Who has the best live TV streaming service?
All ages may find something to watch on the top live TV streaming sites, from sports and news to cartoons. Sling/Insider, YouTube, Philo, Hulu, Fubo.
A cumbersome cable box or satellite dish is no longer necessary to enjoy live television. The top live TV streaming services nowadays make it possible to watch all your favourite channels without paying the astronomical prices or dealing with the inconveniences of cable TV. You can begin watching immediately after connecting your smart TV, computer, or smartphone to the internet.
There are a lot of services out there, making it hard to choose the one that's best for you. We put in a lot of time researching and testing several live TV streaming services so you can choose the one that's ideal for you. We highly recommend Hulu + Live TV due to its extensive channel lineup (95+) and on-demand features (Hulu, Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, etc.). On the other hand, Philo, an entry-level service, can be sufficient if money is tight. It's missing local channels and sports networks, but it's only $25 a month.
Below, you'll discover our comprehensive list of live TV streaming options for varied purposes. Though channel selection and pricing vary, these cord-cutting services all provide enough of popular networks to watch.
Our top selections for the best live TV streaming services
- Best overall: Hulu + Live TV
- Best budget plan: Philo
- Best for the essentials: Sling TV
- Best for sports fans: Fubo
- Best cable alternative: YouTube TV
Best overall
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV contains over 90 channels, coupled with Hulu's on-demand library and access to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus. Adding live TV drives up the price dramatically, but it's a rolling one-month contract that you're free to cancel at any time. As live TV services go, this is one of the best.
What we like
- Combines live TV channels with the Disney Plus package
- One of the few live TV providers compatible with Nintendo Switch
- Offers add-ons like Max and Showtime
What we don’t like
- Falls short if you're not a Disney or ESPN fan
- Missing a few channels like AMC and NBA TV
- Hulu (ads) + Live TV: $18/month for 95+ channels with up to two simultaneous streams, along with ad-supported Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus on-demand.
- Hulu (ad-free) + Live TV: $90/month for 95+ channels with up to two simultaneous streams, along with ad-free Hulu, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus on-demand.
Hulu + Live TV gives the best bang for your buck when it comes to bundling live TV and on-demand streaming. Hulu
Though it may not provide the most channels, Hulu + Live TV features a ton of popular networks that you'll actually want to watch. The lineup includes local channels like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox; kids shows from Nickelodeon and Disney Channel; reality TV from TLC, HGTV, and TruTV; and other cable faves like TNT, TBS, Paramount Network, and more. Sports lovers can also tune into ESPN, ESPN2, and NFL Network.
On the negative, Hulu + Live TV is missing a few sports networks like NBA TV and NHL Network that you can access on certain rival services. It's also missing AMC, so fans of shows like "Interview with the Vampire" and "Mayfair Witches" will have to search elsewhere.
Still, it's hard to dispute how much value this package gives. It's the only cord-cutting service that meets your live TV and on-demand entertainment demands in one easy subscription plan. And it achieves all that for approximately the same price as its direct competitors.
Check out our Hulu + Live TV guide and our Hulu + Live TV channel roundup.
Best budget plan
Philo TV
If you want your streaming subscription to cost less per month than a single trip for the family to Starbucks, Philo is created with you in mind. It includes over 70 channels for about $25 a month, although it is lacking popular sports and local networks.
What we like?
- Hands-down the cheapest of any service
- Free seven-day trial
- Over 70 channels include popular reality and lifestyle networks
What we don’t like?
- No local stations or sports coverage
- Very few news networks
- Limited add-ons
- Philo:$25/month for 70+ channels with up to three streams at a time.
If pricing is your major issue, live TV streaming doesn't get any lower than Philo. For about $25 a month, you receive over 70 channels and unlimited one-year DVR. In exchange for such a low cost, Philo falls short in a few areas, but it's still an amazing deal.
