When it comes to cutting the cord and switching from cable to streaming, consumers today have more options than ever before. Themost popular streaming servicesout there deliver tons of content from existing favorites, to new original content, andfree ad-based streaming TV servicesexist, allowing you to watch without ever paying a dollar while you do. There’s also a third choice, with streaming giants delivering the best alternative for live TV, with live streaming services.
FromHulu + Live TVtoYouTube TV, live streaming has come a long way. They deliver options for VOD programs that you watch on your own schedule, to new live programming, and even live televised events and sports matches.
However, not all services are going to meet the same criteria. Each of the services we’ve broken down today comes with a price tag, and has their own features to help them stand out from the crowd. While there’s a lot here, it’s important to find the service that fits your budget, and has the programs you want to watch.
Let’s dig in.
Hulu + Live TV
As one of the original streaming titans with a specialty in content made for TV, Hulu was always destined to be a force in the live TV streaming game. Today it’s one of the largest live TV streaming platforms, with a respectable 4.4 million paying users as of thethird fiscal quarter of 2024. Of course, it’s worth remembering that since Disney owns Hulu, the perk of bundling gives you access to a gigantic library of content.
Hulu Plus Live TV (with ads) is the basic plan, and it’ll run you $83 per month. It delivers 90+ live channels, including BET, ABC, NBC, Fox, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Discovery, ESPN, and dozens more. If you’re a sports fan, you can snag the Sports add-on for $10 per month, that delivers a package of live sports networks including NFL RedZone and Fanduel, among others.
Hulu Plus Live TV also presents some stiff competition when it comes to sports, providing a variety of channels, including ESPN and Fox Sports 1. Hulu Plus Live TV lets users follow their favorite sports teams from the NFL, NCAA, NBA, MLS, MLB, and NHL and record their games, provided they’re available. You can also use your Hulu Plus Live TV login information to sign in to the ESPN App to access live ESPN coverage via ESPN Plus.
Hulu’s guide and curation also are worth mentioning. Hulu allows users to organize the programming into a favorites tab and control content suggestions by removing items from their watch history or by selecting theStop suggesting thisoption on recommended content they’re not interested in. Learnmore about Hulu Plus Live TV in our comprehensive guide.
Hulu may also have more programming coming, thanks to the recent Disney acquisition ofFubo. There isn’t word yet whether Fubo will be part of a bundle, or whether its services may be available through Hulu + Live TV, but its very good news for sports fans either way.
Buy at Hulu
YouTube TV
If you are eligible, YouTube TV includes major networks for you to get your fix of TV shows — ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS, and CW — anda bevy of other popular channelsat a reasonable price, and its local affiliate programming has also expanded and is now available to 100% of customers. It also has a large number of sports channels for the price.
YouTube TV is one of the few services to offer a decent selection of 4K channels via its4K Plus add-on($10 per month) and starting in the fall of 2023, it began offeringNFL Sunday Ticket games.
YouTube TV also offers a full catalog of add-on networks. Each of these networks has its own associated cost, but it’s a great way to access specific content you want. There are dozens of networks to choose from including options like Shudder, Sundance Now, Starz, Max, and Vix Premium.
YouTube TV users enjoy some of the most flexible cloud DVR support, allowing users to store unlimited hours of programming for up to nine months after recording, with standard pause/rewind and catch-up features available. If you have a Google Home device and a Chromecast, YouTube TV can be controlled with voice commands via Google Assistant. Similarly, Google Assistant can even inform you of what content is currently saved to your DVR. If you’re an Android diehard who uses Google’s ecosystem to its fullest, then YouTube TV may be the perfect addition. Read ourYouTube TV guidefor more info.
