Howdy is reasonable – and that is the very b...

I have been an enormous champion of Roku throughout my profession. Although their adverts will 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 extensive 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) recollects the worth proposition first made by Netflix again within the 2010s: Watch re-runs of all of your favourite exhibits for a low month-to-month price, all with no adverts. 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 things you need 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.

Value, availability, and specs

If you happen to’ve acquired $3 and a Roku gadget Howdy will be yours

Howdy is not a tough app to seek out. In truth, you probably have a Roku TV, or one in all their plug-in streaming gadgets, you most likely 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 own home display screen and it will pop proper up. You can even entry Howdy through any net browser at Howdy.tv or through Roku’s cell app.

Presently, there isn’t any technique to entry Howdy through non-Roku gadgets like Google TV or Apple TV, and should you’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 assist past what’s at present obtainable.

Streaming seems to be in HD with Dolby Audio supported on some titles, however 4K choices are seemingly absent, at the very least on the titles I used to be in a position to take a look at out.

The month-to-month subscription price is $3 and there aren’t any free trial provides obtainable.

What I appreciated 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 might discover at the very least one film to observe, it will be definitely worth the $3 subscription price. Positive, a whole lot of movies and exhibits on Howdy, together with Reservoir Canine, Soiled Dancing, and The Illusionist are all streaming totally free on different platforms. However they are not ad-free, which does make a distinction, and $3 is lower than a rental on principally any service. So, if there is a film you need to watch ad-free that is on Howdy, you may consider the $3 subscription price as a month-long rental. Simply make sure that 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 people 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 definitely get pleasure from rewatching traditional movies from the twentieth century, when a few of the most iconic films of all time had been made.

Nonetheless, I can not 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 sequence like Hell on Wheels and films like Fruitvale Station, The Iron Big, Stranger than Fiction and Fern Gully, these had been positioned alongside giant swaths of forgettable sequence like Cheaters, Killers Caught on Digicam, and one thing referred to as Nook Gasoline.

My points discovering one thing to observe had been additional compounded by a crappy UI that makes content material discovery principally unimaginable. Although Howdy’s residence web page seems like another streaming service with rows of genres showcasing widespread content material, doing one thing so simple as looking for actuality TV, youngsters films, or award-winning movies yields no outcomes, and whereas Howdy may boast 1000’s of hours of content material, until you recognize the precise title of one thing you need to watch on the service, it’s unimaginable 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 youngsters who had been eager about trying out Beetlejuice: The Collection 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 fundamental characteristic to have in 2025, and the truth that Howdy does not have it’s yet one more main rely in opposition to 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.

Must you subscribe to Howdy?

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

Look, a $3 per 30 days ad-free streaming service is a unicorn in at this time’s streaming panorama of rising prices and growing commercials. However when that streaming service does not have a lot content material, gives a horrible person expertise, and is locked in to the Roku ecosystem, it’s nonetheless a tough promote, even at that rock-bottom value 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 seek out and license higher content material, refine the UI, and put money into options like 4K streaming and person profiles, maybe Howdy might have been a serious participant within the streaming world (or at the very least an underdog). However because it stands now, Howdy is one other forgettable service that dangers instantly fading into obscurity if one thing is not completed quickly to make it price its minimal entry price.

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

notable exhibits

Weeds, Hell on Wheels, Youngsters within the Corridor

notable films

The Iron Big, Elvis, Blade, Stranger Than Fiction

Subscription with adverts

No

# of profiles

N/a