Gaurav Rathore
His write-ups blend creativity, personal experience, and tailored technical advice, meeting reader needs effectively.
If I told you that I had cut my cable TV cord long ago but am still enjoying live TV, would you believe me? Yes, it’s true.
You can use a live TV streaming service without worrying about the hefty charges and cable equipment. I have been using one and enjoying my favorite shows and sports events live in 4K!
In this write-up, I’m going to list some options to help you choose the best-streaming TV service. Let’s get started with the list right away!
| Monthly price | From $40/mo | Total channels | 33 or 34 |
| Local channels | Available | DVR limits | 50 hrs, no limitations |
| Sports coverage | National and local | Profiles per account | 4 |
| On-demand | Yes | Picture-in-picture | Available |
| 4K live streams | Yes | Multiview | Not available |
| Contract | Not needed | Free Trial | Not available |
Sling TV serves as one of the best cable TV alternatives due to its affordability and customization options. It breaks down its base plan into two different packages: Orange and Blue. After choosing the plan, you can select a set of channels from add-on packages, each available at a different price.
With an organized interface and quick navigation, Sling TV is great at recommendations and even allows you to enjoy sports events in 4K (if your device meets the requirements).
Furthermore, to help you decide, I’ve listed some pros and cons as well.
| Starting Price | $73 per month | Simultaneous Streams | 3 |
| No. of Channels | Over 100 | Contract | No |
| Plan Options | 1 | Profiles per account | 6 |
| DVR | Available (Unlimited) | Free Trial | Available |
YouTube, being a renowned platform, proves to have an upper hand as the best TV streaming service. It offers more channels than any other platform on this list and was the first one to include local PBS stations.
It also provides an impressive nine-month duration to watch recorded media, while others can only offer up to 30 days. Nevertheless, coming to its pricing, it’s a bit expensive and can improve its section, as I had to spend a few minutes to find live matches since they were under the “Events” heading, not “Sports.” Let’s take a look at its pros and cons now:
| Starting Price | $77 (monthly) | DVR limits | Unlimited |
| No. of Channels | 95+ (base plan) | 4K Streams | Not available |
| Local channels | Yes | Multiview | Not available |
| Contract | No | Free trial | Available (3 days) |
Hulu + Live TV is the perfect combination of live-streaming and on-demand content. You get over 95 channels, which even includes Disney Plus and ESPN Plus. However, you’ll need to pay more to enjoy more services offered.
The navigation of the platform can be improved, and its latest pricing options are forcing people like me to choose other options. Moreover, Hulu allows you to add on premium VOD channels like Max and Showtime. To understand Hulu better, let’s take a look at its pros and cons.
| Starting price | $80 per month | No. of channels | 190+ |
| Local channels | Yes | DVR limits | 1000 hours |
| On-demand | Yes | Profiles per account | 6 |
| 4K Streams | Available | Free trial | Yes (7 days) |
Fubo TV is perfect for sports lovers and those who want to enjoy every single game of a specific league. With vast sports coverage, the platform allows you to record every live watch. One thing that I didn’t like about Fubo is that it charges between $11–$13 for RSN’s, and it’s a compulsion.
Moreover, its DVR and VOD content won’t give you the same experience as watching live matches. At this subscription price, I believe Fubo must improve this. Now, let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
| Starting price | From $80/month | No. of channels | 90+ |
| Local channels | Yes | Profiles per account | 1 |
| 4K | Yes | Contract | No |
| DVR limits | Unlimited | Free trial | Available (5 days) |
DirecTV Stream gives you the best cable TV experience. I’ve tried it myself and certainly have no doubts. Owned by AT&T, this platform allows you to flip channels one after the other, just like you’re able to do in a cable TV connection.
It even allows you to add multiple packages and premiums that include Showtime, Starz, AMC, Hulu TV, and more. In addition, it will resume with the same network where you left it in the last streaming session.
However, I felt a bit dissatisfied with the navigation, and the app won’t let you add any new packages or channels. Balancing the ups and downs, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of DirecTV Stream.
| Starting price | From $28 per month | No. of channels | 70+ |
| Sports coverage | Not available | 4K live streams | Not available |
| DVR limits | No limits | Contract | No |
| Profiles per account | 10 | Free trial | Available (7 days) |
Philo is one of the best TV streaming services available at an affordable price. It offers more than 80 channels, has a clean, streamlined interface, and decent DVR limits. With a minimalistic design, Philo covers many of the top cable networks except Fox News, CNN, ESPN, and MSNBC.