Buy at YouTube TV
Sling TV currently offers the most flexibility of all the live TV streaming services out there, at least when it comes to your content and pricing options. Sling TV uses an a la carte model, with base channel packages and a bevy of add-ons. The base packages, while largely similar, do have some major differences — ABC and Disney-owned channels (including ESPN, and therefore support for ESPN Plus) are only present in Orange, while Blue carries NBC, Fox, and other sports channels like NFL Network and NFL RedZone, and soon, the Big Ten Network.
Sling TV starts at $46 per month in most areas. However, there are slight fluctuations of up to $5 depending on what region you live in, so it’s still worth checking the website to ensure you’re seeing the correct price.
In terms of bonus features, Sling TV is pretty standard, but it does have some unique standouts. The first is Game Finder, a search feature on the Sling TV website that finds live any upcoming sports content available for your channel package and region. There’s also a bandwidth limiter, which will help keep you from going over your data limits — streaming video content can eat up data quickly, after all, so this is a welcome feature.
Buy at SLING TV
DirecTV Stream
Formerly known as DirecTV Now, then AT&T TV Now, and then AT&T TV,DirecTV Streamis another service with high channel counts and multiple package tiers, and it’s close to the experience you’ll get with cable or satellite when it comes to available channels. DirecTV Stream is one of the pricier options available, but does include discounts for each plan. Entertainment + Sports gets a $15 discount for the first two months, while both Choice and Ultimate receive a $20 discount.
While AT&T TV offered just two simultaneous streams, DirecTV Stream allows you to stream on unlimited devices provided they are all on your home network. If you share the account with multiple people, you’ll still be limited to just three simultaneous streams when you’re not on the same network.
Additionally, DirecTV Stream now offers the DirecTV Stream device, which is similar to a Roku or Apple TV box. This box gives you access to thousands of apps with a voice remote that can manage all of your entertainment and smart home devices. It’s a nice touch for people who just want all of their entertainment in a single, central hub.
Buy at DirectV
Feature-wise, Philo is similar to the other services above (and cheaper to boot). DVR access allows for unlimited recording and storing content, though your DVR content will only stick around for a limited time — 30 days, in this case. Another feature Philo includes is the ability to access content from paywalled apps for channels carried by Philo. For example, since Philo’s channel package includes AMC and Nickelodeon, you’ll be able to download and watch through the dedicated AMC and Nickelodeon apps at no extra charge by signing in with your Philo account.
Philo does lack the comprehensive app and device support of its rivals. For a long time, only Roku, iOS devices, and the Chrome browser were supported, but the service came to Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV devices in recent years and is now available on Chromecast, plus an app for iOS/Android. Philo claims even more devices are on the way, but for now, the truncated device support is a drawback. That said, if you have a supported device and don’t mind skipping sports and the big networks (or can find them with an antenna), Philo is one of the more affordable ways to get live TV. For more on the service, check out ourPhilo guide.
Buy at Philo
Amazon Prime Live Channels
Amazon Prime has a long list of perks for its members, but one of the lesser-known incentives is the ability to augment yourPrime Video librarywith ahandful of curated TV channels. It’s not quite like cable or other live TV providers; Prime simply offers a small number of channels currently supported by just Fire TV.
The biggest perk of Amazon Prime Live Channels, however, is that it integrates with a wide range of services, including many on this list. For different fees, you may access other subscription services like YouTube TV, Sling TV, Tubi, Pluto TV, Philo, Prime Video Channels, Prime Video Live Events (like Thursday Night Football), and more. Plus, because it’s all directly integrated into Amazon’s ecosystem of connected devices, you can check what’s on the premium Prime add-on channels just by talking to Alexa. It may not be a game-changer, but it’s helpful.
Amazon also is increasingly involved in live sports streaming, with the company most notably offering several games per year from the NFL, NBA, and MLB — some for free — across Amazon Prime and its game-streaming platform, Twitch. And with Amazon’s $8.45 billion acquisition of huge film and TV company MGM,the librarynow includes its list of more than 4,000 movies (including the James Bond franchise) and 17,000 hours of TV programming.
