discovery+ has a deep library of HGTV, Food Network, TLC and Discovery Channel shows, but it has problems. The catalogue rotates — shows that were available six months ago vanish without warning, and Warner Bros. Discovery has been migrating headline content to Max, which leaves the standalone discovery+ tier feeling thinner each quarter. Ad-supported pricing has crept up, the free preview tier is not really watchable, and the app’s recommendation feed pushes the same handful of titles. If you cancelled or are looking for something cheaper, these seven discovery+ alternatives cover the same ground.
This is a guide to factual-entertainment streaming apps, not a list of every Netflix-style service. We focused on apps that overlap with what people actually watched on discovery+: home renovation, cooking competitions, true crime, nature documentaries, and reality TV.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max | discovery+ originals plus HBO | 7-day trial | $9.99 (ad) | HBO + Discovery catalogue in one app |
| Curiosity Stream | Documentaries on a budget | None | $3.99 | Cheapest documentary-only plan |
| MagellanTV | Long-form factual TV | 7-day trial | $5.99 | 4K nature and history docs |
| Hulu | Reality TV and cable mashup | 30-day trial | $9.99 (ad) | Live cable channels add-on |
| Netflix | Reality and true crime | None | $7.99 (ad) | Originals like Selling Sunset, Tiger King |
| BritBox | British factual and ID-style | 7-day trial | $8.99 | Deep UK true-crime and history library |
| YouTube | Free factual videos | Free with ads | $13.99 (Premium) | Most of discovery+‘s clips appear here too |
Why people leave discovery+
These are the four recurring complaints we collected from app store reviews and Reddit threads in 2026.
The catalogue keeps thinning
Long-running shows have been migrating from discovery+ to Max throughout 2025 and 2026. If you subscribed for the HGTV or Food Network catalogue, several headline series are now Max exclusives. The discovery+ app still has plenty of content, but the gap with Max has widened.Pricing climbed past the basic cable threshold
The ad-supported tier started at $4.99 in 2021. It is now around $5.99, the ad-free tier is $10.99, and the Max bundle costs more. For households that watch a few hours a week, that maths is no longer comfortable.The free tier is unusable on its own
discovery+ markets a free tier, but it is closer to a preview reel: trailers, short clips, and a handful of free episodes. Anyone hoping to watch a full Property Brothers season without paying will hit a paywall within minutes.The recommendation feed loops
The "For You" rail surfaces the same shows you have already watched, and the discovery layer rarely brings up unfamiliar titles even after months of viewing. The catalogue is deep, but the app does not help you find it.The alternatives
Max — Best for keeping the discovery+ catalogue plus HBO
Max merged the old HBO Max library with Warner Bros. Discovery’s full factual catalogue in 2023, and most discovery+ originals appear here within months of release. If you want House Hunters and HBO drama under one subscription, Max is the lateral move. The cooking, home renovation, and true-crime libraries from TLC, HGTV and ID are all carried.
Where it falls short: It is not cheaper than discovery+. The ad-supported tier starts around $9.99/month, the ad-free at $16.99, and the 4K Ultimate plan at $20.99. For households that only watch factual TV, you are paying for HBO scripted content you may not need.
Pricing:
- Free: 7-day trial when available
- Paid: $9.99/mo (ad), $16.99/mo (ad-free), $20.99/mo (4K + 4 streams)
- vs discovery+: Higher monthly fee, but the bundled HBO library makes the total value stronger for most households
Migrating from discovery+: No data migration needed. Watch history does not transfer; favourites are rebuilt from scratch. Most discovery+ shows are also catalogued on Max, and search works across both libraries.
Bottom line: Pick Max if you want one app for both factual TV and HBO drama. Skip if you only watched discovery+ for the Food Network catalogue.
Curiosity Stream — Best cheapest documentary option
Curiosity Stream is the budget pick. It costs $3.99 per month for the standard plan and focuses entirely on documentaries: science, history, nature, technology, biography. The library is smaller than discovery+ but the cost-per-hour-of-watching is the lowest in this list.
