Best live TV streaming service: YouTube TV vs Sling TV vs Hulu + Live TV and the rest
Image: Milad Fakurian / Unsplash / Foundry
When you’re ready to cut the cord, shopping for a live TV streaming service is a natural starting point. They offer many of the same channels you had with cable or satellite TV, but deliver them over the internet to your smart TV or streaming device.
These services also include cloud-based DVRs, so you can record your favorite shows (not to mention skip through the commercials when you play them back). In many cases, they provide the only means of watching specific pay TV channels without cable.
All that said, live TV streaming services have been getting more and more expensive, and in some ways they won’t be exactly like what you had with cable or satellite. Our top picks will help you avoid overpaying and get the TV features you most care about.
Why you should trust us
As TechHive’s resident cord-cutting expert, I’ve been reviewing live TV streaming services ever since the launch of Sling TV back in 2015, and I’ve been a cord-cutter myself since 2008. Beyond just product reviews, I write a weekly column about streaming and over-the-air TV for TechHive, and my Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 readers.
The TV streaming services TechHive recommends
Pros
- Simple interface makes live TV easy to navigate
- Unlimited DVR allows for a huge on-demand library (with skippable ads)
- Broad selection of local, news, sports, and entertainment channels
Cons
- Can’t delete recordings or mark them as watched on TV devices
- One-off recordings only work for live sporting events
- Menu doesn’t clearly separate DVR and on-demand video (with unskippable ads)
Why we like YouTube TV
YouTube TV is the best drop-in replacement for cable or satellite TV. It’s not exactly cheap at $83 per month, but it offers a broad mix of the local stations, live news, national sports, and entertainment channels you’d get with a typical pay TV package, almost certainly at a lower price. Its interface is easy to comprehend, its cloud DVR lets you record an unlimited number of programs for up to nine months, and you even can bundle NFL Sunday Ticket at a discount.
Who should get YouTube TV
If you want to cut the cable cord without overthinking it, this is the easiest starting point to recommend. Still, other services may offer a better value—either by bundling other services or omitting popular channels—or by delivering more regional sports coverage.
Read our full
YouTube TV review
Hulu + Live TV — Best TV streaming service, runner-up
Pros
- Excellent value for Disney bundle subscribers
- Expansive on-demand catalog
- Recommendations and staff picks make the app fun to explore
Cons
- Live TV can be inefficient to navigate
- Hard to figure out which programs allow ad skipping
- Can’t watch on TV devices while traveling
Why we like Hulu + Live TV
The main thing that distinguishes Hulu + Live TV from YouTube TV is its inclusion of the full Disney bundle, so you get Hulu’s on-demand catalog, Disney+ (with ads, unless you were grandfathered in), and ESPN+ in the $83-per-month base package. Hulu’s cloud DVR service lets you save an unlimited number of shows for up to nine months, and while the interface can be busy, it ties everything together in a way that encourages discovery.
Who should get Hulu + Live TV
Hulu’s live TV package makes a lot of sense if you’re paying for any of Disney’s other streaming services. Disney+ and Hulu each cost $10 per month on their own (or $11 per month together), while ESPN+ is even pricier at $12 per month (also available with Disney+ and Hulu for $17 per month). With Hulu + Live TV, you get all those services at no extra cost.
Read our full
Hulu + Live TV review
DirecTV Stream — Best TV streaming service for sports fans
Pros
- Excellent grid guide with useful sorting options
- More sports (at least in its $108-per-month tier) than other streaming services
- DVR is easy to navigate and has its own dedicated menu section
Cons
- No visual preview when fast forwarding on Fire TV and Android TV
- Sluggish performance on some lower-end streaming devices
- Some national sports channels are pushed out to more-expensive packages
Why we like DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream’s starting price is $85 per month, but the main attraction is its $108-per-month “Choice” package, which includes more sports coverage than other live TV streaming services. In some markets, it’s the only way to stream certain regional sports channels that remain tied to pay TV bundles. The cloud DVR and grid guide are highlights as well, with an interface that will make cable or satellite converts feel at home.
Who should get DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV only offer patchy regional sports coverage, and standalone streaming options are still limited. Sports fans who can’t stream their local baseball, basketball, or hockey teams any other way would be wise to consider DirecTV Stream despite its steep price.
Read our full
DirecTV Stream review
Sling TV — Best budget-priced TV streaming service
Pros
- Lower entry price than any other streaming bundle
- Simple menu system with easy access to favorites
- DVR supports ad-skipping, partial recordings, and time-shifting
Cons
- Price can quickly escalate to get certain channels
- Most channels top out at 30 frames per second
- Only supports one user profile
Best Prices Today:
Sling TV (Orange + Blue)
$60.99
Why we like Sling TV
Sling TV’s starting price of $40 per month is a lot lower than most other bundles, which it accomplishes by splitting its channels into two base packages and omitting local broadcasts in many markets. The DVR feels a bit stingy—you get 50 recording hours, or 200 hours for an extra $5 per month—but it’s still the cheapest way to access certain cable channels without a big cable bundle.
