In the age of streaming price hikes and expensive bundled packages, there are still some havens of affordability.
The cheapest live TV services for cord-cutting are the free ones like Pluto TV and Tubi. These are called "FAST" streaming services (Free Advertising Supported Streaming Television).
The cheapest cable alternatives are Philo, Sling TV, Frndly TV, and Paramount+.
Below, we delve depper into every affordable streaming TV option to help you decide which one is for you.
More than 60 live channels, unlimited DVR storage, and streaming on multiple devices for $28 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: $28/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 3.2
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, iPhone, Roku, Samsung TV
Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather Network, AMC, AMC Plus, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, aspireTV, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Catchy Comedy, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Crackle, Crime-Investigation, Dabl, Deck the Hallmark, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, FETV, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, Gusto TV, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, IFC, INSP, Investigation Discovery, KIN, Law&Crime, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, MeTV Toons, Motor Trend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Oprah Winfrey Network, Overtime, Paramount Network, PlayersTV, pocket.watch, Pop TV, RetroCrush, REVOLT, Revry, Ryan and Friends, Scares by Shudder, Science Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, Story Television, Sundance TV, Tastemade, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TV One, UPtv, Vevo 80s, Vevo 90s, Vevo Country, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Holiday, Vevo Pop, VH1, Vice, WE tv
As Sling’s most bare-bones live TV package, Sling TV Orange still provides a pretty sweet deal. For $40 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: $40/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 0.8
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Cox, iOS, LG TV, Mi Box, Roku, Samsung TV, TiVo, Vizio, Windows 10, Windows 11, Xbox, Xbox One
Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Charge!, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MGM+, MotorTrend, Nick Jr., QVC, Sling Scapes, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Vice
DirecTV Stream differentiates itself from other cable-streaming hybrids like Hulu + Live and Sling in two key ways: it carries more regional sports networks than any other streaming service, and it has unlimited hours of Cloud DVR storage. You also have the choice to receive the DirecTV Stream device (called Gemini Air), or continue using your own.
Price: $79.99/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 1.4
Free Trial: 5 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
Channel lineup: AccuWeather, Alien Nation, AMC, Anger Management, Animal Planet, Are We There Yet?, AXS TV, Baby First, BabyTV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS local channels, Cleo TV, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNNi, Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Daystar HD, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, E! Entertainment, EarthxTV, Ebony TV, El Rey Rebel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FMC, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Weather, Freeform, FUEL TV, Fuse Music, FX, FXX, Galavision, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, HerSphere, HGTV, HLN, Home Shopping Network, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ion Television, Jewelry Television, MotorTrend, MovieSphere, MSNBC, MTV Classic, MTV2, NBA TV, NBC local channels, News Nation, Nick Jr., One America News, Ovation, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, PBS Kids, PBS local channels, Poker GO, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, QVC3, Racing America, REELZ, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, Scientology Network, Shop LC, Somos Novelas, SportsGrid, SundanceTV, SYFY, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, The First, theGrio, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, TV One, Univision, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, WE tv, Women’s Sports Network
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 $40 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: $45/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 0.9
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, Charge!, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Discovery Channel, E!, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MGM+, MSNBC, National Geographic, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Sling Scapes, SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, USA, Vice
When you combine Sling’s two basic packages, you get the perks of both. The $55 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: $55/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 0.9
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Cox, iOS, iPhone, LG TV, Mi Box, Roku, Samsung TV, TiVo, Vizio, Vizio Smart TV, Windows 10, Windows 11, Xbox, Xbox One
Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Charge!, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, E!, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MGM+, MotorTrend, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC local channels, NFL Network, Nick Jr., QVC, Sling Scapes, SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, USA, Vice
Frndly TV is a streaming platform focused on family-friendly live TV channels, with an attractive price starting at $6.99. There are three plans, Basic, Classic and Premium, which respectively cost the $6.99 starting price, $8.99, and $10.99. The Basic plan only allows for SD streaming, but both other plans allow for HD. The basic plan doesn't allow for DVR recordings, but the other plans allow for 3 months and 9 months respectively. And lastly, the basic plans allows for only one simultanious stream, but the Classic allows for 2 and the Premium allows for 4.
Price: $6.99/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 7.6
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Vizio
Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather, ASPiRE TV, BabyFirst, Bounce, BYUtv, Catchy Comedy, Circle, Court TV, Cowboy Way Channel, Crime-Investigation, Dabl, Dove Channel, Dove Family Movies, Dove Kids, FETV, FMC, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, GRIT, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Movies Now, Hallmark Mystery, Heartland TV, Heroes & Icons, INSP, ION, ION Mystery, JusticeCENTRAL.TV, Laff, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Local Now, MeTV, MeTV Toons, Military HISTORY, Movies!, Outdoor Channel, PixL, Pursuit, QVC, Recipe.TV, Sportsman Channel, Start TV, StoryTV, The History Channel, The Weather Channel, UPtv, VICE TV, Waypoint TV
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME (previously Paramount+ Premium) is mostly a Netflix-style streaming service, offering movies and TV shows on-demand like The Good Fight and Yellowstone.
It 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.
As of 2023, it increased its monthly price to $11.99, but with that comes a significant upgrade: members now have access to all of Showtime's content, which includes movies and shows like Billions, Dexter, and Yellowjackets, as well as live coverage on sports including boxing, football, and MMA. Since Showtime shut down its standalone service in early 2024, this Paramount+ plan is now one of the few ways to watch Showtime without cable.