Where it falls short: No reality TV, no home-renovation shows, no cooking competitions. It is a documentary service, not a factual-entertainment one. If House Hunters is what you came for, this is not it.
Pricing:
- Free: None
- Paid: $3.99/mo standard, $9.99/mo for 4K with Smithsonian Channel bundle
- vs discovery+: Significantly cheaper, narrower catalogue
Migrating from discovery+: Nothing transfers. The libraries do not overlap meaningfully — Curiosity Stream is a documentary-only catalogue, discovery+ leans reality TV. Treat it as a replacement only if documentaries were the reason you subscribed.
Bottom line: The right pick if you watched discovery+ mostly for nature documentaries and BBC-style series. Wrong pick for HGTV fans.
MagellanTV — Best long-form factual library
MagellanTV is the dark-horse documentary streamer. The library leans heavily on history, science and nature, and the runtime per episode is longer than what discovery+ tends to commission — think 80-minute deep dives instead of 22-minute reality episodes. The 4K nature documentary section is the standout.
Where it falls short: The app is less polished than discovery+. Subtitles are inconsistent on older imports, the search is basic, and there are no reality or competition shows. The catalogue does not refresh weekly the way the bigger services do.
Pricing:
- Free: 7-day trial
- Paid: $5.99/mo or $59.99/yr
- vs discovery+: Cheaper, much narrower catalogue, longer-form content
Migrating from discovery+: Manual rebuild. No favourites or watch history transfer. If you used discovery+ to watch BBC nature imports and Animal Planet documentaries, MagellanTV is a strong replacement for that slice.
Bottom line: Pick this if you watched discovery+ for documentaries, not for cooking and home shows.
Hulu — Best for reality TV mashup
Hulu carries a large reality-TV library, including next-day episodes from ABC, NBC and Fox networks. If you were on discovery+ for competition shows (Top Chef, Project Runway alumni, Forged in Fire) and reality (90 Day Fiancé spinoffs), Hulu covers a different set of shows in the same vibe.
Where it falls short: The discovery+ originals that aren’t on Max are not on Hulu either. The library is broader but less factual — you get scripted comedies and dramas you may not want.
Pricing:
- Free: 30-day trial
- Paid: $9.99/mo (ad), $18.99/mo (ad-free), $82.99/mo (Live TV bundle)
- vs discovery+: Higher monthly fee, broader content mix
Migrating from discovery+: No transfer. The Live TV add-on can replicate cable channels including Food Network and HGTV in some markets, which is the closest you get to the original cable-bundle experience.
Bottom line: Pick this if your discovery+ usage was mostly reality TV and you want a wider streaming app. Skip if you only watched HGTV.
Netflix — Best for reality and true crime
Netflix’s reality and true-crime libraries have grown to compete directly with discovery+. Tiger King, Selling Sunset, Drive to Survive, The Tinder Swindler — the category that discovery+ used to own has become a Netflix-led one. The documentary library now rivals dedicated documentary services.
Where it falls short: No HGTV, no Food Network, no TLC. Netflix builds its own reality content rather than licensing from cable channels, so the show titles are entirely different from discovery+. Expect a learning curve to find equivalents.
Pricing:
- Free: None
- Paid: $7.99/mo (ad), $17.99/mo (standard), $24.99/mo (4K + 4 streams)
- vs discovery+: Comparable ad-tier price, much broader content mix
Migrating from discovery+: No transfer. The reality category is well-served but with different titles. If you watched discovery+ for the brand-name cable shows, Netflix replaces them with originals, not licences.
Bottom line: Pick Netflix if you watched discovery+ for true crime and reality and are open to different show titles. Skip if you specifically wanted HGTV branded shows.
BritBox — Best for UK factual and crime
BritBox carries the BBC and ITV factual catalogues — the same shows discovery+ used to license for its discovery+ UK and dubbed-language tiers. The true-crime and history libraries are deep, with BBC documentary specials and ITV crime documentaries that never reach US streamers in full.