The Philo channel collection is minimal but does feature outstanding programming for the proper viewer. You can find fantastic lifestyle networks like Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, and TLC, plus you get Nickelodeon for your small ones. General entertainment options are also solid with outlets like AMC, Paramount Network, and Comedy Central. However, if you're looking for robust news, local stations, or sports coverage, you'll have to search elsewhere as Philo doesn't contain networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, or ESPN.
Philo's user interface is a little more utilitarian than others, but it's straightforward to navigate and gets the job done. Philo.
The Philo app is accessible on select smart TVs, most streaming devices, and smartphones. But, unlike other live TV services, it's not available on game consoles.
Philo cuts certain corners, but it does so to keep costs low for customers, making it the finest live TV streaming service for shopping on a limited budget. We suggest perusing the Philo channel roster if you're seeking for an inexpensive cable option. You might be amazed by how many popular networks you can access for only $25 a month.
Best for the essentials
Sling TV Subscription
For just the necessities without any extra fluff, Sling TV is the streaming service you're looking for. It's more flexible than other programmes, with three options you may choose from, so you pay for exactly what you need. New members get their first month for $20 discount.
What we like?
- Two economical base plans to choose from
- Options with sports or local networks
- Up to three simultaneous streams
What we don’t like?
- Certain channels are restricted to Orange or Blue
- Gets costly if you start buying other channel packages
- Local stations limited to specific cities and no possibility to obtain CBS
- Sling Freestream: Over 400 live internet channels you can stream for free
- Sling Orange: Starts at $40/month with roughly 31 channels and one stream at a time
- Sling Blue: Starts with $40/month with roughly 42 channels and up to three streams at a time
- Sling Orange + Blue: Starts with $55/month with about 46 channels
Sling is the greatest live TV streaming service for customers who only want the necessities without any extra bells and whistles. Though not quite as cheap as Philo, Sling TV offers you to pick between two primary channel lineups to keep your monthly bills as low as possible, and it includes certain key networks that Philo is missing.
Sling Orange targets the sporty family, while Sling Blue targets news and entertainment audiences. Though cost varies significantly depending on where you reside, each plan starts at $40 a month, making Sling one of the most cheap options on the market.
We like that consumers may select between Sling Orange and Sling Blue, but if you're planning to acquire both, it's not really worth the money. Sling TV.
Both subscriptions contain the same base array of 26 channels, including major networks like AMC, CNN, Food Network, HGTV, and Cartoon Network. In addition to that core selection, Orange and Blue both offer exclusive channels oriented toward a distinct kind of viewer. Orange offers exclusives including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Disney Channel, Freeform, and Motortrend. Meanwhile, Blue comes with channels like NFL Network, FX, Discovery, and TLC, along with local networks like ABC, NBC, and Fox in select areas.
If you're interested in obtaining both lines, you can combine the two plans with the Sling Orange + Blue package for a starting price of $55 a month. At that price, however, we think you're better off spending a bit more to acquire the added advantages and additional channels that come with a Hulu + Live TV or YouTube TV membership.
Check out our Sling TV review and list of Sling TV channels.
Best for sports enthusiasts
Fubo Pro Plan
Fubo is the streaming service for sports aficionados. Its enormous library of channels includes regional and worldwide sports leagues, setting it apart from the competition. You may also tack on additional programmes to your plan, but it'll cost you extra.
What we like?
- Huge library of channels
- Different tier subscriptions available for different budgets
- Tons of sports options
What we don’t like?
- Some sports networks cost extra
- Gets pricey with each add-on
- Missing essential networks like AMC, TNT, TBS, and CNN
- Fubo Pro: $80/month for roughly 190 channels and 10 screens at a time
- Fubo Elite: $90/month for roughly 260 channels in up to 4K with 10 screens at a time
- Fubo Premier: $100/month for about 260 channels in up to 4K with 10 screens at a time with Paramount Plus
- Fubo Latino: $33/month ($25 first month) for about 65 channels on up to two screens at a time
Fubo's main selling point is its large library of available channels: Around 190 with its entry-level Pro subscription alone, and more included with each tier up. (The exact number of channels varies slightly depending on your area.) Fubo now also comes with unlimited DVR recording capacity, and it stands out for enabling customers watch up to 10 simultaneous screens at once on one account, albeit for a more expensive beginning fee than other competitors.