Who should get Sling TV
Sling TV is an invaluable option for those who can skate by without a full range of local channels. It pairs especially well with an over-the-air antenna for local channels, and you can even use an AirTV device to feed those channels into Sling’s app.
Read our full
Sling TV review
Philo — Best budget-priced TV streaming service, runner-up
Pros
- DVR has helpful ad-skipping features
- Easy to find your favorites and recently-watched shows
- Integrates well with Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV devices
Cons
- No sports, major cable news, or local broadcast channels
- Channel guide layout is disorienting
- No surround sound or adjustable streaming quality
Why we like Philo
For $28 per month, Philo offers lots of entertainment channels in an easy-to-navigate interface, and its cloud DVR even marks up commercial breaks to help you skip through them. Equally notable, however, is what’s missing: Philo doesn’t include any local channels, sports channels, or major cable news networks, which is a big part of why it’s much cheaper than other live TV streaming services.
Who should get Philo
Cord-cutters who favor reality shows, documentaries, and other forms of comfort food TV will find plenty to watch on Philo. Cheaper standalone services such as Max or Netflix might scratch a similar itch at lower prices, but they don’t have the same live TV and DVR features.
Read our full
Philo review
How we test live TV streaming services
Beyond just watching a lot of TV, we evaluate each service’s channel lineup to point out any important omissions, while also comparing basic features such as simulataneous streams and out-of-home viewing restrictions. We scrutinize each service’s DVR capabilities, including the ease with which you can access recordings, manage your storage, and skip through commercials. To evaluate video quality, we look for features such as 60-frames-per-second video support across a broad range of channels.
We also examine every corner of each service’s interface, comparing features such as the grid guide, on-demand menu, and home screen. Our in-depth reviews include plenty of screenshots, so you can see for yourself what each service looks like.
Other notable live TV streaming services we’ve reviewed
- Fubo prides itself on live sports and is only rivaled by DirecTV Stream on regional sports, but its lack of Warner-owned channels (including postseason sports staples TNT and TBS) leaves some serious gaps in its coverage. It costs $80 per month, including regional sports fees.
- Philo offers a terrific live TV streaming service for just $28 per month if you’re not interested in watching live sports.
- Frndly TV is the cheapest live TV streaming service by far, starting at $7 per month, with a channel lineup that leans heavily into classic TV reruns. It probably won’t fulfil many cord cutters’ needs on its own, but may be worth considering as a supplement to other services.
Frequently asked questions about streaming live TV
1.
How are live TV streaming services different from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video?
On-demand video services such as Netflix (also known as SVOD (streaming video on demand) or direct-to-consumer services) offer original programming you can’t find on cable, along with catalogs of movies and shows licensed from Hollywood studios. Some of these streamers are dabbling in live sports—most notably, Max’s B/R Sports add-on offers every event that airs on its cable channels—but for the most part this coverage is different from what’s on cable.
By comparison, live TV services carry the exact same channels you’d find in a cable or satellite package, including major networks such as ABC and CBS, news channels such MSNBC and Fox News, and sports channels such as ESPN. They have similar grid-style channels guides and DVR features as well.
2.
How do I watch live TV streaming services?
Each of these services offer their own apps, which you can install on your smart TV, streaming device, smartphone, or tablet. You can subscribe to these services through their own websites, or in some cases directly through the app.
3.
What about DVR?
All live TV streaming services include some form of cloud DVR, allowing you to record live programming and skip through the commercials. The recordings are stored online, rather than on a box in your home, so you can access them from any of your devices—even while traveling.
4.
Can I watch live TV streaming services while traveling?
Yes, though some services have restrictions on what you can watch and how you can watch it. This article has more details.
5.
Are there equipment or activation fees?
No, live TV streaming services do not charge activation fees, and you can log in to watch on as many devices as you want at no extra charge. You may hit a limit on how many devices can be actively streaming at the same time—usually it’s two or three, depending on the service—and some services allow you to pay for more simultaneous streams if you need them.
Author: Jared Newman, Contributor
Jared has been a freelance technology journalist for more than 15 years and is a regular contributor to PCWorld, Fast Company, and TechHive, where he’s written a weekly cord-cutting column since 2014. His Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 subscribers, and his Advisorator tech advice newsletter is read by nearly 10,000 people each week. Jared has a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and specializes in making complex tech topics easy to understand, from streaming and cord-cutting to neat apps and useful tech tricks. He is based in Cincinnati, OH.
