Live TV Streaming Services With a Free Trial in 2026

By Renee Cuisia

Hulu + Live TV is the only trial on this page that gets you a live channel lineup, Disney+, Hulu's on-demand library and ESPN Unlimited all at once. That's a lot to test, and you'll want to: most local channels are here, along with the national networks and the entire ESPN family, and the unlimited cloud DVR means you can record what you can't watch in time.

The catch, of course, is the clock. Its 3-day trial is the shortest of the major services, and once it ends you're paying $88.99 a month, so a forgotten cancellation costs more here than anywhere else. Set a reminder the moment you sign up, and use the weekend to try the app on every TV in the house.

By Renee Cuisia

The more popular a streaming service gets, the less likely it is to hand out a free trial (just look at Netflix). YouTube TV is the exception: it's the biggest live TV service in the US, and it still gives you a 21-day trial. That's three full weeks of games, and its lineup is about as complete as streaming gets, with ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in nearly every market alongside ESPN, CNN and most of the cable channels people actually watch.

It's worth inviting the rest of the household in during the trial, since up to six people get their own account and their own unlimited DVR. At $82.99 a month it's far from cheap, but for the most part, three weeks with it answer the question of whether you'll miss cable.

By Renee Cuisia

DIRECTV is the closest thing to the cable package you're trying to leave, regional sports networks and all, and its trial covers every plan, from the $89.99 Entertainment package up. That includes its skinny genre packs (MyEntertainment, MySports and MyNews, ranked separately on this page), so you can test the cheaper option before you commit to the big one.

But its 5-day trial is shorter than the week most rivals offer, and DIRECTV's prices are cable-like once it ends. Use the trial to test what it does well: the picture quality, which is among the sharpest we've seen on a live service, and the unlimited DVR, which extends sports recordings when a game runs long.

By Renee Cuisia

MyEntertainment is DIRECTV's skinny bundle for households that watch reality TV, lifestyle and cable dramas but not sports. For $34.99 a month you get channels like Bravo, FX, HGTV, Food Network and CNN, and it comes with the same 5-day trial as DIRECTV's full plans.

It's not perfect by any means: there's no ESPN and no local channels, so you'll want an antenna for the networks. But as a trial, it's an easy way to find out how little of the full cable lineup you actually watch.

By Renee Cuisia

Philo is the cheap one, and it doesn't pretend otherwise: $25 a month for around 70 entertainment channels (A&E, HGTV, Food Network, AMC, Hallmark), with no sports, no news networks and no locals. Its 7-day trial is plenty of time to work out whether that trade suits you.

What you'll notice during the trial is how little it gets in the way. The app is simple, the DVR is unlimited and keeps recordings for a full year, and there's nothing to cancel if you decide to stay. For a household that mostly watches home renovation and true crime, it's as practical as it is affordable.

By Renee Cuisia

Paramount+ used to be called CBS All Access, which was a more honest name for what its live side gives you: your local CBS station, CBS Sports HQ and CBS News, all included with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan. During football season, its 7-day trial is a free week of NFL on CBS, and it also covers UEFA Champions League matches.

Beyond the live feed, the trial opens up the on-demand library, from Yellowstone spinoffs to Landman and shows from Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and BET. It's not a cable replacement, of course, since CBS is the only live network here. But at $8.99 a month after the trial, it's one of the cheapest ways to keep a broadcast network.

By Renee Cuisia

DIRECTV's MySports pack is the sports bundle fans asked for for years: ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, TNT and the broadcast networks, without the cooking and reality channels that pad out a full plan. It comes with the same 5-day trial as DIRECTV's other plans, so you can line it up with a big weekend of games before deciding.

At $69.99 a month it undercuts DIRECTV's main plans while keeping its picture quality and unlimited DVR. But it's built for one kind of viewer, and the rest of the household may find very little to watch.

By Renee Cuisia

Frndly TV is built around affordable, family-friendly cable: Hallmark, A&E, Lifetime, History, INSP and a handful of classic TV channels, starting at $8.99 a month. There's no news, no sports and no local channels, and it doesn't pretend otherwise. Its 7-day trial lets you try any plan, so start on Premium to test the four simultaneous streams and nine-month DVR before deciding whether you need them.

The feature worth trying during the week is Look Back: on most channels, you can record a show up to 72 hours after it aired. It's a small, thoughtful touch, and for the most part, that's what Frndly is: simple, cheap and pleasant to come home to.

By Renee Cuisia

Fubo started life as a soccer service, and it's still the most sports-heavy trial on this page: ESPN, FS1, FS2, CBS Sports Network, beIN Sports and, in many markets, the regional sports network that carries your local team. The 7-day trial is long enough to cover a full week of games, and the unlimited cloud DVR lets you record as many as you like at once.

But at $88.99 a month, it costs more than it looks, since most areas add a regional sports fee on top, and it doesn't carry TNT or TBS. Use the trial to check what your zip code actually gets before the first bill arrives.

By Renee Cuisia

MyNews is DIRECTV's skinny bundle for viewers who mostly keep the news on: your local ABC, NBC and FOX stations (availability varies by market) with CNN, CNBC and other news channels, for $39.99 a month. Like the other DIRECTV packs, it comes with a 5-day trial.

It's narrow by design, and that's the point. If the evening news and the morning shows are most of what you watch, the trial will tell you quickly whether paying for anything else was ever necessary.