Making the change from cable to streaming may really feel complicated or like a chore, however it is perhaps precisely what you are searching for. As TV prices improve, there are many alternate options you possibly can think about, reminiscent of live TV streaming services and reasonably priced skinny bundles. Wire-free dwell companies include perks like a broad mixture of channels, DVR and no long-term commitments. You may stream sports activities and extra, and these companies supply wider channel choices than antennas but additionally allow you to watch in your laptop computer or telephone.
Selecting a service might be difficult due to pricing and regional sports activities networks, however there are six fundamental platforms to think about (we’re not together with smaller ones): Sling TV, DirecTV, YouTube TV, Hulu Plus Live TV, Fubo and Philo.
It actually boils all the way down to the channels, proper? We have checked out who carries the highest 100 channels of their fundamental lineups that can assist you determine which one could possibly be one of the best to your family.
Learn extra: Best Sports Streaming Service for 2025
The Massive Chart: High 100 channels in contrast (up to date June 2025)
The principle distinction between the companies is their channel choice. All of them supply completely different lineups of channels for numerous costs.
Under, you will discover a chart that reveals the highest 100 channels throughout all six companies. Word that not each service has a worthy 100. There are literally seven listed as a result of Sling TV has two “base” tiers, Orange and Blue. And when you’re questioning, I selected which “high” channels made the minimize. Sorry, AXS TV, Discovery Life, GSN and Common HD.
DirecTV minimize “Stream” from its identify, however its streaming choices stay. Its primary plan begins at $87 a month, whereas YouTube TV, Sling, Fubo and Hulu Plus Reside TV’s plans all value extra now, affecting the worth of those companies primarily based on their channel lineups. Do not forget Fubo’s big loss of Warner Bros. Discovery channels reminiscent of Animal Planet, Cartoon Community, Discovery Channel, Meals Community, HGTV, Magnolia Community OWN and TLC, which can make it much less interesting.
Nonetheless, there are quite a few dwell TV streaming selections accessible. Sling TV’s basic monthly packages are $46 in most cities and Philo provides a small roster however packages AMC Plus entry with it. However prices proceed to go up and people adjustments are mirrored within the chart beneath the place relevant.
Some extra stuff to know concerning the chart:
- Sure = The channel is out there on the most affordable pricing tier. That worth is listed subsequent to the service’s identify.
- No = The channel is not accessible in any respect on that service.
- $ = The channel is out there for an additional charge, both a la carte or as a part of a costlier package deal or add-on.
- Regional sports activities networks — native channels dedicated to displaying regular-season video games of explicit professional baseball, basketball and hockey groups — usually are not listed. DirecTV Stream’s $130 tier has essentially the most RSNs by far however just a few can be found on different companies. You can even take a look at its MySports package for $70 and Xfinity’s sports and news providing.
- Native ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, MyNetworkTV and The CW networks usually are not accessible in each metropolis. As a result of the provision of those channels varies, you will wish to verify the service’s web site to confirm that it carries your native community.
- Native PBS stations are solely at present accessible on DirecTV Stream, Hulu Reside and YouTube TV. Once more, you will wish to verify native availability.
- Sling Blue subscribers in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York Metropolis should now pay $51 monthly, however have entry to native ABC, Fox and NBC channels. Prospects in Houston, Fresno, California, and Raleigh, North Carolina, now have ABC and Fox on their Blue or Orange-and-Blue subscriptions at no additional cost. This isn’t mirrored within the chart. Examine Sling’s site to see which native channels can be found in your space.
- Fubo subscribers could discover that the ACC Community and SEC Community are included with their package deal at no additional value. Examine availability to your state.
- The chart columns are organized so as of worth, so if you cannot see all the things you need, strive scrolling proper.
- Overwhelmed? An easier-to-understand Google Spreadsheet is here.
