Live TV Streaming Services With DVR in 2026

YouTube TV is a cable alternative that offers plenty of channels and an interface that is impressively easy to use. Its unlimited DVR is similarly intuitive, which is why it's a favorite among heavy DVR users. Some customers have encountered picture quality issues, particularly on recordings of live games. But if you value flexibility and content over resolution, then YouTube TV should be a worthwhile option.

Hulu with Live TV comes with more than a hundred live channels, as well as Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu on-demand titles at no extra cost. It used to cap its DVR to 50 hours, but now it offers unlimited storage like most of the services in this list. While Hulu Live's content is impressive, its DVR guide and interface leave much to be desired. Users have had issues with things like cut-off recordings and outdated guides.

DirecTV Stream’s cloud DVR used to be capped at 20 hours, but newer subscribers get to enjoy unlimited DVR. Alongside this feature, DirecTV Stream also offers more than a hundred channels, up to 20 simultaneous streams, and one of the clearest picture qualities on this list. It's expensive, but worth it if you put a premium on 4k viewings and multiple user accounts.

Sling Orange is one of two plans offered by the live TV streaming service Sling. It carries popular channels that span news, sports, and entertainment, and it's the only Sling plan that carries Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. Sling Orange limits DVR storage to 50 hours, but it gives you the option to extend those hours into an unlimited amount for an extra $5/month.

Sling Blue is another plan offered by Sling TV. Like Sling Orange, Sling Blue carries exclusive channels, including Bravo, FS1, and truTV, and offers DVR storage worth 50 hours — extendable to more for an extra $5/month. However, unlike Sling Orange, Blue offers local channels in select markets, making it preferable to those who want to watch (and record) their local news.

Fubo is a live TV streaming service that offers a wide range of sports channels and regional sports networks. It's particularly popular among football fans since it also carries international channels that cover La Liga, Premier League, and the like. Its unlimited DVR is comparable to other services on this list. However, some customers have encountered issues when recording certain content, particularly those on Disney-owned channels.

Without sports and local channels, Philo's offerings are leaner than most, but its DVR packs a punch: unlimited hours and year-long storage. Cord-cutters who are fine with entertainment and lifestyle channels should be happy with Philo, but you could also pair it with a more robust service or an antenna to get your sports and news fix.

Now TV is the new cable alternative from Comcast (owner of Xfinity). For $20/month, you get over 40 live channels, 20 hours of DVR, and watch on up to three devices. It also doubles as a bundle since you get Peacock Premium included at no additional cost. No need to pay an extra $8/month. And of course, no minimum commitment and you can cancel anytime.

To get it, you have to first subscribe or already be a subscriber to Xfinity Internet. You can then add it at checkout.

At $20, it is one of the cheapest cord-cutting services out there, especially considering the channels that it offers. It’s also one of the few services that offers Netflix in some of its bundles (for more on that, you can check this link).

If you’re an Xfinity internet customer, you’re eligible to sign up for the Now TV and Peacock Premium bundle, a hefty live TV and on-demand streaming package that gives you access to films and TV shows from Universal, NBC, Bravo, Hallmark, History, and AMC, as well as 24/7 coverage from live channels like BBC News, NBC News Now, the Food Network, Discovery, and IFC. The beauty of this bundle is that covers the essentials of traditional TV, namely news, entertainment, and sports (Peacock is home to a number of live sporting events), while also giving you all you need on the on-demand front. Even better? It only costs $20/month, Now TV’s regular price, since Peacock Premium is added to the bundle completely free—no need to pay an additional $6/month, which is what the service would normally cost outside of this bundle.

The Now TV and Peacock Premium Bundle also comes with 20 hours of cloud DVR, and you can stream it on three concurrent screens. Apart from a subscription to Xfinity, there are no other strict requirements when claiming this offer.

LocalBTV is a streaming service that delivers live feeds from local TV stations around the United States. Free of charge and offering cloud DVR with up to 1 TB of storage, it’s an accessible resource for those looking to cut the cord without having to cut ties with their community. As of this writing, LocalBTV has yet to stream major news networks like ABC or CBS, but it is working toward that goal. It’s set to set up a paid premium version that carries nationwide networks and doubles the number of available local stations. For now, it’s still a handy live TV service that covers 52 areas in the US.

Over 140 channels, unlimited DVR and RSNs included – DirecTV Stream Ultimate is one of the most complete cord-cutting streaming bundles out there. Think of every sports network for example, ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, NHL Network, etc, you name it, you got it. You also get over 55,000 (15,000 more than the base Entertainment package, mainly from Starz Encore) of on-demand movies and shows included. Of course, there is a price tag that comes with all of this that will rival the most expensive cable packages: over $100 a month.

With this package DirecTV is saying: if you want cheap, go to Sling. This is not cheap, but it has everything a family could need from a TV package.