12 Of The Best Budget-Friendly TVs Under $500 (According To User Reviews)

Sometimes, keeping an old TV alive isn't as simple as it sounds. If you happen to miss one of the key signs that your TV is on its last legs, you can end up getting caught off guard when it finally dies out. At that point, you might not be able to get enough spare cash to splurge on a replacement, forcing you to stick to a pretty tight budget. Luckily, modern-day televisions usually come loaded with features and benefits while staying shockingly cheap.

There are many factors to consider when looking at a new TV, from resolution to panel type and even what smart features it has. However, if all you really need is a decently-sized screen that can let you watch your favorite shows, you're probably better off just looking at whatever has the best customer reviews. This will vary from store to store, giving you a wide range of different models to choose from with their own special quirks. 

To keep things simple, this article will take a look at the three top-rated TVs under $500 from Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart — here are the best budget TVs on the market.

The three best-rated TVs from Amazon have an average user score of at least 4.5 out of 5 stars, and each one has at least 23,000 reviews to back it up. The Insignia F20 provides a baseline for this selection, and while it lacks in a wide variety of features, it makes up for it with a remarkable price. Going with the 32-inch model outside of a sale costs around $130, but going down to 24 inches brings it to just $80 even without discounts. That size might not be so appealing as a living room display, but you could set up dual monitors to have it work as a cheap second screen for your computer.

As one might expect from the price, the Insignia F20 is far from the most feature-rich TV out there. Its resolution of 720p only makes it only high definition by technicality, and relying on the 32-inch model will only cause even more blurriness as a result. This TV does have A/V ports, though, so it's perfect for hooking up old gaming consoles without the need of an adapter. If that's all you're really after, there are few better alternatives out there at such a wallet-friendly price.

The TCL 55S435 is one of many 4K TVs you'll find on this list, and while it's not the cheapest one out there, it comes with quite a few different options for new buyers. The normal price for a 55-inch model is just under $350, but you can knock about $50 off by going with a smaller 43-inch version. It's far from the most advanced TV available in 2024, but a 4K display with built-in Roku compatibility is nothing to scoff at. There aren't many more upsides to this TV that others don't already have, but it makes for a perfectly fine choice — especially for those who enjoy the Roku interface.

One downside about this TV to be aware of is how Amazon only lists it on sale from third-party sellers. These sellers can have questionable reliability at times, with some buyers mentioning their TV being damaged before it even arrived at their door. If you decide to take a risk on the TCL 55S435, make sure you pay attention to the seller reviews even more closely than reviews for the television itself. At least you can rest easy knowing it'll be a fantastic display if it arrives without any issues.

Amazon's own Fire TV is a bit more expensive — although it does offer 4K specs and HDR capabilities — unless it's on sale. The 43-inch version is normally priced at $370, but drops down to as low as $280 with the right discounts. These TVs are sold directly from Amazon, as well, so there's no need to worry about irreputable sellers. It almost seems like cheating that the Amazon-branded TV would take the top spot on its storefront with over 30,000 positive reviews, but this one truly earns its place on the list.

Compared to Roku based sets, Amazon's built-in Fire TV service doesn't have a lot of notable advantages. Instead, it mostly acts as another interface where you can download apps and stream popular shows or movies. You can use multiple services at once by taking advantage of one of the alternatives to the Amazon Fire TV stick, but if you have other smart devices from Amazon then the Fire TV will be compatible with those right from the start. As long as you can find it on a sale, there isn't much of a reason to avoid the Fire TV on Amazon in favor of its lower-rated competitors.

On the Best Buy side of things, the third-best TV according to user reviews is the Insignia N10. At full price, it's around $10 more than its F20 counterpart on Amazon, but it offers both a higher resolution at 1080p and a larger screen size at 40 inches. However, it's also one of the few television sets you'll find that doesn't have a smart service built-in, so you miss out on the extra apps and features without spending more to turn into a smart TV. This can be a benefit to some buyers, though, as it allows you to simply use the TV without needing to share personal information or hook up an internet connection.

One thing to note is that the Insignia N10 is currently on clearance from Best Buy, so availability might be limited depending on where you live. You might have to visit multiple locations if you can't get it online, or you'll have to opt for a different Insignia TV with slightly lower reviews. Insignia is a Best Buy specific brand, so you can expect a similar level of quality and reliability from other televisions under its name. If you manage to find the N10 in stock, though, you're sure to find plenty of value from its low cost and decent specs.

The second highest rated TV on Best Buy, with nearly 10,000 customer reviews, is the Samsung 32" N5300. It shares plenty of specs with the Insignia N10, as it has a full HD screen and the same standard 60hz refresh rate. However, it falls a bit short in the rest of its feature set with a smaller screen, fewer HDMI ports, and a much higher price of around $230. The true benefit of this TV is in its smart service, though even this might not be exactly what buyers are looking for.

Samsung Smart TVs use Tizen as their platform of choice, as opposed to the popular alternatives of Amazon Fire TV and Roku. Tizen does have the benefit of being open-source while easily supporting other Samsung devices, so there are some benefits to it even though it lacks the popularity of other services — especially if you already have a Samsung phone. It all depends on if you're willing to pay the premium for both full HD and streaming on the same television set. Luckily, you don't have to look very far to find some competitive alternatives.

The top rated TV from Best Buy, which is sitting at a 4.7-star average with over 10,000 reviews, is the Samsung 40" Class 5 Series. The differences between the Class 5, which is priced at $250, and its N5300 counterpart are about as minimal as you can get. It has the same resolution, the same limited number of ports, the same smart platform, and even the same stands. The biggest change is its screen size going from 32 inches to 40 inches, which leads to a $20 increase in price.

