Best Freeview Box: Your Options Reviewed

Entertainment plays a huge role in all of our lives, but as time goes on, it is getting increasingly expensive. There are more subscription packs available than ever before. But what if you could get quality entertainment for free? 

Thankfully, Freeview has been bringing entertainment to UK viewers for years without the need for super pricey subscriptions. But what’s the cheapest Freeview box worth buying right now? And what’s the best Freeview box to replace Sky Q with?

Keep reading, and I’ll give you the full lowdown.

What is Freeview? 

As the name suggests, Freeview is a way of getting free TV. With Freeview, you can access more than 70 standard channels and up to 15 HD channels through a standard set-top box. 

Unlike regular television, with Freeview, you do not have to pay any subscription fees. Once Freeview is set up in your home, it remains free to use for as long as you need it!

However, you need a working aerial, a compatible TV, and a Freeview box to access the service. Thankfully, there are multiple Freeview boxes on the market, with many different options, price points, and perks.

What’s the Best Freeview Box (To Replace Virgin or Sky)?

Good question – here are a couple that I’ve checked out for you that seem to do well with UK viewers in several categories.

Manhattan T3 Freeview Play 4K Smart Box

Manhattan’s a brand I’ve come across a few times when shopping around for TV boxes, and thankfully, their T3 doesn’t disappoint on the Freeview front.

The Manhattan T3 arrives with a 7-day TV catch-up, thanks to the easy-to-use TV guide. You can also save the programmes you want to watch later and create your own watchlist to save yourself from tedious nights trying to find the right show to watch.

As the T3 readily supports WiFi, you can easily use apps such as YouTube straight from the box and catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5, and more.

You also have access to over 85 Freeview channels for live entertainment, providing both Ultra-HD and HDR viewing (as long as you have a television that can support it). 

Finally, this particular box is known for its lightning-fast speed and very low energy consumption. It’s one of the best on the market.

Pros: 

• 7-day TV guide
• Supports WiFi
• TV recording function

Cons: 

• No ability to pause live TV 

HUMAX FVP-5000T

This impressive piece of kit lets you record up to 500 hours of programmes in SD, though it’s built to record HD, too.

What I like about this particular box is that it’s set up for unlimited plug and play – meaning it should connect to various TVs and other peripherals.

As you’d expect, you have access to a variety of different catchup services through this box, and you don’t need an extra dongle to connect to your home WiFi. All the technology is built right into the box – and setup honestly doesn’t take long at all.

What’s also really impressive about this box is that you can rewind and manage live TV recordings, and you can even stream Spotify if you want to listen to music while you’re working around the house.

Be warned, it’s a little pricier than most Freeview boxes, but it’s an absolute powerhouse (and great value with it).

Pros

• Records 500 hours of TV (in SD)
• Tons of streaming options
• Available as 1TB and 2TB if you prefer

Cons

• One of the most expensive options

HUMAX Aura Android TV 4K Freeview Play Recorder

If there was any Freeview box that was to take the crown for the most feature-rich and most technically impressive, this little workhorse would be the candidate.

Not only can you record TV and enjoy shows through apps such as Prime Video and Disney+, but you even have access to Google Assistant for a hands-free browsing and viewing experience. Better yet, there’s even Chromecast built-in, so you can cast videos directly from your phone to the TV.

As an Android device, simply log in with a Google account and enjoy 4K definition streaming through a plug and play device that’s well worth the money.

I especially love the smart home compatibility here – yes, you can even control other devices through the voice function!

Pros

• Incredible sound and vision
• Up to 1 TB of storage. There’s also a 2TB version.
• Smart features and voice control

Cons

• Very expensive for many people

BT Youview Set Top Box

One of the cheapest Freeview boxes on the market today is undoubtedly the BT Youview. With this box, you can easily scroll back through up to seven days of television and watch whatever you want straight from your TV guide. 

Unfortunately, this box does miss out on an important feature – the ability to record or pause and rewind live TV. But the price more than makes up for it.

The more feature loaded Youview+ box brings in the recording capacity, but at a higher price point of £100 to £130. That box brings in 300 hours of recording capacity with its hefty 500 GB storage drive. That’s great for those extra special episodes of your favourite series or movies you just can’t get enough of.

This box also has a great library of on-demand tv shows and films. Plus, just to ensure that nothing distracts you from your favourite shows and movies, this box runs extra quietly. So, no random fan noises going off in the corner to ruin the tense scenes! 

Finlux T7655 500GB Freeview PVR HD Recorder Set Top Box 

Note that this product tends to have trouble being in stock at Amazon. If you’re interested in a cheap option, this is definitely a good choice. However, you may have to rely on your luck to find it in stock while shopping! I’m simply mentioning it here for completeness.

So back to the Finlux T7655: While cheap (typically priced around £45-50), it is seriously impressive. It comes with up to 342 hours of HD recording capability thanks to its 500 GB hard drive. 

As you might expect, you have access to all of the best Freeview channels in HD and the ability to record, pause, and even rewind live TV. But what if multiple shows are on that you want to watch at the same time? No problem. You can easily record up to two shows while watching another! 

What’s more, for the live shows you missed, you can rest assured that you have up to a week to catch up! This Freeview box also supports WiFi and even comes with a one-year warranty. Just make sure you register to protect your product.

Pros: 

• Long recording history
• WiFi supported 

Cons: 

• The warranty only lasts one year 

Best Freeview TVs

If you’re looking to enable your TV to receive Freeview via a set top box, a better option might be to upgrade to a TV with a built-in Freeview receiver. This makes it easy to operate and you end up having only one remote control to fiddle with. This means it’s easy for seniors or the less technically savvy to operate. Interestingly enough, many of these TVs are not very expensive either.

If you’re interested in that option, here are some of the best sellers on Amazon for Freeview-equipped TVs. It’s worth checking out!

Before You Go…

Finally, if you’re set on getting a box, you may want to look at Freesat as well. If you’re interested in checking out some options, I have a dedicated article on the Cheapest Freesat Boxes that would be worth your time.

FAQs

Last update on 2023-09-25 / Affiliate links