For now, this isn’t quite an option for supplanting a subscription to more well-rounded services like Sling TV or Hulu Plus Live TV, but it is a worthwhile Prime feature that will hopefully continue to grow and evolve.
Buy at Amazon
Now owned by ViacomCBS,Pluto TVmight be a new name to some, but the service has been quietly plugging along since 2013 and as of 2023 has 80 million monthly active users, making it the largest free TV streaming service in the U.S. Like the other services on this list, it has become a solution for those who want easy access to a library of both live and on-demand content — everything from TV series to movies to popular internet content creators. Unlike the others, however, Pluto TV is entirely free.
No, really. For the cool price of zero dollars a month, Pluto TV will provide you access to select content frommore than 100 live channels, including, CBSN, Bloomberg TV, MSNBC, Sky News, movie channels, and live sports, plus 35 music-streaming channels. New additions include Pluto TV sitcoms, offering a selection of aging comedies like3rd Rock from the SunandThe Lucy Show, and the Spanish-language channel Pluto TV Cine.Dog The Bounty Huntereven gets his own channel. Users also will enjoy a library of on-demand content.
You’re likely thinking, “What’s the catch?” The answer is simple: ads. Pluto TV is entirely ad-supported. These ads are not skippable, and some have found them intrusive, but it may be a worthwhile price to pay for totally free content.
The other caveat is that the majority of these channels aren’t actually TV channels butinternetchannels, meaning stuff from websites and online creators like IGN, CNET, and Cheddar rather than from traditional TV channels. You’ll still get those, too, but you won’t find any of the major prime-time networks or cable favorites like Comedy Central, Syfy, or FX here. Still, major broadcasters are beginning to show up, like CNN, which has its own channel of curated highlight segments pulled from its live cable TV offering.
For a more in-depth examination, head over to ourPlutoTV explainer.
Buy at Pluto TV
Fubo offers a multitude of plans, but it looks like it’s gotten rid of its Fubo Starter base package, making the Pro plan the cheapest tier. For $80 per month, the Pro package offers 188 channels and more than 100 sporting events, unlimited cloud DVR space, plus the ability to use what Fubo calls “unlimited screens,” 10 devices at once on your home internet connection, plus two outside of the house “on the go.” The Elite with Sports Plus package bumps the cost up to $100 for 291 channels (including 42 entertainment channels from Fubo Extra and 12 News Plus channels), unlimited cloud DVR space, unlimited screens, and Sports Plus with NFL Redzone. The Deluxe package will run you $110 for 304 channels, unlimited cloud DVR space, unlimited screens, Sports Plus with NFL Redzone, MGM+, and International Sports Plus. The Latino package is just $33 per month month for 62 channels, unlimited cloud DVR space, and two screens.
Fubo also offers awide array of add-on plansfor all kinds of users. The plans includea healthy mix of both sports and non-sports channels, such as NBC Sports Network, NFL Network, NBA TV, and the Pac-12 Network on the sports side, along with staples like HGTV, FX, and widespread local network channel support on the other.
One notable way in which Fubo differs from every other service on this list is that it is currently the only service to offer streaming in 4K resolution with HDR10. Content is limited, but you can generally expect many major sporting events and championships to have 4K feeds. Fubo keeps a runningschedule of its Ultra HD programming on its website, so refer to that if you’re looking for something to take advantage of your new crystal-clear TV.
It does contain plenty of sports extras, though. Both of the subscription packages allow for optional monthly add-ons, such as:
Fubo wasn’t too well-rounded when it first launched, but it quickly evolved, increasing its focus on entertainment options. It’s still probably not for everyone, but hardcore sports fans and even casual soccer fans might want to take a look — especially if you need your sports fix in 4K. It was alsoacquired by Disney in Januaryof 2025, so its likely we’ll see new bundles arriving in the near future. We’re not sure what they might look like yet, but its likely Hulu + Live TV, Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Fubo will all be available together.
Buy at fuboTV