Coming to the downsides, Philo doesn’t let you fast-forward VOD programming and if you’re a sports enthusiast, you must look for other options.
| Local channels | Yes, but a few | No. of channels | 400+ |
| Sports coverage | Only replays & shows | Contract | Not required |
| On-demand | Not available | 4K live stream | Not available |
| Profiles per account | 1 | Picture-in-picture | Not available |
Amazon Freevee (formerly IMDbTV) could be the best streaming service for live TV as it is free of charge. The platform’s interface is somewhat similar to that of Amazon Prime TV but comes with a single long list of channels for you to explore.
Being true to its name, Freevee is completely free, and you don’t even have to sign in. You get over 400 channels that include several news networks, a few sports channels, a ton of TV shows, and some originals. Nevertheless, for more of its perks and impediments, let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
| Local Channels | A few | No. of channels | 250+ |
| Sports coverage | Only replays and shows | Profiles per account | 1 |
| On-demand | Available | Multiview | Not available |
| 4K Streams | Not available | Contract | No |
With about two dozen categories for live content, Pluto TV stands out among the best streaming TV services. The platform has almost everything you’d like to watch, like local news, kid’s shows, sports, daytime TV, anime, competition reality, and more.
Pluto TV is owned by Paramount, so with this, you get CBS, Nickelodeon, and MTV brands. Moreover, the news channels include NBC News Live, BBC Headlines, Bloomberg Television, Cheddar News, and more. Now, let’s take a look at the pros and cons:
| Local channels | A few | No. of channels | 260 |
| Sports coverage | Only replays and shows | 4K streaming | Not available |
| On-demand | Yes | Picture-in-picture | Not available |
| Profiles per account | 1 | Contract | Not required |
Tubi is free and allows you to watch content without signing in. With Fox being its parent company, you get a lot of channels from the Fox networks, including Fox Live Now, Fox Sports, Fox Soul, and more.
The best thing about this platform is its well-organized interface. You get all stations well-sorted according to their category, which helps you browse over 200 channels with ease. Also, it offers a wide range of VOD movies and series. Now, let’s take a look at its pros and cons.
| Local Channels | Not available | No. of channels | 800+ |
| Sports coverage | Only shows and replays | Profile per account | 15 |
| On-demand | Not available | Picture-in-picture | Not available |
| 4K live stream | Not available | Contract | Not required |
Plex is unbelievably fast, and for a streaming TV service with more than 800 channels, I have to praise the way everything is organized. Not only this, you can have more than 15 profiles for a single sign-up, and it is integrated with the renowned music streaming service Tidal.
One thing that I liked more than anything else is its search feature. Apart from showing search results on the platform, it shows which other services are running the same show or movie. Also, it is pretty easy to add any title to your Watch list at the same time when you’re searching for it. However, like any other platform, it too has some pros and cons.
Considering the following table, you can revisit the features of these platforms and compare what they have to offer.
| Streaming Service | Price | Channels | 4K | Cloud DVR Limit | No. of simultaneous streams |
| Sling TV | $40 | 34 | Yes | 50 hours | 1 Orange, 3 Blue |
| YouTube TV | $73 | 100+ | Yes | Unlimited | 3 |
| Hulu + Live TV | $77 | 95+ | No | Unlimited | 2 |
| Fubo TV | $80 | 190+ | Yes | 1000 hours | 10 |
| DirecTV Stream | $80 | 90+ | Yes | Unlimited | 3 |
| Philo | $28 | 70+ | No | Unlimited | 3 |
| Amazon Freevee | Free | 400+ | No | Not Available | 3 |
| Pluto TV | Free | 250+ | No | Not Available | None |
| Tubi | Free | 260 | No | Not Available | None |
| Plex | Free | 800+ | No | Unlimited | Depends |
When it comes to choosing the best streaming TV service platform, an abundance of options can surely make you feel confused. That’s why, it is better to consider some factors before making a decision. These factors are:
The most important factor, according to me, is pricing. The price you’re about to pay totally depends upon the content you’d like to watch. Nevertheless, there are many free options you can consider.
The streaming platforms that include local channel coverage allow you to enjoy stations popular in your area, and they’re free of charge. So, while choosing the right platform, do check the number of local channels available.
Only for sports enthusiasts! There are many streaming platforms that only broadcast sports shows and replays. So, if you prefer watching live sports, check that as well.
You definitely need to record a match or show to watch it later, and many streaming service providers offer the DVR feature for this. However, apart from the availability, you need to check the storage limits and expiration duration.
Mind you, only FuboTV, YouTube TV, and DirecTV Stream offer 4K live streams, but with some conditions applied. So, if you want to enjoy live streaming in 4K, be prepared to pay some extra.
When it comes to the cheapest, you can go with Philo and or sports, the best one is YouTube TV or Fubo TV.
Considering the number of channels and entry-level price, YouTube TV is the best.
The cheapest ones are YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream.
