· Firestick.io Team · Guides · 11 min read
Locast on Firestick: What Happened + The Best Free Alternatives in 2026
Locast is gone for good. Here's what happened, why it shut down, and the best free alternatives for watching local channels on your Firestick right now.
If you’ve been Googling “how to use Locast on Firestick,” I’ve got some bad news — and then some genuinely good news. Locast is gone. Shut down. Finished. The free local TV streaming service got hit with a copyright lawsuit from the major broadcasters, lost, and folded. No app, no workaround, no sideloadable APK sitting somewhere on the internet that’s actually going to work. It’s done.
The good news? The gap Locast left behind has been filled. There are free apps available right now — some of them dead simple to install directly from the Amazon Appstore — that do exactly what Locast used to do. I’ve been running through these on my Firestick 4K Max to find the ones actually worth your time.
Locast shut down permanently due to legal action from broadcasters — it cannot be installed or used on any device in 2026. The best free Locast replacement for Firestick is Very Local, which streams local news and live TV for free and installs directly from the Amazon Appstore in under a minute. For local channels with broader coverage, combine it with an over-the-air antenna or one of the free streaming apps covered in our live TV guide.
What Actually Happened to Locast
Locast launched in 2018 as a nonprofit that retransmitted over-the-air broadcast signals — ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, PBS — over the internet for free. The idea was that nonprofit status shielded it from the copyright rules that normally require cable companies to pay broadcasters for retransmission rights.
The major networks disagreed. CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox sued, and a federal judge ruled against Locast in 2021. The service shut down almost immediately after the ruling. No appeals, no comeback, no pivot — it was just over.
Fast-forward to 2026 and nothing has changed on that front. There’s no Locast revival, no successor service with the same name, and any guide still telling you how to “install Locast on Firestick” is either outdated or flat-out misleading. The APKs floating around are dead. The servers are gone.
What has changed is that several solid free alternatives have filled the local TV gap — and some of them are easier to set up than Locast ever was.
The Best Locast Alternatives for Firestick
Here’s a quick comparison of what’s actually working in 2026, before we get into the individual reviews.
| App | Local Channels | Install Method | Sideloading | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏆 Very Local | Yes — local news & live TV | Amazon Appstore | No | Free |
| More Channels On Stream | Partial — broader channels | Sideload required | Yes | Free |
| Pluto TV | Some local networks | Amazon Appstore | No | Free |
| Tubi | Limited locals | Amazon Appstore | No | Free |
#1 — Very Local (The Closest Locast Replacement)
Very Local is the app I’d tell anyone to install first. It streams local news and live TV from Nexstar Media Group stations — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and CW affiliates across hundreds of US markets. It’s free, it’s ad-supported, and it installs directly from the Amazon Appstore without any sideloading gymnastics.
I pulled it up on my Firestick 4K Max and had it running in under two minutes. The interface is clean enough to navigate with a standard Firestick remote — big tiles, clear categories, no weird menus you need a Bluetooth keyboard to get through. Local news played without buffering on my 300 Mbps connection, and the live TV streams held steady through an hour of primetime viewing.
Very Local
- Direct Amazon Appstore install — no sideloading required
- Covers local news and live TV in hundreds of US markets
- Clean, remote-friendly interface
- Genuinely free — ad-supported with no subscription
- Available in 2026 and actively maintained
✓ Pros
- No sideloading — install straight from Amazon Appstore
- Local news focus makes it the closest Locast equivalent available
- Works with standard Firestick remote — no Bluetooth keyboard needed
- Covers hundreds of US markets with Nexstar-affiliated stations
✕ Cons
- Limited to Nexstar stations — won't have every local affiliate in every market
- Ad-supported, so expect interruptions every 10-15 minutes
- No DVR or recording functionality
How to Install Very Local on Firestick
Install Very Local on Firestick
3 stepsOpen the Amazon Appstore
From your Firestick home screen, navigate to the search icon (the magnifying glass) at the top of the screen and press select on your remote.
Search for Very Local
Type “Very Local” using the on-screen keyboard. The app should appear in results immediately — it’s in the official Appstore, so no codes or workarounds needed.
Download and Open
Select Very Local, press Get to download, then Open when it finishes. Sign in with your email if prompted, or skip to browse as a guest. Select your market and start watching.
