Today there are so many ways to cut the cord while keeping access to Live TV, perhaps too many. They all are at different prices: from $5.99 to $64.99, offer different channels, and different features: some have unlimited DVR, some none at all, some will be available on your Roku or Fire Stick, some not.
So how can you pick? Here we have ranked the best Live TV streaming services based on their value: how many channels each dollar you pay gets you?
Plex is a media management software that doubles as a free streaming service. Its main function is to organize your own library of content—that is, your own video, photo, or sound files—and make it streamable alongside Plex's offerings of 200+ live TV channels and 50,000+ on-demand movies and shows. Plex's basic package comes at no cost, but it also has a premium package starting at $4.99/month that boasts additional features, such as the ability to download content and watch them offline, among other things.
Price: free for 85 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google Daydream, iOS, LG Smart TV, Nvidia SHIELD, Oculus, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Website, Xbox
Channel lineup: 80s Party, AFV Espanol, AFV Family, AsianCrush, BAMBU, Beast Mode, Bedroom Beats, Channel With, Choppertown, Comedy Dynamics, CONtv, Cooking Panda, DarkMatter TV, Deal or No Deal, Docurama, Dove Channel, DrinkTV, EDGEsport, Electric Now, Electro Anthems, ESRevolution, FailArmy, Footballers Live, Friday Feels, fubo Sports Network, Game Show Central, Glewed TV, Gravitas Movies, Hip Hop Bangers, Hollywire, Hollywood Classics, Hometalk TV, Hot R&B, Hottest of the Hot, IGN TV, Kidoodle.TV, KidsFlix, KMTV, Law & Crime, Like Yesterday, Love Destination, Made In Hollywood, MAV TV Select, Maverick Black Cinema, Midnight Pulp, Monster Kids, Neural Focused, Nosey, Only 90s Kids Will Understand, Party, Party Tyme Karaoke, People Are Awesome, PlayWorks, Popstar!TV, Real Nosey, RetroCrush, Reuters TV, Revry, Revry 2, RevryNow, So…Real, SportsGrid, SQAD, SURF NOW TV, Tankee, Tastemade, TG Junior, That 70s Channel, That’s Hot, The Archive, The Boat Show, The Design Network, The Film Detective, The Pet Collective, Toon Goggles, Trending, TV Classics, Unidentified, Unwind, WASH TV, Wipeout Xtra, Wu Tang Collection, Yacht Rock, Yahoo! Finance, YUYU TV
Despite its wobbly start in the streaming sphere, Peacock now has a growing and respectable catalog of titles to its name. It's home to critically acclaimed shows like Poker Face and movies like Tar, not to mention a whole host of reality shows and sports events. But perhaps the greatest edge Peacock has over its competitors is that along with its on-demand content, it also features a solid lineup of live TV channels, many of them for free.
Peacock's free tier, often referred to as Peacock TV, has channels like Fallon Tonight, SNL Vault, NBC News, Premier League TV, WWE, Dateline 24/7, and Below Deck you can instantly watch upon signing up. While on-demand content is limited, Peacock TV often allows you watch the first episode of certain shows to give you a taste of their Plus and Premium tiers, which cost $4.99/month and $9.99/month, respectively.
Price: free for 35 channels available
Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Visio TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: 80’s Mixtape, American Greed, Caso Cerrado, CNBC Ka-Ching, CNBC Make It, D&D Live, Fail Army, Fallon Tonight, Food52, Hell’s Kitchen, In It To Win It, Kiss Me Deadly, Laugh Here, NatureVision TV, NBC News Now, NBC Sports on Peacock, Office Shorts, Olympic Channel, Out of This World, Peacock Reality, People Are Awesome, Saved by the Bell, Seth Meyers Now, Sky News, SNL Vault, Telemundo Series, The Choice, The Pet Collective, The Rotten Tomatoes Channel, TODAY All Day, True Crime, Unsolved Mysteries, USGA, Weather Spy, WWE Network
Netgem TV is a UK-based all-in-one subscription service that provides hours' worth of live and on-demand content and hundreds of channels, including BBC, ITV, Sky, and more. Depending on the package you pick, a subscription may also entitle you to their 4K TV box and other similar devices, since much like Roku or Vizio in the US, Netgem is powered by its own hardware platforms. Purchasing one of them can also give you access to a couple of free titles and channels, though most are still available as premium add-ons.
Local Now is a free streaming service from The Weather Channel that offers up localized content geared to where you're using it from. That means you can get local news, weather updates, and even restaurant reviews that are specific to where you, the user, are from. Aside from the convenience of getting local coverage, Local Now also provides thousands of movies and live TV channels to choose from, perfect for when you're relaxing or on the go.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Fubo TV, iOS, Roku, Sling TV
Channel lineup: Local news channels
Level News is a slim ten-channel cord-cutting offer for, you guessed it, the news. It's a good add-on if you have another cord-cutting subscription that doesn't include news such as Frndly TV. That said, you will have to contend for less familiar channels as big-name broadcasters like CNN, the BBC, and MSNBC are still not available. Plus, some of the channels that are available, like France24, are streamable for free online. The service only launched in November 2022, and there are echos that it's looking to add more news channels soon.
Price: $5.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, iPhone, Roku, Vizio, Vizio Smart TV, Website
Channel lineup: Bloomberg Quicktake, Bloomberg TV, C‑SPAN, C‑SPAN 2, C‑SPAN 3, Euronews, France 24, Law & Crime, NewsNation, NHK World Japan
Glewed TV is a free, ad-supported streaming channel that provides an extensive lineup of movies, series, and documentaries. It also has its own exclusive set of titles and podcasts, with genres spanning travel, sports, comedy, action, and more, plus it's available on a plethora of platforms. If you're still on the fence about going completely cordless, Glewed TV is one of many easy and accessible streaming options to choose from.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Vizio
Channel lineup:
For no-brainer shows like The Drew Barrymore Show, Extra, and The Voice, check out ET Live. You can also find clips and segments from these shows on the app. Sometimes it's called "ET Online" (the website is etonline.com), sometimes just ET; as its name indicates, it's the equivalent of a Youtube channel for ET.
One important thing to know: ESPN+ will not allow you to watch ESPN channels live. However, it has a lot of on-demand content that has aired on the channels and is a good way to watch some sports live. Namely: UFC events, many soccer leagues (such as LaLiga and Bundesliga), Golf, Tennis, and MLB. For the price, ESPN+ is worth at least a try if you are a fan of any of these sports.
Distro TV is a free streaming service that features free shows, movies, documentaries, news, concerts, and more from all around the world. It specializes in global content, drawing from the US, UK, and Canada, as well as from other parts of Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. It has both live and on-demand content, plus it's easy to stream from many devices, making it an easy and affordable option for cord-cutters.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG, Roku, Samsung Smart TV
Channel lineup:
7 Plus is a free, ad-supported streaming service that gives viewers the very best from Network Seven, one of Australia's major broadcasters. It has entire seasons of popular shows, movies, live coverages, and old and new content alike as the service's library is constantly updated. Because Network Seven is comprised of many channels, including those entirely dedicated to news, films, and sports, 7 Plus also has one of the most extensive catalogs of content out there. It's also fairly easy to use and available on a number of devices.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Samsung Smart TV
Channel lineup:
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 12 cheapest Live TV streaming services for cord-cutting.
The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.