HGTV GO vs Rootkin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HGTV GO
Stream live TV and access thousands of on-demand episodes from HGTV and up to 14 other networks. Catch up on your favorite shows anytime, anywhere, with new episodes available the same day they premiere on TV. It's free with your pay TV subscription.
- Stream live TV from HGTV and 14+ networks
- Access thousands of on-demand episodes
- New episodes available same day as TV premiere
- Watch shows from Discovery family of networks
- Browse by genre
- Continue watching across devices
- Save shows to My List
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Catch up with your favorite HGTV shows anytime, anywhere with the all-new HGTV GO app - and now get access to up to 14 additional networks including TLC, Food Network, ID, Discovery and more - all in one app. It’s FREE with your pay TV subscription. Link your pay TV provider (cable, satellite, telco, live TV streaming service) to access HGTV favorites like Home Town, Love It or List It, Good Bones, Property Brothers: Forever Home, Flip or Flop, Fixer to Fabulous, My Lottery Dream Home and many more - plus top shows from other networks including Sister Wives (TLC), The Pioneer Woman (Food Network), Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel), Evil Lives Here (ID), Crikey! It's the Irwins (Animal Planet) and more. New episodes are available the same day as they premiere on TV. With HGTV GO You Can: • Stream HGTV and more networks LIVE anytime, anywhere on all your favorite devices • Find shows to watch with the live schedule guide • Access thousands of episodes on demand - from current hits to classic favorites • See new episodes of shows on the app the same day and time they premiere on TV • Binge your favorite HGTV series and specials including Home Town, Love It or List It, Good Bones, Property Brothers: Forever Home, Flip or Flop, Fixer to Fabulous, My Lottery Dream Home - and many more! • Get unlimited access to everything the Discovery family of networks has to offer - free with your pay TV subscription Features: • Stream live TV when you log in with your pay TV provider • Watch select episodes and entire seasons of your favorite shows from up to 15 networks! • Browse by genre - from Natural History, Science and Tech to Food, Home and more - to find your favorite shows and discover new ones • Continue watching episodes where you left off across all of your devices • Save shows and episodes to watch later with My List • Compatible with tvOS and Chromecast • Closed-captioning support Requirements: • Available in the U.S. only • Wi-Fi connection recommended • iOS 12 or higher Need help? Visit gohelp.discovery.com. Visitor Agreement: https://corporate.discovery.com/visitor-agreement/ Privacy Notice: https://corporate.discovery.com/privacy-policy California Privacy Notice: https://corporate.discovery.com/privacy-policy/#cappi California Do Not Sell My Personal Info: https://corporate.discovery.com/california_dns
Rootkin
Build and share your family tree while capturing spoken memories from relatives. This private space allows you to record stories, organize photos, and create shareable keepsakes. It keeps your family connected with gentle reminders and ensures your data is always exportable.
- Build interactive family trees
- Record and attach voice memories
- Share trees with family members
- Organize photos by person
- Create shareable newsletters/cards
- Export tree data as GEDCOM
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Rootkin is where your family actually shows up. Build your family tree, share it with the people in it, and capture the stories — in their own voices — before they fade. Rootkin is a private space for your family, not another social network and not a public database. RECORD THE VOICES THAT TELL YOUR STORY This is the part most family trees miss. Pick a question — "Tell me about the first house you ever lived in" — hand the phone over, and press record. Two minutes is plenty, and no account is needed to answer. Every recording gets an automatic transcript and stays tied to the people in it, so you can find it again by person or topic. ASK, AND THE ANSWER COMES BACK Send a question to your mom, your uncle, your grandmother. They record their answer from a simple link — no app, no account — and the moment they finish, their voice lands in your tree. BUILD YOUR TREE TOGETHER Add parents, children, siblings, and partners, or just describe your family in your own words — Rootkin turns what you say into people and relationships. Invite family with a simple code, and everyone sees the same tree, kept in sync in real time. SEE THE WHOLE FAMILY An interactive tree shows how everyone connects — including step and adoptive relationships. Pinch to zoom, pan to explore, and tap anyone to jump to their page. PHOTOS THAT BELONG TO PEOPLE Attach photos to the people in them, so the family album organizes itself over time. KEEPSAKES WORTH SHARING Turn memories and photos into a PDF newsletter or greeting card for the whole family — complete with codes that play the voices out loud. GENTLE REMINDERS Birthdays, anniversaries, and a daily feed of what your family has added — without notifications that nag. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your tree is only visible to the family members you invite. Nothing is public, nothing is searchable on the open web, and nothing is sold. Photos and details about children get extra protection, managed by the people you trust. YOUR DATA, YOURS Export your full tree anytime as GEDCOM — the standard format every genealogy tool understands. No lock-in. WORKS EVERYWHERE YOUR FAMILY IS iPhone, iPad, and the web. Grandma on her tablet, your cousin at a laptop, you on your phone — same tree, in sync, at the same time. A family tree, full of spoken memories. SUBSCRIPTIONS Viewing and listening are always free. Rootkin Family is an optional auto-renewable subscription, offered monthly or yearly, that covers you plus a co-editor, unlimited viewers on your tree, and voice recording for your family. Pricing is shown in the app before you subscribe. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings after purchase. Terms of Use (EULA): https://rootkin.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://rootkin.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
HGTV GO and Rootkin both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Rootkin's written reviews are positive against 46% of HGTV GO's. Rootkin also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). HGTV GO's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (50K vs 1). On price, rating, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Rootkin sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. HGTV GO asks for nothing beyond the download.
Rootkin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HGTV GO has 50K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of HGTV GO's written reviews are positive against 100% of Rootkin's.
HGTV GO ships an update every 6 weeks, Rootkin every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HGTV GO | Rootkin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (50K ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 50K — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 96 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scripps Networks, LLC | Lloyd Financial Consulting LLC |
Customer experience
HGTV GO
Rootkin
Bugs and requests
HGTV GO
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezing and crashing issues
- Compatibility problems with certain cable/streaming providers
- Inconsistent availability of shows and episodes
Requested features
4 requests- Option to disable auto-play and remove shows from continue watching list
- Ability to pause ads and have more ad variety
- Improved device syncing and resume playback functionality
- Offer ad-free or reduced ad version with subscription
Rootkin
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
HGTV GO
No in-app purchases
Rootkin
- Rootkin Family$4.991 Month
- Rootkin Family$39.991 Year
Questions
Is HGTV GO free?
Is Rootkin free?
Which has better reviews, HGTV GO or Rootkin?
Do HGTV GO or Rootkin have ads?
Which is updated more often, HGTV GO or Rootkin?
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