If you want to drop your expensive cable or satellite TV plan but still get your favorite channels, there are a handful of live TV streaming services that can cut your pay-TV bill in half.
These Are the Best Cable TV Alternatives
I recently canceled YouTube TV and don’t think I’ll ever go back.
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Sling TV
Sling TV is my top choice for streamers on a budget who still want a mix of news, sports and entertainment networks. The Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans are $45.99 each after a December 2024 price increase, but you can combine them and get a price break. Local channels are limited to select cities, so pair this service with an antenna. If you can stick with a base plan, you’ll save money compared to other premium services. However, add-ons can quickly increase your bill.
Sling TV Fast Facts
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable starting price | Learning curve: Confusing channel bundles |
| Mix of news, sports and entertainment networks | Limited local channels |
| Many supported devices | Sling Orange limited to one stream |
| Improved user experience | No unlimited DVR option |
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM‘s starting price increased to $86.99, but the most popular plan costs extra. The Choice plan includes regional sports networks that other services have dropped. NFL Network and NFL RedZone were added in 2023. Although this service is expensive, it’s arguably the most cable-like of the live TV streaming services. DIRECTV began marketing “DIRECTV via Internet” in April 2023, but this is not the same as DIRECTV STREAM. Only the DIRECTV STREAM plans have no hidden fees.
DIRECTV STREAM Fast Facts
- Starting Price: $86.99/month; regional sports networks in Choice plan or above
- Channels: 75+ in base plan; locals, ESPN and other popular sports, news and entertainment networks (See channels)
- Cloud DVR Storage: Unlimited recordings; available for up to 9 months
- Supported Devices for TV: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV and more
- Multiple Streams: Unlimited in-home streams; 3 streams on the go
- Read my full DIRECTV STREAM review!
| Pros | Cons |
| Well-rounded channel lineup | High monthly price |
| Regional sports networks available with most plans | Confusing marketing (DIRECTV STREAM vs. DIRECTV via Internet) |
| Unlimited cloud DVR storage | |
| Unlimited in-home streams | |
| No contracts or hidden fees |
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV‘s starting price jumped to $82.99 per month in October 2024. The draw of Hulu Live is access to Hulu’s on-demand streaming library at no additional charge. Hulu Live also includes Disney+ and ESPN+ with the base plan. Depending on your preferred channels, Hulu Live could be an alternative to YouTube TV.
Hulu + Live TV Fast Facts
- Starting Price: $82.99/month; 3 day free trial
- Channels: 95+ in base plan; locals, ESPN and other popular sports, news and entertainment networks (See channels)
- Cloud DVR Storage: Unlimited recordings; available for up to 9 months
- Supported Devices for TV: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast and more
- Multiple Streams: Up to 2 streams at the same time; unlimited streams with paid upgrade
- Read my full Hulu + Live TV review!
| Pros | Cons |
| Great channel lineup | High monthly price; annual price hikes |
| Disney Bundle included (Basic Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+) | Only two simultaneous streams allowed |
| Unlimited cloud DVR storage included | Few regional sports networks offered |
| No contract or hidden fees | Poor user interface, particularly the live guide |
| Not compatible with 5G home internet services |
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is my #1 favorite live TV streaming service if this is your first time cutting the cord. The service starts at $82.99 per month after a December 2024 price increase. It offers more than 100 channels, unlimited cloud DVR storage and up to three simultaneous streams. You can add NFL RedZone with the Sports Plus add-on for $11 a month. NFL Sunday Ticket moved to YouTube TV and YouTube starting in 2023. YouTube TV’s navigation is simple and easy to learn for people who are just getting started with live TV streaming.
YouTube TV Fast Facts
| Pros | Cons |
| Well-rounded channel lineup | High monthly price |
| Unlimited cloud DVR storage included | DVR functionality: No way to record or delete single episodes in a series |
| No contract or hidden fees | Few regional sports networks offered |
| 6 user profiles and 3 streams included with base plan | Extra charge for 4K content |
| Simple to use and plenty of ways to customize | Slow rollout for new features |
Related YouTube TV Content:
- The Ultimate Guide to YouTube TV for Beginners
- YouTube TV Tips and Tricks: 15 Settings You Need to Know!