Philo vs. Sling TV vs. Fubo vs. YouTube TV vs. DirecTV vs. Hulu: High 100 channels in contrast
| Channel | Philo ($28) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Hulu with Reside TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($87) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole channels: | 42 | 24 | 35 | 78 | 75 | 46 | 55 |
| ABC | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| CBS | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Fox | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| NBC | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| PBS | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| CW | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure (restricted) |
| MyNetworkTV | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Channel | Philo ($28) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Hulu with Reside TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($87) |
| A&E | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No | $ |
| ACC Community | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Accuweather | Sure | No | No | No | No | Sure | Sure |
| AMC | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | No | Sure |
| Animal Planet | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| BBC America | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | No | Sure |
| BBC World Information | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | No | $ |
| BET | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Massive Ten Community | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Bloomberg TV | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Boomerang | No | $ | $ | No | $ | No | Sure |
| Bravo | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Channel | Philo ($28) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Hulu with Reside TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($87) |
| Cartoon Community | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| CBS Sports activities Community | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Cheddar | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Cinemax | No | No | No | $ | $ | No | $ |
| CMT | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| CNBC | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| CNN | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Comedy Central | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Cooking Channel | Sure | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Vacation spot America | Sure | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Discovery Channel | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Disney Channel | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Disney Junior | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Disney XD | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| E! | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| ESPN | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| ESPN 2 | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| ESPNEWS | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | $ | $ |
| ESPNU | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | $ | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($28) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Hulu with Reside TV ($83) | Fubo ($85) | DirecTV ($87) |
| Meals Community | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Fox Enterprise | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Fox Information | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FS1 | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FS2 | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Freeform | No | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FX | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FX Motion pictures | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | $ | $ |
| FXX | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| FYI | Sure | $ | $ | No | Sure | No | $ |
| Golf Channel | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Hallmark | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| HBO/Max | No | No | No | $ | $ | No | $ |
| HGTV | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Historical past | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No | $ |
| HLN | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| IFC | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | No | Sure |
| Investigation Discovery | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Lifetime | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No | $ |
| Lifetime Film Community | Sure | $ | $ | No | Sure | No | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($28) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Hulu with Reside TV ($83) | FuboTV ($85) | DirecTV ($87) |
| Magnolia Community | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | No | $ |
| MGM+ | $ | $ | $ | $ | No | No | $ |
| MLB Community | No | $ | $ | No | Sure | $ | $ |
| Motor Development | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| MSNBC | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| MTV | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| MTV2 | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | $ | $ | Sure |
| Nationwide Geographic | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No |
| Nat Geo Wild | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | $ | $ |
| NBA TV | No | $ | $ | Sure | No | $ | $ |
| NFL Community | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| NFL Purple Zone | No | No | $ | $ | $ | $ | No |
| NHL Community | No | $ | $ | No | No | $ | $ |
| Nickelodeon | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Nick Jr. | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Nicktoons | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | $ | $ | $ |
| OWN | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | No | $ |
| Oxygen | No | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Paramount Community | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Science | Sure | $ | $ | No | $ | $ | $ |
| Channel | Philo ($28) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Hulu with Reside TV ($83) | FuboTV ($85) | DirecTV ($87) |
| SEC Community | No | $ | No | Sure | Sure | $ | $ |
| Showtime | No | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Smithsonian | Sure | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Starz | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ |
| Sundance TV | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | No | Sure |
| Syfy | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Tastemade | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | Sure | $ |
| TBS | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| TCM | No | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | No | $ |
| TeenNick | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | $ | $ | Sure |
| Telemundo | No | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | $ |
| Tennis Channel | No | $ | $ | No | No | $ | $ |
| TLC | Sure | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| TNT | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure |
| Journey Channel | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | $ |
| TruTV | No | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | $ |
| TV Land | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| USA Community | No | No | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| VH1 | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | Sure | Sure | Sure |
| Vice | Sure | Sure | Sure | No | Sure | No | $ |
| WE television | Sure | $ | $ | Sure | No | No | Sure |
| Channel | Philo ($28) | Sling Orange ($46) | Sling Blue ($46) | YouTube TV ($83) | Hulu with Reside TV ($83) | FuboTV ($85) | DirecTV ($87) |
Hulu Plus Reside TV, which incorporates entry to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus, now prices $83 a month for its base package deal. Its channel choice is not as strong as YouTube TV, but Hulu’s significant catalog of on-demand content material units it aside. Unique titles reminiscent of Shōgun, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building give it a content material benefit no different service can match.