Price: $11.99/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 0.3
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
Peacock is a streaming service owned by NBC, with options for paid subscriptions as well as a free plan. The free plan offers about 13,000 hours of ad-supported content, with the option to upgrade to premium for more access to content. The premium options include two plans: $7.99 a month or $80 a year for ad-supported; $13.99 a month or $140 a year for ad-free. With both premium plans, you'll get access to the full catalog of 2,000 movies and shows, including every episode of the original NBC series. You'll also get next-day access to all the new episodes of ongoing NBC shows, and early access to talk shows such as Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on the air night. You can stream Peacock on Apple devices like the iPhone and Apple TV, Google devices like Android phones and Chromecast, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. But there is still no app available for Roku or Amazon platforms.
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. You also get Peacock Premium included. 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.
Price: $20/month
Channels for every dollar spent: 2.3
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, iOS
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, Afro, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC News, CBS, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Crime+Investigation, Discovery Channel, Discovery Life Channel, Food Network, FOX, FYI, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, GSN, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, HGTV, History Channel, ID, IFC, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, LMN, Magnolia Network, Military History Channel, MotorTrend, NBC, OWN, PBS, Pursuit, Recipe.TV, Science Channel, Sony Movies, Sundance Channel, The Weather Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, Vice, WEtv
If you’re a Spectrum internet customer, Spectrum offers a unique deal with its TV Choice package, now with ESPN back after the dispute has been resolved. You take your pick of 15 must-haves from a list of 65 channels, completely customizing your own mini live TV lineup. It’s around $53 a month with no cable box and no annual contract, so if you have very streamlined TV interests, it’s a cost-effective move. Most of the price goes to local channels, which it also comes with.
Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.
Philo: Once called Tivli, Philo is a streaming service that was first started in Harvard University by a Facebook co-founder. In August 2020, they announced that they reached the milestone of 750,000 subscribers.
Sling Orange: Sling Orange used to be more expensive than Sling Blue but they now both cost $40 each, or $28 if you get both of them ($55/month if you get Sling Orange+Blue)
DirecTV Stream: After confusing beginnings that included many names: AT&T TV Now, DirecTV Now, and AT&T WatchTV, AT&T TV, this service, now called DirecTV Stream, is the final Live TV offering from the telecom operator.
Sling Blue: Sling Blue used to be cheaper than Sling Orange, but they now cost the same - $40 per month. If you get both of them, they cost $55 for the bundle, so around $27.5 each.
Sling Orange + Blue: At $55 a month, subscribers to Sling TV Orange and Blue treat themselves to the best of both worlds. You can live in the moment with 51 live channels, or tune in whenever you want, choosing from a host of on-demand content. If you’re hesitant to cut the cord completely, this package definitely eases the transition.
Frndly TV: Frndly was launched by a former executive of the popular Live TV platform Sling TV. The idea was to offer a Live TV streaming service that doesn't require parental control, with the main draw being the three Hallmark channels.
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME: Paramount Plus started out as CBS All Access in 2014, making its big hit with the lawyer drama The Good Fight. When CBS and Viacom merged, the service rebranded to its current name, offering content from both companies. From its first day, the new service offered live TV from local CBS affiliates. In 2023, it merged with Showtime and made the latter accessible to all of its Premium subscribers.
Now TV: 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. You also get Peacock Premium included. And of course, no minimum commitment and you can cancel anytime.
Spectrum TV Choice: Spectrum is a cable TV, internet, telephone and wireless company based in the US. In 2019, Spectrum launched its TV Essentials services to target customers who prefer online viewing. As CEO Tom Routeledge describes it, Spectrum TV Essentials is a “low-priced, entertainment-only bundle unencumbered by the high cost of broadcast retransmission consent fees and expensive sports programming.” Spectrum TV Choice is an evolution of TV Essentials. Note: ESPN is back on Spectrum!
Every streaming service offering live TV channels, from the cheapest (free), to the most expensive.
Here are the last 10 streaming price increases:
The most affordable streaming service for sports viewing is Sling TV. Out of its two available plans, Sling Orange has the most coverage since it carries ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3, but Sling Blue is also a formidable option as it carries NFL Network and FS1. Each costs $40/month (or $20 on your first month) and only $55 together as Sling Orange + Blue. These channels may be enough for casual sports fans, but if you're looking for more, you can always pay an extra $11/month for the sports bundle and add up to 11 more sports channels in your lineup, and $29/month if you want dedicated NBA coverage.
For news, Sling still offers a pretty good deal with the $40 Blue, which has MSNBC, CNN, Bloomberg Television, and Fox News. You can also pay an extra $6 for the news bundle, which gives you access to nine more channels including BBC World News and CNBC. But if you're looking for an even cheaper option, Philo should do. For $25/month, it gives you access to BBC America, BBC World News, and Cheddar News.
While YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream have great offers in this regard, the cheapest live TV streamer with local channels is Paramount+, which offers CBS affiliate channels in most markets for only $9.99. If you want more information on accessing local channels on live TV, we wrote a dedicated article on the topic.
Again, YouTube TV is a great and comprehensive option for cord-cutters, but with the monthly price now at $73, it's understandable to look at alternatives. The cheapest YouTube TV alternatives are Sling TV ($40), Philo ($25), and Frndly TV ($6).
The cheapest streaming bundle is probably the Disney+ Bundle Trio (Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+) for $14.99. Another option is the new the Xfinity Now TV "Streamsaver" bundle for $55.
Plenty of live TV streaming services are completely, wholly, and no-strings-attached free. The most popular three are Tubi and PlutoTV.
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.
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.