- How to Use YouTube TV’s Live Guide
Fubo
Fubo is a live TV streaming service that caters to sports fans. It raised all plan prices by $5 or more in January 2024. The cheapest plan is now $79.99 per month. In February 2023, Fubo added FanDuel Sports Network (Bally Sports RSNs) to its lineup in some areas. These networks have been dropped from most live TV services. In addition, the service charges a regional sports fee of up to $15.99 per month. Fubo began offering a plan without RSNs in December 2024.
Fubo Fast Facts
- Starting Price: $79.99/month, plus regional sports fee of up to $15.99 per month
- Channels: 100+ in base plan; ESPN and Disney added in 2020, but Turner networks dropped; FanDuel RSNs returned in February 2023 (See channels)
- Cloud DVR Storage: Unlimited cloud DVR storage as of May 2024
- Supported Devices for TV: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast and more
- Multiple Streams: At least 10 streams at home, several on the go
- Read my full Fubo review!
| Pros | Cons |
| 100+ sports, news and entertainment channels in base plan | Missing channels: No Warner Bros. Discovery, AMC or A&E Networks |
| Unlimited cloud DVR storage | High monthly price |
| FanDuel RSNs included (additional fee) | Regional sports fee in addition to monthly price |
| Featured-packed service, including Multiview for Apple TV and select Roku users | 4K content not included in base plan |
| Free trial typically available |
Philo
Philo is arguably the best value in live TV streaming. For a low monthly price, it offers access to more than 70 networks. The service focuses on entertainment and lifestyle programming. You won’t find local stations, sports networks or the most popular cable news channels. Philo includes an unlimited DVR, and you can now save shows for up to 12 months.
Philo Fast Facts
- Starting Price: $28/month
- Channels: 70+ channels from A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery and Paramount (Viacom), AMC+ added as of June 12; no locals, sports or cable news (See channels)
- Cloud DVR Storage: Unlimited recordings; available for up to 12 months
- Supported Devices for TV: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, newer Samsung and LG TVs and more
- Multiple Streams: Up to 3 streams at the same time
- Read my full Philo review here!
| Pros | Cons |
| Low monthly price | Not for sports or cable news junkies |
| Lots of entertainment and lifestyle networks | No local channels |
| Unlimited cloud DVR storage | Some filler channels included |
| Free trial typically offered |
Frndly TV
Frndly TV is the least expensive live TV streaming service. All three of the service’s plans include the same 40+ channels that focus on family-friendly and lifestyle content. Locals, sports and cable news aren’t included. Frndly TV isn’t trying to be a full cable TV replacement like some of the other services mentioned in this article. In fact, some people subscribe to Frndly TV as an add-on to services like YouTube TV. I typically recommend the Classic plan, which is Frndly TV’s cheapest plan that includes cloud DVR storage.
Frndly TV Fast Facts
- Starting Price: $7.99 per month
- Channels: 40+ channels including A&E, Hallmark, History, Lifetime, INSP, The Weather Channel and MeTV; no locals, sports or cable news (See channels)
- Cloud DVR Storage: Unlimited recordings with Classic or Premium plans; available 3-9 months
- Supported Devices for TV: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast and more
- Multiple Streams: Between 1-4 streams depending on the plan you choose
- Read my full Frndly TV review!
| Pros | Cons |
| The most affordable live TV streaming service | May not be a total cable TV replacement |
| Annual plans available | No DVR included with Basic plan |
| Same channel lineup with all 3 plans | Fewer features and options for personalization |
| Simple user interface |
Additional Subscription Services With Live TV
- Paramount+: The $12.99/month Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan includes 24/7 access to your local CBS station, while the $7.99/month Essential plan features some live events like the NFL on CBS.
- Peacock: This is primarily an on-demand service, but live features include 24/7 access to your local NBC station with the $13.99/month Premium Plus plan, and some live sports and news with the $7.99/month Premium plan.
- Max: The B/R Sports Add-on includes live games that air on TBS, TNT and truTV. At launch, it’s available at no additional charge to all Max subscribers. The normal price of the add-on is $9.99/month.