Reside TV subscribers additionally obtain limitless DVR that features fast-forwarding and on-demand playback — at no extra value. It is a transfer that has aligned Hulu with its rivals by way of options, however the channel lineup should still be a deciding issue. It is the identical worth as YouTube TV, which has extra channels, however the entry to Disney Plus and ESPN Plus could make it a extra interesting alternative for you. Read our Hulu Plus Live TV review.
With a superb channel choice, easy-to-use interface and best-in-class cloud DVR, the $83 monthly YouTube TV is likely one of the finest cable TV replacements. It provides a 4K improve add-on for an extra worth, however the draw back is there is not a lot to look at at current until you watch choose channels. For those who do not thoughts paying a bit greater than the Sling TVs of the world, or wish to watch dwell NBA video games, YouTube TV provides a excessive normal of dwell TV streaming. Read our YouTube TV review.
If you wish to save just a little cash and do not thoughts lacking out on native channels, Sling TV is one of the best of the finances companies. Its Orange and Blue packages begin at $46 monthly, and you may mix them for a month-to-month fee of $61 ($66 in some areas). The Orange possibility nets you one stream, whereas Blue offers you three. It is not as complete or as straightforward to navigate as YouTube, however with a bit of labor, together with including an antenna or an AirTV 2 DVR, it is an unbeatable worth. We’ll additionally add that the service provides native channels reminiscent of ABC and CBS in some areas the place the month-to-month fee is $51. Read our Sling TV review.
DirecTV’s base streaming package deal prices greater than all the opposite platforms on this listing and its stiffest competitors continues to be Hulu Plus Reside TV and YouTube TV. With its channel choice, it is perfect for sports activities followers who wish to watch native or nationwide video games.
The service does have its pluses, although — for instance, it consists of the flipper-friendly potential to swipe left and proper to alter channels. Moreover, it consists of some channels another companies cannot, together with practically 250 PBS stations nationwide. The $87 Leisure with sports activities package deal could fit your wants with its 75-plus channels. However for cord-cutters who wish to observe their native NBA or MLB crew, DirecTV Stream’s $115 Selection package deal is a extra strong dwell TV streaming decide as a result of it has entry to extra regional sports activities networks than the competitors. Nonetheless, you will wish to ensure that your channel is included right here, and never accessible on considered one of our most popular picks, earlier than you pony up. Read our DirecTV streaming service review.
There’s loads to love about Fubo — it provides a wide array of channels and its sports activities focus makes it particularly enticing to soccer followers or NBA, NHL and MLB followers who dwell in an space served by considered one of Fubo’s RSNs. It is also an amazing alternative for NFL followers as a result of it is considered one of three companies, alongside YouTube TV and Hulu, that supply NFL Community and non-compulsory RedZone. As of February 2025, Fubo is charging extra for its service and entry to Bally Sports activities RSNs. The largest gap in Fubo’s lineup is the dearth of Warner Bros. Discovery networks, together with Cartoon Community, CNN, Meals Community, HGTV, TBS and TNT — particularly because the latter two carry loads of sports activities content material, specifically MLB, NBA and NHL. These lacking channels, and the $85 price ticket for the bottom plan, make it much less enticing than YouTube TV for many viewers. Read our Fubo review.
Philo raised its price from $25 to $28 for brand spanking new subscribers and added an AMC Plus bundle, and it is nonetheless an inexpensive dwell TV streaming service with quite a lot of channels. But it surely lacks sports activities channels, native stations and big-name information networks — though BBC information and Cheddar can be found. Philo provides bread-and-butter cable staples like Comedy Channel, Magnolia Community and Nickelodeon and focuses on way of life and actuality programming. It is also one of many most cost-effective dwell companies that streams Paramount, residence of Yellowstone, and it features a cloud DVR and non-compulsory add-ons from Epix and Starz. We expect most individuals are higher off paying a couple of bucks extra for Sling TV’s superior service, but when Philo has each channel you need, it is a first rate deal. Read our Philo review.

