Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
When it comes to TV streaming services, the options are seemingly endless. DirecTV Stream is a popular choice as it offers some of the most in-demand channels out there, but you may have also heard of Frndly TV, which prides itself on being the more family-friendly option for cord-cutters.
But aside from the kind of content you’re getting, there are other details to factor in as well. How much does each service cost, for example? What specific channels do they offer? What devices are they available on? Do they have free trials? Below, we go through all that and more to help you make the best possible choice.
| Feature | DIRECTVOur pick | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | image quality | Family-oriented streaming |
| Base price | $89.99/mo | $8.99/mo |
| Channels | 80+ | 43+ |
| Free trial | 5 days | 7 days |
| Subscribers | 0.8 million | 0.7 million |
| Try DIRECTV free for 5 days | Try Frndly TV free for 7 days |
If you just want the lowest possible bill, here is exactly what each service’s cheapest plan gets you.
| Feature | DIRECTV MyEntertainment Pack | Frndly TV Basic plan |
|---|---|---|
| Price / month | $34.99 | $8.99 |
| Annual Price | – | $83.88 |
| New User Deal | 15% off 1st month | – |
| Streams at Home | Unlimited | 1 |
| Streams Outside Home | 3 | 1 |
| DVR Storage | Unlimited | No DVR |
| DVR Keeps For | 9 months | – |
| Profiles | 5 | 1 |
| Multiview Screens | 4 | – |
| Max Quality | 1080p | 480p |
| 4K Support | ✓ Yes | – |
| Audio | 5.1 audio | Standard stereo |
| Dolby Digital | ✓ Yes | – |
| Dolby Atmos | ✓ Yes | – |
| Min. Speed | 8 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| Get MyEntertainment Pack → | Get Basic plan → |
| DIRECTV 1 plan | Frndly TV 3 plans | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest MyEntertainment Pack | Cheapest Basic plan | Classic plan | Premium plan | |
| Price / month | $34.99 | $8.99 | $10.99 | $12.99 |
| Annual Price | – | $83.88 | $95.88 | $119.88 |
| New User Deal | 15% off 1st month | – | – | – |
| Streams at Home | Unlimited | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Streams Outside Home | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| DVR Storage | Unlimited | No DVR | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| DVR Keeps For | 9 months | – | 3 months | 9 months |
| Profiles | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Multiview Screens | 4 | – | – | – |
| Max Quality | 1080p | 480p | 720p | 720p |
| 4K Support | ✓ Yes | – | – | – |
| Audio | 5.1 audio | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo |
| Dolby Digital | ✓ Yes | – | – | – |
| Dolby Atmos | ✓ Yes | – | – | – |
| Min. Speed | 8 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
| Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | |
Add 3 on-demand subscriptions for more content
10 channels are available on both services. DIRECTV has 128 exclusive channels not on Frndly TV. Frndly TV has 44 exclusive channels not on DIRECTV.