Action Plan
The live TV streaming services featured in this post have no contracts or long-term commitments. That means you can sign up one month and cancel the next if you’re not happy with the service.
On top of that, most of the live TV streaming services offer free trials. See the latest deals here!
If you’re thinking about canceling cable or satellite TV, test out live TV streaming services first. Only cancel once you’ve found one or more live TV streaming services that you like.
Learn more in my step-by-step guide to cutting the cord!
Hi Micheal
I love your you tube videos as I am shopping to cut the cable. They are simple and informative!! I have a suggestion of for you if you don’t already have a video for it.
A lot of people ( live in Cleveland O.) head south for the winter . Being able to ” suspend” device for streaming is not an option for all companies. I have ATT Uverse now and have had it for close to 20 Yrs. and they are in the process of eliminating Uvers, so NO more promo pricing. The closest thing to it is Direct streaming, For people that head to the south for 3 to 4 months can suspend or cancel for example you tube but you cannot do that with direct stream, they are a 24 month contract. People don’t want to pay $$$ for 3 to 4 months for something they are not going to use. I am aware that I can take it with me but most communities include TV in the HOA. BTW I have talked to ATT and had at least 3 different answers to this question. You are Great at explaining and if you don’t already have a VID on this you should create on.
Please let me know if you expand on this idea.
Thanks Pete
Hi Pete. I have a video on this topic and an article. DIRECTV STREAM has no contract, but DIRECTV via Internet does. https://michaelsaves.com/streaming/directv-stream-review/
I’ve been a loyal TIVO user for many years. Love the interface and ease of use. As of 10/2024, Optimum will no longer provide cable cards to supply my channels to my TIVO boxes, making them obsolete. We watch local news, 5G home internet is not available, out of range for antenna, Optimum is our only source for internet. Looking to duplicate the TIVO experience. I’ve learned so much from your videos. What are your thoughts on Channels DVR?
YouTube, keep trying to charge me for an account that I don’t have. I have the hardest time getting a refund. It takes sometimes 60 days before I get a refund. And then they are charging me again. The people that I talk to don’t understand why I’m asking for a real fun and argue with me about my account. There are 2 accounts for 3 with the same first and last name, which is a very common name in this country. And they just continue to charge me. So I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do except ask for my money back, thank you.
My thought is to stop them from charging to however you pay. If they charge to a credit card block them. If they charge to your bank account, block them. Then, when they send you past due notices it’s easier to argue they have the – insert name here- wrong person than to get a refund
I have had 2 ROKU boxes over the years, but problems upgrading and costs of equipment helped me find a better option, especially if you have a smart tv and/or subscibe to other services.
Just download the ROKU app! Over 400 hundred channels for FREE!
We also take Fire TV sticks with us on vacations, everywhere we have stayed, over 30 so far, have smart tvs where you can just plug the FIRE stick into a HDMI jack on the back of the TV! 4K Firesticks cheap as $20 on Amazon specials and you can use them everywhere you go for free. ROKU app (many other apps also) is FREE for Firesticks too!
I have a 4k fire stick and have the Roku app on it. I don’t have a smart TV and I’m paying $73/month for YouTube TV which is now too much for me now that I’m single & having to pay for everything for my house. I’m also on disability and receive a very small amount. I’ve been trying to find a cheaper alternative because honestly I only watch a few stations, mostly local NBC during the day but there are other stations I watch at night. I don’t have an antenna to receive local stations and truthfully even though I was able to switch from the Roku box to the fire stick on my own and I subscribe to a few other guys like Michael who I’ve learned so much from it’s still very confusing to me at times and I’m not sure what I should do to help cut my bill down a bit. I don’t know if you can recommend a couple possible solutions on what to do or if you even understand what I’m getting at lol but any help you can give or suggest would be truly appreciated TYIA 😊
i dont see any mention of the cost factor for internet plans that you need to stream. also there are speed price tiers that you can buy. Can you talk all about this? i also currently have xfinity. thank you
I have an entire article on choosing an internet plan: https://michaelsaves.com/internet/best-internet-plans/
I currently have DirectTV and Philo and both drive me crazy with their “are you still watching?” messages. I’m about to drop DirectTV (had for baseball / Bally only) and was wondering if any of these services have a method for cutting off this annoying “feature.” I’m handicapped and work at night and sleep during the day. I play the tv in another room and listen to it while working. Having to respond to that question (once you realize why the program quit playing) is a royal PITA. Thank in advance for any help.