Fubo is largely oriented for sports fans, especially those who want to watch regional channels and international leagues, but be ready to pay for extras. With Fubo Pro, the cheapest subscription, you receive sports stations including ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network, beIN Sports, PFL, Speedvision, Bleav Sports, FS1, FS2, Sportsnews, SEC Network, Motortrend, and more. Other services also offer some of these networks, but Fubo stands out further with specific add-on bundles for MLB, NBA, and foreign sports. These start at an extra $7 a month.
Fubo TV is the greatest live TV streaming service for sports aficionados. Fubo
But once you start putting on add-ons, Fubo may get pricey. If you go with the base plan at $80 a month, then go for Sports Plus ($11 a month) and MLB.TV ($30 a month), you're already at a whopping $121 monthly expense. That makes FuboTV one of the most expensive live TV streaming services.
And while Fubo includes hundreds of speciality sports networks, regional stations, and foreign options, it's crucial to note that it is lacking TNT and TBS, which broadcast some NBA and MLB games.
Best cable alternative
Youtube TV
Though Hulu's service offers added on-demand streaming conveniences, YouTube TV is the finest live TV streaming option if all you want is cable content. For a limited period, new members can obtain their first three months for $58 a month.
What we like?
- Big library of popular channels
- Great for home sharing
- Can be combined with NFL Sunday Ticket
What we don’t like?
- Basic functions like downloads cost extra
- Can't compete with Hulu's on-demand alternatives
- Youtube TV Base Plan: $73/month for 100+ channels with up to three streams
- Youtube TV 4K Plus: $83/month for 100+ channels with up to 4K viewing, download support, and unlimited screens
- Youtube TV Spanish Plan: $35/month for over 30 Spanish networks with three streams
If you have a huge household and all you want is a streaming alternative to a regular cable TV plan, YouTube TV offers the finest balance in terms of quantity and quality of live TV channels.
Subscribing offers you six household accounts and up to three screens of simultaneous streaming. Everyone even gets their own personal library for infinite DVR capacity. The default plan doesn't feature 4K (it costs an extra $10 a month), but you can find YouTube TV on just about any smart TV, browser, smartphone, or gaming console.
YouTube TV is a fantastic option for a standard cable plan. YouTube
YouTube TV also distinguishes out for having a big library of popular channels. That includes local networks like ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC; cartoons from Disney, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids, and Cartoon Network; sports from ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNews, and NBA TV; lifestyle from TLC, Food Network, Travel Channel, and HGTV; and great series from AMC, FX, and Paramount Network.
You can even acquire a Spanish plan alone or as an add-on. And YouTube is the sole home of NFL Sunday Ticket, which allows you pay to view out-of-market football games when the NFL season is active.
YouTube TV is clearly one of the greatest live TV streaming services you can sign up for, and it might even steal the top spot in our guide if it wasn't for the added value Hulu + Live TV gives with its Disney bundle. But if you're simply interested in live cable TV, YouTube TV delivers all you might want to watch at a solid price.
For a limited period, new users can also save $45 on their first three months of subscription. Afterward, plans renew automatically at $73 a month until you cancel.
Check out our YouTube TV guide and our selection of YouTube TV channels.
How we test live TV streaming services?
To determine the best live TV streaming services, we tested various rivals and reduced our recommendations down to the top five. We assessed numerous critical variables when testing each service, including overall value, amount of channels, quality of channels, and extra features.
Overall value: Live TV streaming services are far more expensive than your ordinary on-demand streaming service, meaning it's much more vital to ensure you're receiving what you want from your option. We didn't allow a high price tag disqualify a competition from the running, but if a service was overly pricey or pricier than comparable services, we noted that.
