Freeview is easy to take for granted here in the UK, but it's absolutely fantastic. The free-to-air system ensures that you can watch TV for free, through most compatible TVs.

However, it really comes to life if you get yourself a Freeview Play box of which there are plenty to choose from. These set-top boxes let you record programmes and also give you a smoother way to enjoy all the Freeview channels you could want. Some will even give you access to on-demand apps and YouTube.

We've gathered together the very best options on the market, for you to choose from.

Our Top Pick: Best Freeview Box

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Manhattan T3-R
1. Best overall

The best box on the market, and well-priced for its offering. 

Pros
  • Storage options up to 1TB
  • Snappy quad-core CPU
  • YouTube app
Cons
  • No recording indicator on the box

As you'll see the more we go through this list, Manhattan is pretty much the biggest name when it comes to Freeview Play boxes.

Its T3-R is the most premium box it makes and is 4K HDR-capable, although it's still not exactly luxury in its pricing, and it gives you a great suite of options including the ability to record programmes to a 1TB hard drive (a 500GB version is also available). Catch-up is easy to access and it's even got a YouTube (and YouTube Kids) app for convenience. This is as good as a Freeview Play box can get, in our view.

Freeview boxes we also recommend

While we think the Manhattan T3-R is a perfect choice for a lot of people, not everyone will need such a feature-packed and capable Freeview box. So, here are some other top options that we recommend.

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Humax FVP-5000T
2. Runner up

A very comparable set of features make the Humax a great option as well. 

Pros
  • Available with a massive 2TB storage
  • UPnP compatibility
  • Record up to 3 channels simultaneously
Cons
  • Long boot-up times

Humax provides good competition for Manhattan with this box, which matches many of the T3-R's features.

You can also upgrade to a pricey 2TB version of the FVP-5000T, which is the best capacity you'll find on the standard market. It's got all the major catch-up services on board and it's easy to set up your recordings, which is really all you need.

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Manhattan T1
3. A Top Pick

A great, far more affordable box that doesn't record or let you catch up. 

Pros
  • Very affordable
  • HD picture quality
  • Scart and RCA compatible
Cons
  • Doesn't record, pause or rewind

Manhattan's next option on our list is drastically different in terms of price point from the previous two options, and would be a seriously great choice for anyone who isn't concerned about recording or catch-up. As it doesn't have catch-up, the T1 is a Freeview HD box, not a Freeview Play one.

If all you're looking for is a simple and elegant way to access live TV and check out the different options for you at any given moment, the T1 gets it done for a great price.

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Manhattan T3
4. Strong Contender

If you don't want to record but need catch-up in your life, here's the box for you. 

Pros
  • Lots of smart apps
  • UHD and HDR support (with apps)
  • Responsive performance
Cons
  • No recording

Here's the hat-trick for Manhattan, with its third box on our list, and this one is a bit of a middle ground compared to the T3-R and the T1.

While you still can't record TV on the T3, you do have access to a range of catch-up services to ensure that you don't have to worry if you miss a show. It's a great box that probably has the features that most people want, short of recording.

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Digi-Link Scart Freeview Receiver
5. Also Great

To get Freeview onto an older TV, this receiver is a great solution. 

Pros
  • Nice and cheap
  • Easy to hide due to small size
  • Compatible with Scart and HDMI
Cons
  • Guide navigation is sluggish

A slightly different choice, but if you're looking to hook up an old TV to Freeview HD, then this simple Scart attachment might be a good bet. Again, this doesn't have catch-up capabilities so it isn't a Freeview Play receiver.

It's far from elegant, and most people with more recent TVs will want one of the boxes we've featured so far, but this little bit of tech could help prolong the shelf-life of a TV for an older relative or in other situations, which makes it worth highlighting in our eyes.

How to choose a Freeview box

With such a wealth of options to pick from, it can be hard to know what to look out for when buying a Freeview box. With that in mind, here are a few things that we think are worth considering before you make your decision.

What is Freeview Play?

Freeview Play is Freeview's connected TV platform. In addition to all of your usual Freeview channels, you get on-demand and catch-up TV built right into the programme guide without the need to launch additional apps.

Freeview play uses a standard digital TV ariel for live broadcasts and relies on an internet connection for catch-up and on-demand services.

There is a competing service called YouView that offers essentially the same functionality.

Will you need to record?

If you want to record, pause or rewind live TV, you'll need a Freeview box that is capable of this. These boxes are called PVRs, DVRs or sometimes just Recorders. Not everyone needs to record TV, and if that's the case, then you can save a chunk of change by choosing a Freeview Receiver rather than a Freeview Recorder.

The easiest way to tell if the Freeview box you are looking at can record TV is by checking if it has a stated hard drive capacity.

How much storage are you likely to need?

If you're choosing a Freeview Box with recording capabilities, the next step is deciding on how much storage you're going to need.

This all depends on the user, if you're the type of person who likes to hoard entire seasons, then the more storage the better. On the other hand, if you only really care about pausing and rewinding live TV then you can get away with barely any storage at all.