These days it feels like there is a new streaming service every day (there might actually be). But how can viewers choose which one is for them? In this list, we rank the best streaming services right now.
This is our ultimate guide for which streaming services we recommend the most, all ranked by their value: how many movies, shows, or channels each dollar of subscription will get you.
Sling TV Blue lets you be in control of your TV. With a base package of more than 40 channels, you can stream their live and on-demand content whenever you’d like for just $35 a month. Plus, you have the option to customize your package and subscribe to curated add-on channel bundles if the baseline isn’t cutting it.
Price: $35 per month
Free Trial: 3 days
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland
As Sling’s most bare-bones live TV package, Sling TV Orange still provides a pretty sweet deal. For $35 a month you get more than 30 channels, 50 hours of DVR storage, and the option to customize your channel lineup with “Extras,” additional channel packages catered to your specific interests.
Price: $35 per month
Free Trial: 3 days
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Newsy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, Viceland
When you combine Sling’s two basic packages, you get the perks of both. The $50 a month price tag gets you 51 channels, 50 hours of DVR storage, and simultaneous use on up to three screens. You don’t have to make any sacrifices on which channels you receive, and you’re still paying less than you would be for cable.
Price: $50 per month
Free Trial: 3 days
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, E!, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, FOX (select markets), Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Freeform, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery (ID), Lifetime, Local Now, MotorTrend, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBCSN, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Stadium, SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, USA, Vice
More than 60 live channels, unlimited DVR storage, and streaming on multiple devices for $25 a month? It’s hard to find a sweeter cord-cutting deal. As good as it is, you do go without some cable mainstays: Philo doesn’t carry any sports channels. But if you get that content elsewhere and you’re fine without it, Philo’s deal is unbeatable.
Price: $25 per month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku
Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather, AMC, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, aspireTV, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Bloomberg Television, Cheddar, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Crackle, Crime-Investigation, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, DIY Network, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Country, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, IFC, INSP, Investigation Discovery, Law&Crime, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, MotorTrend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Newsy, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, OWN, Paramount Network, PeopleTV, REVOLT, Revry, Science Channel, Sundance TV, Tastemade, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TV One, UPtv, VH1, Vice, WE tv
DirecTV Stream is a Live TV streaming platform with a twist: you can download the app on any of your existing devices, or for a $120, you can get a box with a custom remote control for the service. But without the box, DirecTV Stream functions like a Netflix or Hulu, allowing you to stream Live TV from anywhere by downloading the app. Within your home, you can stream on up to 20 devices (!), and from outside your home you can stream on up to three devices.
Price: $69.99 per month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, Baby First TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Comedy Central, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, E! Entertainment, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, FX, FXX, Galavision, Gem Shopping Network, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, HLN, Home Shopping Network, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, One America News, Ovation, Paramount Network, QVC, QVC2, ReelzChannel, REVOLT, RFD-TV, SundanceTV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, Univision East, USA Network, VH1, Vice, WE tv
Hulu is an on-demand service that is currently only available on US territories. You can get access to Hulu's on-demand content library for $5.99 a month with commercials, and $11.99 without. There's also an option to pay for an annual subscription starting at $71.88.
Price: $5.99 per month
Free Trial: 30 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Xbox
HBO Max is a subscription-based on-demand platform that is only available in the US. New subscribers pay $15 a month, with an annual subscription option also available.
Most mobile devices that can stream video support HBO Max, although there is yet no app for Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices.
Price: $14.99 per month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
Paramount plus is mostly a Netflix-style streaming service, offering movies and TV shows on-demand like The Good Fight or Yellowstone.
The premium plan of Paramount Plus gives you access to Live TV from CBS: CBS local channels, CBS News (CBSN), CBS Sports, ET live, and some live sporting events like NFL on CBS Live. It also offers on-demand access to programming from Comedy Central, MTV, BET, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Pictures and Smithsonian Channel.
Price: $9.99 per month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation 4, Portal TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Vizio, Xbox, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: CBS local channels, CBS Sports HQ, CBSN, ET Live
Hulu with Live TV ties up its subscribers’ streaming needs in one tidy bow. You get access to all the movies and shows in Hulu’s library, plus over 75 local, regional, and national live channels for $65 a month. Since several other streamers offer add-on premium content packages for a fee, with this plan you cut out the middleman and have everything under one roof.
Price: $64.99 per month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network (ACCN), Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Big Ten Network (BTN), Bloomberg, Boomerang, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, CBSN, Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Cozi TV, CW, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN College Extra, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Fox Sports 2 (FS2), Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Golf Channel, HGTV, History, HLN, Investigation Discovery (ID), Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network (LMN), MotorTrend, MSNBC, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel, Oxygen, Pop, QVC, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, TCM (Turner Classic Movies), Telemundo, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Universal Kids, USA, Vice, WGN America
Funimation is a video-on-demand streaming service that specializes in anime and is available in the US.
You can access Funimation via web browser (www.funimation.com), while the Funimation app is also available on all major platforms, mobile devices including Android and iOS, and media streaming devices including Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV Chromecast, and Android TV, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Price: $5.99 per month
Free Trial: 14 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
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.