The cheapest live TV services for cord-cutting are the free ones: Pluto TV and Local Now. There are paid ones that cost very little, like Philo, Frndly TV, and Sling (especially the individual Blue or Orange plans).
Below, here are the best cheap offerings so that you can cut the cord and make the biggest savings.
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
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, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, 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/month
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, 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, 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, Motor Trend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Oprah Winfrey Network, Paramount Network, PlayersTV, pocket.watch, Pop TV, RetroCrush, REVOLT, Revry, Ryan and Friends, 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
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
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., 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: $60/month
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, 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
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku
Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather, BabyFirst, Bounce, BYUtv, Catchy Comedy, Circle, Court TV, Cowboy Way Channel, Crime-Investigation, 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, 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 Plus is mostly a Netflix-style streaming service, offering movies and TV shows on-demand like The Good Fight and 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.
As of 2023, it increased its monthly price to $11.99, but with that comes a significant upgrade: Premium members 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.
Price: $11.99/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
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: $5.99 a month or $60 a year for ad-supported; $11.99 a month or $120 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.
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
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
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
Pluto TV is a modern take on traditional cable: it has hundreds of channels streaming live, a huge library of on demand content, and it’s supported by ads. But the key difference from the competition? It’s totally free.
Price: $free/month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Virgin Media, Vizio SmartCast, webOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Channel lineup: BBC Food, BBC Home, Bein Sports XTRA, Bloomberg Television, CBS Sports HQ, CBSN, Check with Pluto TV for the full channel lineup, Cheddar News, CNN, ET Live, Food TV, Fox Sports, Hallmark En Espanol, Hip Hop Family, Hip Hop Family VH1, Love & Hip-Hop VH1, Major League Soccer, MLB, MotorTrend FAST TV, NBC News Now, Newsmax, NFL Channel, NFL Super Bowl Classics, Nosey, People TV, PGA Tour, Pluto Channels, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Sky News, Smithsonian Channel, Stories AMC, TBN, Today, TV Land Drama, WeatherNation, WPT
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.
Dubbed "The Free Netflix," Tubi is one of the best options for streaming quality movies and TV shows online. The completely free, ad-supported service has one of the most extensive title lineups, plus it's compatible with most devices, making it an extremely popular option for cord-cutters. Though it has been noted to have a less than stellar resolution, most viewers don't mind due to its easy interface, constantly updated library, and of course free titles. Parents will also be glad to know that the service has parental control features.
Price: free for 78 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Sony, TiVo, Vizio, Website, Xbox One
Channel lineup: 21 Jump Street, ABC Localish, ABC News, ACC Digital Network, AFV Family, All Real, Baywatch, Bein Sports XTRA, bein Sports Xtra en Espanol, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Quicktake, Brat TV, BUZZR, Caught in Providence, CBC News, Cheddar, CINEVAULT: 80's, CINEVAULT: Classics, CINEVAULT: Westerns, Circle, Comedy Dynamics, Cosmos, Deal or No Deal, Dove Channel, El Rey, Estrella News, EuroNews English, Fear Factor, FilmRise Classic TV, FilmRise Westerns, Forensic Files, FOX, Fox Deportes, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports, Fox Weather, fubo Sports Network, Game Show Central, Gordon Ramsay, Heartland, Johnny Carson TV, live now from Fox, LOL-Network, Lone Star, Masked Singer Channel, MLB, Moviesphere Free, My Time Movie Network, Mystery Science Theater 3000, NBC News Now, Newsy, NFL Channel, NHRA TV, Nosey, Pac-12 Insider, Pattrn, People TV, Real Madrid TV, REELZ, So Real, Sports Wire, Stadium, Supermarket Sweep, The Biggest Loser, The Bob Ross Channel, The Carol Burnett Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Grio, the NFL Channel, The Only Way is Essex, TMZ, TODAY All Day, Tubi Originals, Unsolved Mysteries, USA Today, Vice, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Weather Nation, Wipeout Xtra
This newcomer to cord-cutting quietly launched in April 2024. It's about 90 channels for $39.99, without any additional fees like a local channels surcharge, because there are simply no local channels. What you won't find either are sports channels. And some of the channels are Spectrum channels like Spectrum Originals and Spectrum News.
With Philo having a similar channel lineup but costing $15 less, you probably need a very good reason to go for Spectrum TV Stream. But, it's always nice to have another option.
Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.
Vidgo’s offer caters to people whose focus is on tuning into live TV. While you don’t get access to on-demand content and you’re unable to DVR, you get access to 95 channels for the competitive price of $55 a month. Plus, you have the option to select either an English or Spanish plan, a choice that isn’t presented by most other live streamers. Currently offering a deal for $20 for the first month.
Price: $69.99/month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku
Channel lineup: A&E Network, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Aspire, AWE, Baby TV US, Bandamax, BET, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg TV, BYUtv, Cheddar News, CineLife, Classic Reruns TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Curiosity Stream, Disney Channel, Disney Junior US, Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Family Movie Classics, FETV, ForoTV, Fox, Fox Business, Fox Deportes, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Weather, Freeform, FX, FX Movie Channel, FXX, FYI Channel, Galavision, Game Show Network, Get TV, Great American Family, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, History, i24 News English, Impact Network, INSP, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, Longhorn Network, MavTV, MLB Network, Motor Trend, MTV - Music Television, National Geographic, National Geographic Wild, Newsmax, NewsNation, NFL Network, NHL, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, OAN, Paramount Network, QVC, SEC Network, Sony Movies, Sports Grid, Teen Nick, TeleHit, Telehit Musica, Telenovelas, Tennis Channel, TUDN, TV Land, TVOne, Unimas, Univision, UPtv, VH1, Viceland
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).
Plenty of live TV streaming services are completely, wholly, and no-strings-attached free. The most popular three are Tubi, PlutoTV, and Xumo TV.
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.