| Channel | DIRECTV | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| A&E | – | ✓ |
| ABC | ✓ | – |
| ACC Digital Network | ✓ | – |
| AMC | ✓ | – |
| ASPiRE TV | – | ✓ |
| AXS TV | ✓ | – |
| AccuWeather | ✓ | – |
| Alien Nation | ✓ | – |
| Anger Management | ✓ | – |
| Animal Planet | ✓ | – |
| Are We There Yet? | ✓ | – |
| Ax Men | ✓ | – |
| BABY FIRST | ✓ | – |
| BBC America | ✓ | – |
| BET | ✓ | – |
| BUZZR | ✓ | – |
| BYUtv | – | ✓ |
| BabyFirst | – | ✓ |
| Big 12 | ✓ | – |
| Bloomberg TV | ✓ | – |
| Bob Ross | ✓ | – |
| Boomerang | ✓ | – |
| Bounce | – | ✓ |
| Bravo | ✓ | – |
| C-SPAN | ✓ | – |
| C-SPAN2 | ✓ | – |
| CBS | ✓ | – |
| CBS local channels | ✓ | – |
| CMT | ✓ | – |
| CNBC | ✓ | – |
| CNN | ✓ | – |
| CNN International | ✓ | – |
| CNN en Espanol | ✓ | – |
| CW | ✓ | – |
| Cartoon Network | ✓ | – |
| Catchy Comedy | – | ✓ |
| Cheddar News | ✓ | – |
| Circle | – | ✓ |
| Cleo TV | ✓ | – |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | – |
| Comedy Dynamics | ✓ | – |
| Court TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cowboy Way Channel | – | ✓ |
| Crime 360 | ✓ | – |
| Crime-Investigation | – | ✓ |
| Curiosity Now | ✓ | – |
| Dabl | – | ✓ |
| Daystar HD | ✓ | – |
| Declassified | ✓ | – |
| Discovery Channel | ✓ | – |
| Dove Channel | – | ✓ |
| Dove Family Movies | – | ✓ |
| Dove Kids | – | ✓ |
| Duck Dynasty | ✓ | – |
| E! Entertainment | ✓ | – |
| ESPN | ✓ | – |
| ESPN Deportes | ✓ | – |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | – |
| ESPNU | ✓ | – |
| ESPNews | ✓ | – |
| EarthxTV | ✓ | – |
| Ebony TV | ✓ | – |
| El Rey Rebel | ✓ | – |
| FETV | – | ✓ |
| FMC | ✓ | ✓ |
| FOX | ✓ | – |
| FOX SOUL | ✓ | – |
| FUEL TV | ✓ | – |
| FX | ✓ | – |
| FXX | ✓ | – |
| FYI | – | ✓ |
| Food Network | ✓ | – |
| Fox Business Network | ✓ | – |
| Fox News Channel | ✓ | – |
| Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | ✓ | – |
| Fox Weather | ✓ | – |
| Freeform | ✓ | – |
| Fuse Music | ✓ | – |
| GRIT | – | ✓ |
| Galavision | ✓ | – |
| Game Show Network | – | ✓ |
| GetTV | – | ✓ |
| Great American Family | – | ✓ |
| Great American Living | – | ✓ |
| HGTV | ✓ | – |
| HLN | ✓ | – |
| HSN | ✓ | – |
| Hallmark Channel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hallmark Family | – | ✓ |
| Hallmark Movies Now | – | ✓ |
| Hallmark Mystery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Heartland TV | – | ✓ |
| HerSphere | ✓ | – |
| Heroes & Icons | – | ✓ |
| Holiday Scapes | – | ✓ |
| Home Shopping Network | ✓ | – |
| IFC | ✓ | – |
| INSP | – | ✓ |
| ION | ✓ | ✓ |
| ION Mystery | – | ✓ |
| ION Television | ✓ | – |
| Investigation Discovery (ID) | ✓ | – |
| Jewelry Television | ✓ | – |
| JusticeCentral.TV | – | ✓ |
| Laff | – | ✓ |
| Lifetime | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lifetime Movie Network | – | ✓ |
| Lionsgate Collection | ✓ | – |
| Local Now | – | ✓ |
| MSNBC | ✓ | – |
| MTV | ✓ | – |
| MTV2 | ✓ | – |
| MeTV | – | ✓ |
| MeTV Toons | – | ✓ |
| MeatEater TV | ✓ | – |
| Military HISTORY | – | ✓ |
| MotorTrend | ✓ | – |
| MovieSphere | ✓ | – |
| Movies! | – | ✓ |
| NBA TV | ✓ | – |
| NBC | ✓ | – |
| NBC local channels | ✓ | – |
| News Nation | ✓ | – |
| Newsmax | ✓ | – |
| Nick Jr. | ✓ | – |
| Nickelodeon | ✓ | – |
| One America News | ✓ | – |
| Outdoor Channel | – | ✓ |
| Ovation | ✓ | – |
| Oxygen True Crime | ✓ | – |
| PBS | ✓ | – |