I watch through an AppleTV box.
Well, over a week has passed. I’m just going to assume that this page is no longer supported and drop michaelsaves.com from my bookmarks.
I want a service that doesn’t include ESPN or Disney, but just the major networks. I had YTTV but it went way up last year to pay for those two services. I would go back to YTTV if they offered ESPN and Disney as an add-on.
I’m planning on dropping Directv that I have had since 1995 next year when retiring and moving to a new home build. I currently pay about $110 for DTV (with $50 – $60 discount) plus $17 for Apple TV, $19.99 for Netflix and $85 for FIOS 1 Gig internet. I get Disney Plus/Hulu/Espn/Paramount free with our Verizon unlimited cell phone plan. I also have a rooftop Winegard antenna.
The plan is to have an antenna in the new house. Firefly 1 Gig internet ($80), Netflix ($20), Apple TV ($17 – includes games/extra cloud storage)….will continue to get the Disney bundle mentioned earlier. The question is, should I start with Youtube TV? I’m guessing I’ll save around $40 – $50 a month which is good, but would I be better off going with Sling Orange and Blue?
Hi Michael,
I have a youtube TV and Fire Stick question.
If I’m watching a live TV show on YouTube TV, say CNN, and I then go to watch something else say on Pluto TV. When I go back to CNN on YouTube TV it picks up where I left off like it just paused while I was gone. I would expect it to pick up at the live point in time. I’ve looked high and low to see how to go directly back to live TV but haven’t had any luck. I need to manually fast forward to live or go throught the Live menu and select CNN again to get back to live.
Any thought on this?
Thanks,
Love your YouTube videos.
Hmm. It should pick up with live unless you press pause before you leave YouTube TV (and are recording that program.) Let me do some more digging. There is no “jump to live” fuction, but if you switch channels and then go right back — that does the trick. I like to use the mini guide (arrow down a few times) for this.
Missing from this review, and every other reviews of streaming services I’ve found, is a comparison of how the viewing buttons for the apps actually function.
We replaced our cable TV and TIVO this past year because our cable provider couldn’t keep the features required to use TIVO up and running. So it was to replace functionality, not to save money. After some study and experimenting, we’ve ended up with Roku Express 4K and YourTube TV, Hulu, discovery+, Peacock, NetFlix, and Amazon Prime. We already had the last two, and added the others to get access to the programs we want ad-free (we subscribe to the ad-free options for services that offer it).
What we’ve learned, that this and every other review fails to point out, is the significant differences in how apps for some of these services work. Some examples:
On YouTube TV the forward and back buttons work very differently than any of the other services, which all work like they did on video recorders and DVDs. So you have to remember which service you are viewing when you use those controls, our your efforts to go back 15 seconds end up taking you back half the episode. It’s enough of a problem that we’d gladly cancel YouTube TV if we could find a suitable replacement.
We didn’t keep Hulu Live, even though we loved that forward/back buttons work correctly on it, because of a quirk they have that’s I’ve also never seen mentioned. You can’t fast forward through commercials in “live” content. They have recently announced that you could for “recorded” “live” content, but they could never get that to actually work on my Roku device. And they admit you can’t when watching actual live content that you have used the pause or back features so you are watching it somewhat delayed. YouTube TV does allow you to fast forward through commercials in both cases, so for now we are stuck with it.
Some channels have a setting that automatically turns on the closed captions briefly when use the buttons to go back a bit, which is really handy since many times you do that because you missed a word or phrase.
So why don’t the reviews mention these types of issues?
This is not a review. It’s a comparison of the major services. I have an Ultimate Guide to YouTube TV here: https://michaelsaves.com/streaming/youtube-tv-for-beginners/
I am a new subscriber to youtubeTV. I have setup 4 TV’s in my home. 2 setup with Roku streaming devices and 2 with Samsung TV’s. If I want to add a Roku device to a Samsung TV am I then charged with another account [of the 6]?
