Channel Surfer
Ranked 2 of 3 YouTube TV guides by recommenders
People like its curated, human-picked discovery and retro TV-guide feel that avoids the algorithm. The most common caveat is that some guide clicks do nothing and the UI is disliked.
People like its curated, human-picked discovery and retro TV-guide feel that avoids the algorithm. The most common caveat is that some guide clicks do nothing and the UI is disliked.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 9
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 82%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 9 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Human-curated video discovery
“I especially love being able to discover new videos and channels that are hopefully curated by humans.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Channel Surfer – Watch YouTube Like It's Cable TV” “It is human curated. :-) Actually, there's zero AI with this one.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Channel Surfer – Watch YouTube Like It's Cable TV” Nostalgic TV guide aesthetic
“I grew tired of the algorithm and wanted traditional TV, but for YT.”
Comment from 23 Oct 2026 in “Disney Raising Prices Days After Confirming Ads Will Now Show Up on Every Tier” “This is super cool, I love the aesthetic.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Channel Surfer – Watch YouTube Like It's Cable TV”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Clicking other guide shows does nothing
“Love it, but when I clicked another show in the guide, nothing happened.”
Comment from 13 Mar 2026 in “Channel Surfer – Watch YouTube Like It's Cable TV”
Other YouTube TV guides people recommend
The two most recommended other YouTube TV guides, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retro TV Guide | 33 | 1 | 97% | 2 | — | — |
| Channel SurferThis page | 9 | 2 | 82% | 5 | — | — |
| ytch | 6 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I grew tired of the algorithm and wanted traditional TV, but for YT.”
“I think https://channelsurfer.tv is a good experience.”
“Shameful plug, but I have a weather channel on channel surfer”
“I just watched 20 minutes on the gardening channel and learned a bunch that I never would have seen”
“this would be an absolute hit on those devices. well done.”
“I'm not too crazy about the UI of Channel Surfer in general”
“I guess it's really not for me though. First thing I do is turn autoplay off, and I'd refuse to use a service that doesn't give me that option.”
“It is human curated. :-) Actually, there's zero AI with this one.”
“I especially love being able to discover new videos and channels that are hopefully curated by humans.”
“This is super cool, I love the aesthetic.”
“Love it, but when I clicked another show in the guide, nothing happened.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.