Where it falls short: Mostly British content. Not a replacement for the US-focused Food Network and HGTV catalogues. The Android app is functional but feels less polished than the bigger services.
Pricing:
- Free: 7-day trial
- Paid: $8.99/mo or $89.99/yr
- vs discovery+: Comparable price, very different catalogue focus
Migrating from discovery+: Nothing transfers. Treat BritBox as a complement to discovery+ rather than a swap, especially if you valued the BBC nature documentaries that used to feature heavily on discovery+‘s app.
Bottom line: Pick BritBox if you watched discovery+ for BBC documentaries and ID-style true crime. Skip if you only watched US cable content.
YouTube — Best free option
YouTube is the catch-all free option. Most discovery+ clips, short-form factual content, and full episodes of older shows surface on YouTube channels operated by HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel and TLC. The official channels post 5-minute clips and full episodes of older seasons. YouTube Premium ($13.99/month) removes ads and adds offline downloads.
Where it falls short: Inconsistent. New episodes go behind the discovery+ or Max paywall first; YouTube only gets older content and clips. The catalogue is not searchable in one place — you have to browse each channel separately.
Pricing:
- Free: Free with ads
- Paid: $13.99/mo (Premium, ad-free + downloads), $22.99/mo (Premium Family)
- vs discovery+: Free tier beats discovery+‘s preview-only free tier; Premium costs more than discovery+ but covers everything on YouTube
Migrating from discovery+: Subscribe to the official HGTV, Food Network, Discovery and TLC channels. The Watch Later list functions as a rough watchlist.
Bottom line: The right answer if you do not want to pay anything. Slow and patchy, but the price is unbeatable.
How to choose
- Pick Max if you want the deepest discovery+ catalogue and do not mind paying for HBO too.
- Pick Curiosity Stream if price matters most and you watch documentaries.
- Pick MagellanTV if you want long-form factual TV and the 4K nature library.
- Pick Hulu for reality TV variety and a wider streaming app.
- Pick Netflix if reality and true crime is what you watched and you are open to different titles.
- Pick BritBox if BBC documentaries were the reason you subscribed.
- Pick YouTube if you want a free option and you are willing to watch on official channels.
- Stay on discovery+ if you watch HGTV and Food Network specifically and you are not on Max yet.
FAQ
What is the cheapest Discovery Plus alternative?
Curiosity Stream at $3.99 per month is the cheapest paid option. YouTube is free with ads if you watch official network channels (HGTV, Food Network, Discovery Channel). MagellanTV at $5.99 per month is the next step up.
Can I watch HGTV without Discovery Plus?
Yes. HGTV’s catalogue is also available on Max (Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship streamer), some Hulu Live TV plans, and partially on the official HGTV YouTube channel. Cable cord-cutters can also use Sling TV or YouTube TV add-on packages that include HGTV.
Does Netflix have Discovery shows?
No, Netflix does not license shows from Discovery, HGTV, TLC or Food Network. Netflix’s reality and documentary libraries are built from originals (Tiger King, Selling Sunset, Drive to Survive) and third-party licences, not from Warner Bros. Discovery’s catalogue.
Is Discovery Plus included in Max?
discovery+ content is included in Max as part of the merged Warner Bros. Discovery streamer. The standalone discovery+ subscription still exists as a cheaper option, but most discovery+ originals appear on Max within a few months of release.
What replaced Discovery Channel app?
The standalone Discovery Channel app was retired in favour of discovery+. The factual library that used to live on Discovery Channel now sits inside discovery+ on Android, iOS, and connected TVs. Some short clips remain on the Discovery Channel YouTube account.
Is there a free Discovery Plus alternative?
YouTube is the closest free option. Official channels from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet post clips and full older episodes. The catalogue is patchy and ad-supported, but it is genuinely free.