No — You can use the YouTube TV app with your Samsung TV, Roku or any supported device. Just use your same login info. The 6 accounts are for people, not supported device. So maybe you, partner, children, etc. Many households end up using just one of the 6 accounts for all devices. But the benefit of using the other accounts is personalized DVR for each of them.
we have a vacation home that is used maybe 7 days/mo, currently have dtv satellite that i feel is expensive for the usage. thinking about trying a streaming service on our cell phones which have unlimited service. think that is a viable option and what do you recommend?
Yes — I recommend the ones on this list for that purpose. YouTube TV and even DIRECTV STREAM (since you have DTV now) are ones to look into.
I’ve been looking for a streaming service that carries the tennis channel but doesn’t look like there are any. Am I correct?
DIRECTV STREAM has it, but not in the base plan
Hello. I just discovered you and you are fantastic!!
Such a breath of knowledge!
I am cutting the cord as of next month ( I have Fios currently)
I really can do with Sling TV and Locast for my local stations
However, I hate watching live tv and always “dvr” my programs
How do I dvr shows on Locast
Sling said they have something but it does not seem to dvr
Any suggestions
Locast doesn’t include DVR, but Sling TV does! I believe there is an app called Stremium that has DVR capabilities for Locast, but I haven’t tested it myself.
If you choose SLING: don’t plan to cancel or it will cost you a bundle of money you planned to save. My experience was terrible.
I currently have AT&T U-Verse and Fiber Internet. I pay roughly $140 a month for the services and equipment rental. I don’t watch cable at all. But I do need internet service. I was looking to sign-up for Hulu+Live TV so I could still enjoy the occasional sitcom, ESPN sporting event, watch the Cubs on the Marquee Network, and enjoy Bears games using the “Live TV” feature. I planned on using these services via wireless connection through either an LG or Samsung TV. I plan to hang the TV on the wall on the outside of my house for tailgating. Does Hulu+Live TV provide this service? Will I be able to watch games, if they’re on live TV (via Fox, CBS, NBC, etc) or will I need some sort of sports package? Since I live in Chicago, I’d only be interested in watching the Bears – and they’re always on a major network when they play. I just don’t want any hiccups …. I believe the $64.99 a month charge, plus a $39.99 a month charge for AT&T Fiber, would be cost effective for me – if I wanted to cut the cord. I guess my question is whether or not there are hidden charges to be able to do this (watch live sports outside through Hulu). Thanks.
As long as you’re using the home internet connection, it shouldn’t be a problem.
We have a COX Cable Bundle contract here in Arizona. It includes TV, Internet and land line. We pay $190/mo. There are a lot of options out there.
We do not need sports. We mostly watch local channels along with Netflix, Amazon Prime and a host of cable networks like Lifetime, FOOD Network, AMC, USA and the like.
Is seems every time I look for alternatives to cut the cord, so to speak, our savings is not enough to justify the change.
For example, I was looking at the AT&T TV $70/mo plan for TV content. They said if I want to keep the land line it would be $20/mo and I may have to have an different carrier (Century Link) for my internet. That would be $50/mo. So with that option I’m looking at about $140/mo. Not a great savings IMHO.
To me cutting the cable, in my case, means dropping the internet and no land line.
What would you suggest as an alternative?
Do you need the landline? I would do that and get an internet-only plan. Then, check the article at the end of this comment for how to get your favorite stations. Start with Sling’s tool. If you can use an antenna for locals, Sling works and is usually cheaper than YouTube TV, AT&T TV and Hulu Live. https://michaelsaves.com/streaming/compare-live-tv-streaming-channels/.
We have YouTube tv and have had at least tried all of the other services and yttv has a very good setup and a ton of channels but we find ourselves watching the same couple of shows over and over and it just seems like we are overpaying for a lot of content we aren’t watching. Probably going to Philo and staying there. $20, dvr, on demand, and most of the shows we watch all the time.
We have YouTube tv and have had at least tried all of the other services and yttv has a very good setup and a ton of channels but we find ourselves watching the same couple of shows over and dale and it just seems like we are overpaying for a lot of content we aren’t watching. Probably going to Philo and staying there. $20, dvr, on demand, and most of the shows we watch all the time.