Number of channels: If you're seeking for a cable alternative, you definitely don't want to make big sacrifices to your viewing library when making the transition. To measure this, we examined the amount of channels each plan for each service offers. Total channels are only part of the picture, however, as having hundreds of networks is pointless if they're not worth watching.
Quality of channels: It doesn't matter if you have thousands of channels if you don't want to watch them, so we checked that our top recommendations for the best live TV streaming service have material you'd actually tune in to. That includes looking for prominent networks from household names across numerous categories, including news, sports, family, drama, and lifestyle programming.
Extra features: With so many live TV alternatives to select from, companies typically set themselves apart by offering additional bonuses with their services. We addressed this during testing since the appropriate features can bring a ton of value to your subscription package. Key features we focused on include user profile support, DVR capabilities, 4K streaming, simultaneous streams, and on-demand service bundles.
What to look for in a live TV streaming service?
Sling TV
There are a few major positives that all of the best live TV streaming services have, but in the end, the ideal platform for you will depend on your unique demands. Even before starting to shop, we recommend identifying what content you genuinely care about watching. Do you really need to pay for hundreds of channels if you just really care about a few of them? Here are some questions we recommend asking yourself before committing to a subscription.
- Does the service feature a number of channels for each genre you expect to watch?
- Does it cater to the youngsters in your household?
- Does it give enough simultaneous displays for the amount of viewers you have?
- Do you require on-demand streaming included?
- Can you view this service on your existing household devices (smart TVs, consoles, etc.)?
We helped made the process easier by limiting it down to five of the finest live TV streaming providers above. Now, it's up to you to figure out which is suitable for your needs. Luckily, several offer free trials to allow you the chance to sample the goods before committing to a membership.
Live TV streaming service FAQs
What is live TV streaming?
Designed to replace pricy cable and satellite TV, the finest live TV streaming services eliminate the need for finicky, company-owned infrastructure and allow you to view your favorite live channels with just an internet connection and a smart TV, phone, or streaming device. It's a must-have for cord-cutters who want to catch their favorite programs as they come out, as well as breaking news and sports games.
How do you stream live TV?
With a live TV streaming service, all you need is an internet connection to watch TV from your computer, smart TV, smartphone, or game console. Just download the service's app or access the service's website, log in, and start viewing.
If you're looking for a new streaming stick, box, or display, check out our recommendations to the best TVs and best streaming gadgets.
Is live TV streaming cheaper than cable?
Live TV streaming options are often more cheap than cable providers. Traditional pay-TV providers like Dish, Verizon, and DirecTV offer starting prices that cost more than most of our streaming alternatives. For cable subscriptions that give more than the absolute minimum, you'll often see rates surge over the $100 threshold.
Not only are they more expensive, but cable plans often throw on extra costs to utilise their needed boxes and DVR equipment, and some even lock you into lengthy commitments to claim particular offers. Cable also offers significantly fewer options, like limited DVR storage, no personal accounts, and fewer compatible devices to stream on.
In general, it's reasonable to say that live TV streaming services give you more bang for your cash. However, it is crucial to keep in mind that the greatest live TV streaming services can still get pricy once you start putting on other channel packages and some improved features.
Do live TV streaming services include local channels?
Most, but not all, of our selections for the best live TV streaming services include access to local networks including ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS. Local networks are included with all Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Fubo TV services. Meanwhile, only limited Sling TV options allow access to Fox, NBC, and ABC in specific areas. Sling doesn't carry CBS in any markets. Finally, Philo does not incorporate any local networks with its service.
If your streaming provider doesn't offer local stations, we recommend adopting a digital antenna as an affordable solution. As long as your location has acceptable reception, a digital antenna can allow free access to local channels without the requirement for any form of paid subscription. Check out our guide to the best indoor TV antennas to see our top suggestions.