 50 miles | Indoor |
Buy the best TV antenna… | If you want or are… |
ClearStream 2Max | An excellent indoor or outdoor antenna that will work in any location. |
Best Buy Essentials Thin Indoor HDTV Antenna | A cheap, but good indoor antenna. |
Mohu Gateway Plus | The best of the best. |
Mohu Leaf 50 | A budget-friendly antenna that can fit almost anywhere and still deliver a good signal. |
Winegard FlatWave Amped FL5500A | An excellent indoor antenna. |
When buying a TV antenna, you should consider the following:
Location: Before purchasing an antenna, you must find out what OTA channels are available in your neighborhood. The easiest way to start is by going to a site like AntennaWeb, Antenna Direct, or the FCC’s DTV Reception Maps and using their interactive tools to see what OTA channels are available to you.
Range: For this list, I considered TV antennas with decent reception ranges to suit suburban and urban homes.
Indoor/outdoor placement: It’s all about placement. One spot in your home might not get a signal, while another will get half a dozen channels. Still, for some homes, an indoor model won’t cut it.
Fifty years ago, I was installing a TV antenna on a 100-foot tower in the middle of the West Virginia hills. In those days, I was helping with my dad’s television business. In West Virginia, with few TV stations and lots of hills and mountains, the only way you got TV was by having someone like my dad and his assistant — a.k.a. me — install towers and antennas on top of them.
Even though it’s been decades since I worked professionally with TV antennae, I still keep track of the technology, and went hands-on with nearly every antenna model on this list. When determining the best antenna, I considered several criteria such as range, set-up and installation, and price, and consulted experts who are still in the business.
OTA TV, through an antenna, offers a variety of channel choices. Most of your local TV stations don’t offer a single channel but two or three different “channels.” Besides the big over-the-air networks like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, today, there are numerous smaller networks, such as MeTV, AntennaTV, and Comet, which offer older TV shows; Univision, Estrella TV, and Telemundo for Spanish-language TV; and QVC and other home shopping networks.
A new, better OTA technology, NextGen TV, aka ATSC 3.0, is being deployed now. This will bring you even more channels, and 4K and High dynamic range (HDR) video. To see what NextGen channels may already be available in your neighborhood, check out the NextGen interactive map.
If you have an indoor-use antenna, you’ll want to place it as close as possible to a window or, failing that, an exterior wall. You can also install it in your attic. Generally speaking, the higher the antenna, the better reception you’ll get. It’s all about reducing the number of obstacles a signal has to pass through before it can be picked up by the antenna and sent to your TV.
You usually don’t. It was a different story in the analog days, but digital signals don’t gain much from amplifiers. Yes, they can boost signal strength to help you pull in marginal stations. But they also amplify noise. Sometimes, they’ll help, but usually, they cause more trouble than they’re worth. How can you tell? It’s a pain, but the only way is to try your antenna with an amplifier powered on and off. Usually, that means unplugging its power source, which is usually via a USB cable.
You’ll need special equipment to measure your TV antenna’s signal strength properly. These connect to your antenna’s coax cables, “read” the signal coming from your antenna and measure the amount of interference you’re dealing with.
If you just want to make sure your antenna is pulling in a good signal, you can buy a simple unit like the King SL1000 SureLock for about $30. You’ll want a gadget such as the Augocom RY S110 for more detail for about $110.
If you just want a cheap way to figure out which way you should point your antenna to get the best signal, get a smartphone app such as Digital TV Antennas on Android and TV Antenna Compass USA for iPhones.
Nope. A single antenna is all most people will ever need. Of course, you can add smaller indoor antenna models as needed if you don’t want to drag cable around the house. You can share its signal with a coaxial splitter. That’s a simple gadget that you hook up to your antenna’s cable and then split other cables that go to your TVs, usually from two to eight.
Some of the best splitters are the GE 33526 cable splitter, which can only split the signal between two televisions, the four-way RG6 RG59, and the Neoteck 8-Way Coax Cable Splitter. You can buy the first two for under $10 and the Neoteck for under $20.
You might want to use an amplified cable splitter if you have over four TVs. My favorite is the $55 Channel Master TV Antenna Distribution Amplifier, TV Antenna Signal Booster.
Sure. There are DVRs for antenna television. My favorites are the AirTV Anywhere line, The AirTV 2, $130, and its $150 big brother AirTV Anywhere. There’s also the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex 4K, $200.
The AirTV models enable you to combine Sling TV streaming with an OTA antenna. Moreover, with it, you can record broadcasts and stream both Sling TV and local broadcasts over your home network. Indeed, you can watch your local shows even when you’re away from home.
The AirTV2 is a two-tuner broadcast TV tuner that connects to your home network by Wi-Fi or Ethernet. With an external USB hard drive, which isn’t included, you can record and broadcast TV shows using the Sling TV app. The AirTV Anywhere comes with an internal 1TB drive and four tuners. This enables you to record up to four shows at a time.
The HDHomeRun Flex comes with four tuners, two of which are ATSC 3.0 compatible. To use it as a DVR, you’ll need to attach an external USB drive and get a $35-a-year DVR subscription. All this requires a bit of hands-on work to set up properly. On the other hand, once it’s done, you can watch your recording on any television, PC, or other device on your home network.
Looking for more ways to cut ties with cable and satellite? You can check out our list of streaming gadgets that could help you save money. And if you’ve already cut the cord, both literally and figuratively, you can read this helpful guide on how to convert your leftover coax cable into powerful ethernet lines.
TV Models Reviewed and Compared
Source: www.zdnet.com