#2 — On Stream (More Channels, More Setup)
On Stream is a sideloaded app that gives you access to a broader range of live channels — though it’s less locally focused than Very Local. Think of it as a general free live TV option rather than a direct Locast clone.
The tradeoff is the install process: it requires sideloading, which means enabling developer options and using the Downloader app. Not complicated if you’ve done it before, but definitely more steps than Very Local’s one-click Appstore install.
✓ Pros
- Access to more live channel variety beyond local news
- Free with no subscription
✕ Cons
- Requires sideloading — more steps than Appstore apps
- Less focused on local channels than Very Local
- Security warning on install (expected for sideloaded apps, but worth knowing)
How to Sideload On Stream on Firestick
Sideload On Stream on Firestick
5 stepsEnable Developer Options
Go to Settings → My Fire TV → About → tap your device name 7 times in a row. You’ll see a message that Developer Options are now enabled.
Allow Apps from Unknown Sources
Go back to My Fire TV → Developer Options → toggle Apps from Unknown Sources to ON. This lets your Firestick install apps from outside the Amazon Appstore.
Install Downloader
Go to the Amazon Appstore, search for “Downloader”, and install it. This is the official tool Amazon provides for sideloading — it’s safe and free.
Search for On Stream in Downloader
Open Downloader and use the search or URL field to look for On Stream. Follow the on-screen prompts to download the APK.
Install and Clear Cache
When the download completes, select Install and allow any security prompts. Once installed, open Downloader’s file manager and delete the APK to free up storage on your Firestick.
Other Free Options Worth Knowing
If Very Local doesn’t cover your market and On Stream isn’t what you’re after, a few other Appstore apps are worth trying:
Pluto TV — Free, ad-supported, with some local news channels mixed into a larger library of streaming content. Not a local TV specialist, but solid for free live TV overall.
Tubi — Primarily on-demand, but has some live news channels. Better for movies and shows than local broadcasts.
For the most complete picture of free live TV options on Firestick, the dedicated guide covers 10+ methods including antenna pairing, which is the most reliable way to get every local channel in your area.
Do You Need a VPN for Local Streaming?
Short answer: not strictly for watching Very Local, but yes if you’re doing any sideloading or using apps beyond the official Appstore.
Here’s the reality check: your ISP monitors your traffic. On a clean Appstore app like Very Local, there’s nothing to hide. But the moment you start sideloading apps, using IPTV services, or pulling streams from third-party sources, a VPN puts a wall between you and whatever your ISP can see.
It also stops throttling. Free streaming apps serve enough video traffic that some ISPs throttle the connection — especially during peak hours (7-10 PM). A VPN encrypts the traffic so they can’t identify and slow it.
Surfshark
- Native Fire TV app — install directly from Amazon Appstore
- Unlimited simultaneous devices on one subscription
- Fast enough for 4K streaming without throttling issues
- Kills ISP throttling on free streaming apps
Get Surfshark VPN — 86% Off
→Frequently Asked Questions
Will Locast ever come back?
No current indication of it. The service folded after losing a copyright lawsuit, and there’s been no news of any revival or legal workaround as of March 2026. Treat it as permanently closed and move on to the alternatives above.
Can I still find a Locast APK somewhere?
There are old APKs floating around, but they’re useless — the servers they connect to are offline. Even if you installed the app, it would have nothing to stream. Don’t bother.
What’s the single easiest replacement?
Very Local, and it’s not close. Install it from the Appstore in under two minutes and you’re watching local news live. If it covers your market, you’re done.
Do I need to sideload anything for local channels?
Not if you use Very Local or Pluto TV — both install from the official Appstore. Sideloading only becomes necessary if you want apps like On Stream that aren’t available through Amazon.
Summary: Your Locast Replacement Plan
Locast is gone, but the workaround is genuinely straightforward:
- Install Very Local from the Amazon Appstore — it’s the closest thing to Locast that exists right now
- Add Pluto TV or Tubi for free on-demand content alongside your live channels
- Consider an OTA antenna if you need every local channel in your market, not just Nexstar affiliates
- Install a VPN before sideloading anything — Surfshark is what I use
For everything beyond local channels — sports, movies, live TV in general — check out the best Firestick apps guide to see what’s actually worth installing in 2026.
Try Unify IPTV — Live TV, Sports & Local Channels
→See All Methods for Local Channels on Firestick
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Last updated: March 2026