Compared to the N5300 alternative, this TV can seem very worthwhile to those who are willing to spend a little extra for the larger size. Still, when compared to the Insignia N10, you end up paying over $100 more with no greater benefit than the Tizen platform. Just getting a stick-based alternative is around half that extra cost. Additionally, both Samsung and Insignia are among the most reliable TV brands, so it's not like you're sacrificing longevity by going with the cheaper product.

The third best rated TV from Target is the Samsung 43" 4K Smart TV. Unlike its counterparts from Best Buy, this one manages to be much more competitive at its $280 price point thanks to its 4K resolution. In fact, it happens to be one of the few 4K TVs on this list under $300, which is a deal that you can usually only get from the cheapest 4K monitors. Samsung's option also has an impressive size of 43 inches, allowing it to easily compete with the top-rated televisions you'll find from Amazon.

Of course, you should expect the same port restrictions from this as with the Best Buy Samsung TVs. It even ends up with more restrictions thanks to a lack of A/V ports, which makes it a TV without many options for extra connections — especially when combined with the absence of a third or fourth HDMI port. It's not a big deal if you only want to use it for streaming services, but if you have a couple of gaming consoles or Blu-Ray players, won.t be easy getting all of them connected at once.

The VIZIO 65" Class 4K Smart TV is another highly-rated TV from Target, although it is one of the pricier options on our list at $430. It offers the standard three HDMI ports, but its proprietary streaming service has fewer apps and less features than other brands. Where it really stands above all others is in its size, clocking in at a staggering 65 inches. No other TV on this list is able to come close to this amount, especially not when they also have 4K resolution and a price under $500.

In spite of this Vizio TV's other shortcomings, it fills a niche that no other top-rated TV can fill. At its size, you'll never have to worry about it being too far away to see unless you're actively trying to put it in a tough-to-reach spot. You might have to worry about actually finding a good place for it to stand, as its wideness might end up being a problem in that regard. But if you're aiming for size over everything else, you're unlikely to be dissatisfied with this choice.

While the Vizio D-Series 24" has a lower average rating at Target than its larger 4K counterpart, it also has a much higher number of reviews in general. While the other television sets from this store could barely scrape above 1,000 reviews each, this one reaches almost as high as 10,000, and it has more five star ratings from consumers than either of the other models. When looking at the price, it's not difficult to see why, as its base cost of just around $150 makes it an incredibly attractive option for budget buyers.

For the D-Series 24 to reach such a low price, sacrifices were made in the form of a 24-inch screen, only two HDMI ports, and a 1080p resolution. Still, these downsides still allow it to compete incredibly well with the top-rated full HD TVs from Best Buy, falling just a bit short of the Insignia N10 without having the same potential out-of-stock issues. It even has some extra features for better gaming performance, including AMD FreeSync. If the smaller screen isn't a dealbreaker for you, you'll be hard pressed to find a better alternative from such a respected brand.

Walmart has a benefit to its selection of TVs that isn't shared by other storefronts. While Best Buy has Insignia and Amazon has the Fire TV, Walmart has onn., one of the most budget-friendly TV brands you'll find. There's no greater example of this than its onn. 50" Class 4K Roku Smart TV, the cheapest 4K TV you'll find on this list — and quite possibly anywhere. Even with the standard three HDMI ports, the bonus of a composite output, built-in Roku, and a respectable 50 inches of screen size, this 4K television is just under $200, letting you avoid compromises for the benefit of price.

While there have been some discussions from consumers about onn. TVs not living up to the hype, this one in particular has over 27,300 user reviews on Walmart with a 4.4 out 5 star average. Even if its longevity might be called into question, the combination of resolution and size isn't something you'll find for such a cheap price anywhere else. With the addition of extended holiday returns on Walmart products, it's difficult to not see at least some value in taking the risk.

If you're willing to let go of a few extra bucks for a more reliable brand, the Vizio 43" Class V-Series Smart TV is a perfect 4K alternative to the onn. It boasts an average rating of 4.4 stars with nearly 34,000 reviews on Walmart and a base price of around $240, managing to have a low price while refusing to sacrifice features like the wide selection of ports. It clocks in at a somewhat smaller size of 43 inches and uses the Vizio-specific smart service, so it might not feel as impressive to use in the long run. Still, Vizio is a more widely-available brand known for its high picture quality, so the extra cost could be worthwhile in the end.

Interestingly, this TV also has a selection of third-party sellers supplying it. Walmart is listed as one of the sellers, so it might be better to stick with that option, but some of the other choices allow the Vizio's price to compete well with the 4K onn.'s. As with Amazon, just be sure you take a look at the reviews of each seller as well as the reviews of the television set. If you aren't careful with who you purchase it from, you could end up with a defective unit.

The top-rated Walmart TV is the onn. 32" Class HD Roku Smart TV, outdoing even its 4K counterpart with over 35,000 reviews and a 4.5 star average. This is in spite of it only reaching a resolution of 720p and a size of 32 inches, making for a remarkably unimpressive screen in most scenarios. Perhaps the easiest explanation as to why it's so well-reviewed is due to its price. When ignoring discounts from other stores and sizes below 32 inches, this onn. TV is the cheapest one on our list, priced at just under $100.

This ultra-cheap TV manages its price point while keeping the other extra features of its 4K alternative. This means you'll still have the same number of ports as well as access to the Roku service, so usability isn't going to be a huge issue. It's really no wonder such a cheap TV managed to take the top spot in Walmart's store, even with its downsides.