Howdy is affordable – and that is one of the best factor I can say about it

I have been an enormous champion of Roku throughout my profession. Although their advertisements may be a little annoying, I’ve appreciated their strategy to no-frills streaming, and have been impressed by their various lineup of streaming sticks, TVs, and free extras like The Roku Channel.

First introduced two weeks in the past, Howdy looks like a pure extension of the Roku model into the vast world of paid, ad-free streaming. And on paper, it sounds nice. 1000’s of hours of classic content material, streaming for $3 a month? It (maybe knowingly) remembers the worth proposition first made by Netflix again within the 2010s: Watch re-runs of all of your favourite reveals for a low month-to-month price, all with no advertisements. Even Howdy’s personal advertising and marketing appears to trace at this, with their web site and press supplies all proudly stating “Virtually all the pieces you wish to watch. All the time ad-free.”

I made a decision to check out this declare myself and, after paying the $3 entry price, I’ve to say sadly I got here away fairly lukewarm about Roku’s first entry into the world of paid streaming.

Worth, availability, and specs

In case you’ve bought $3 and a Roku gadget Howdy may be yours

Howdy is not a tough app to search out. In reality, when you have a Roku TV, or certainly one of their plug-in streaming gadgets, you in all probability have already got it put in as Roku helpfully ( or annoyingly, in my case) put in. If not, you may merely seek for it from your house display and it will pop proper up. You may as well entry Howdy by way of any internet browser at Howdy.tv or by way of Roku’s cellular app.

At present, there is no such thing as a approach to entry Howdy by way of non-Roku gadgets like Google TV or Apple TV, and if you happen to’re trying so as to add it as a tile on a local good TV OS like Tizen, you are sadly going to be out of luck. It is unknown if this can change sooner or later, as Roku’s web site makes no point out of ever including help past what’s at present obtainable.

Streaming appears to be in HD with Dolby Audio supported on some titles, however 4K choices are seemingly absent, a minimum of on the titles I used to be capable of check out.

The month-to-month subscription price is $3 and there are not any free trial provides obtainable.

What I favored about Howdy

It is low-cost

If there’s one factor about Howdy that I needed to hold reminding myself time and again about whereas scrolling by means of its numerous content material choices, it was that if I may discover a minimum of one film to observe, it will be definitely worth the $3 subscription price. Positive, a whole lot of movies and reveals on Howdy, together with Reservoir Canine, Soiled Dancing, and The Illusionist are all streaming without cost on different platforms. However they don’t seem to be ad-free, which does make a distinction, and $3 is lower than a rental on mainly any service. So, if there is a film you wish to watch ad-free that is on Howdy, you may consider the $3 subscription price as a month-long rental. Simply be certain your account is not set to auto-renew.

What I did not like about Howdy

A crappy UI and never a whole lot of content material

Recency bias could cause of us to overlook out on a whole lot of issues. Whereas I really like watching new releases in theaters and on streaming, I do not thoughts catching up on older titles I could have missed once they had been new, and I actually get pleasure from rewatching basic movies from the twentieth century, when a number of the most iconic motion pictures of all time had been made.

Nevertheless, I am unable to say that I discovered a lot worthwhile in Howdy’s self-described “10,000 hour” catalog. Although there are some hidden gems to be present in collection like Hell on Wheels and flicks like Fruitvale Station, The Iron Large, Stranger than Fiction and Fern Gully, these had been positioned alongside giant swaths of forgettable collection like Cheaters, Killers Caught on Digital camera, and one thing known as Nook Fuel.

My points discovering one thing to observe had been additional compounded by a crappy UI that makes content material discovery mainly unattainable. Although Howdy’s dwelling web page appears like some other streaming service with rows of genres showcasing common content material, doing one thing so simple as trying to find actuality TV, children motion pictures, or award-winning movies yields no outcomes, and whereas Howdy may boast 1000’s of hours of content material, until you recognize the precise identify of one thing you wish to watch on the service, it’s unattainable to find issues to observe on the service.

I additionally did not like the truth that I could not make a profile for various customers. Although I used to be the one one utilizing the service, if I had children who had been keen on trying out Beetlejuice: The Sequence or one of many different family-friendly choices on this service, I do not know that I’d need them checking it out subsequent to The First 48, Blade, or one thing extra grownup in nature. Assist for profiles looks like a primary characteristic to have in 2025, and the truth that Howdy does not have it’s yet one more main depend towards it.

This might enhance sooner or later as Roku makes enhancements to the service, however the way in which the app is now feels very underbaked and is the furthest factor from user-friendly.

Do you have to subscribe to Howdy?

In all probability not until you actually actually wish to keep away from a rental price.

Look, a $3 per 30 days ad-free streaming service is a unicorn in right this moment’s streaming panorama of rising prices and growing ads. However when that streaming service does not have a lot content material, offers a horrible consumer expertise, and is locked in to the Roku ecosystem, it’s nonetheless a tough promote, even at that rock-bottom worth level. I’ve no proof, however the entire app feels prefer it was rushed to launch earlier than it was prepared. If a while had been taken to search out and license higher content material, refine the UI, and spend money on options like 4K streaming and consumer profiles, maybe Howdy may have been a serious participant within the streaming world (or a minimum of an underdog). However because it stands now, Howdy is one other forgettable service that dangers instantly fading into obscurity if one thing is not carried out quickly to make it value its minimal entry price.

If there’s something you actually wish to watch ad-free, Howdy’s $3 subscription price could also be value getting for a month, however sadly, a minimum of in its present kind, I do not see Howdy turning into an everyday a part of anybody’s streaming service lineup.

notable reveals

Weeds, Hell on Wheels, Children within the Corridor

notable motion pictures

The Iron Large, Elvis, Blade, Stranger Than Fiction

Subscription with advertisements

No

# of profiles

N/a