| PBS Kids | ✓ | – |
| PBS local channels | ✓ | – |
| Paramount Network | ✓ | – |
| PixL | – | ✓ |
| Poker GO | ✓ | – |
| Pursuit Channel | ✓ | – |
| QVC | ✓ | ✓ |
| QVC2 | ✓ | – |
| QVC3 | ✓ | – |
| REELZ | ✓ | ✓ |
| REVOLT | ✓ | – |
| RFD-TV | ✓ | – |
| RSNs | ✓ | – |
| Racing America | ✓ | – |
| Recipe.TV | – | ✓ |
| SYFY | ✓ | – |
| Scientology Network | ✓ | – |
| Scripps News | ✓ | – |
| Shop LC | ✓ | – |
| Somos Novelas | ✓ | – |
| SportsGrid | ✓ | – |
| Sportsman Channel | – | ✓ |
| Start TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| StoryTV | – | ✓ |
| SundanceTV | ✓ | – |
| TBS | ✓ | – |
| TCM | ✓ | – |
| TLC | ✓ | ✓ |
| TNA | ✓ | – |
| TNT | ✓ | – |
| TV Land | ✓ | – |
| TV One | ✓ | – |
| Tastemade Home | ✓ | – |
| Tastemade Travel | ✓ | – |
| TeenNick | ✓ | – |
| Telemundo local channels | ✓ | – |
| The First | ✓ | – |
| The History Channel | – | ✓ |
| The Weather Channel | – | ✓ |
| UPtv | – | ✓ |
| USA Network | ✓ | – |
| Univision | ✓ | – |
| Up TV | ✓ | – |
| VH1 | ✓ | – |
| VICE TV | – | ✓ |
| WE tv | ✓ | – |
| Waypoint TV | ✓ | – |
| Women’s Sports Network | ✓ | – |
| Yahoo! Finance | ✓ | – |
| theGrio | ✓ | – |
| truTV | ✓ | – |
Both services support most major devices. Here’s a breakdown based on the device apps each service lists.
| Device / Platform | DIRECTV | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Fire TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromecast | Not listed | ✓ |
| Roku | ✓ | ✓ |
| Samsung Smart TV | Not listed | ✓ |
| Samsung TV | ✓ | Not listed |
| Vizio | Not listed | ✓ |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
“Not listed” means the service doesn’t list an app for that device; it may still work via casting or a browser.
DIRECTV has 0.8 million subscribers compared to 0.7 million for Frndly TV. That makes DIRECTV 13% more popular by subscriber count.
Frndly TV starts at $8.99/month, while DIRECTV starts at $89.99/month. That’s $81.00 more per month for DIRECTV, or $972.00 more per year. DIRECTV costs more but carries more channels (80+ vs 43+), which may justify the difference depending on what you watch.
Before you pick either one, here is the drawback of each service, plainly stated.
DIRECTV is one of the priciest ways to stream live TV; you are paying for a cable-sized channel bundle even if you only watch a fraction of it.
Frndly TV is family and lifestyle channels only: no sports, no news networks, and no local stations.
Is Frndly TV cheaper than DIRECTV?
Yes. Frndly TV starts at $8.99/month, while DIRECTV starts at $89.99/month. That's a difference of $81.00/month, or $972.00 per year.
Do DIRECTV or Frndly TV offer a free trial?
DIRECTV offers a 5-day free trial. Frndly TV offers a 7-day free trial.
Are DIRECTV and Frndly TV the same company?
No. DIRECTV is owned by DirecTV, while Frndly TV is owned by Frndly TV. They are separate, competing subscriptions.
Is DIRECTV included with Frndly TV?
No. Neither service includes the other: a Frndly TV subscription does not give you DIRECTV content, and vice versa. You need a separate subscription for each.
Which has more channels, DIRECTV or Frndly TV?
DIRECTV carries 138 channels, while Frndly TV carries 54. 10 channels are available on both services.
What channels does DIRECTV have that Frndly TV doesn't?
DIRECTV has 128 channels not available on Frndly TV, including: ABC, ACC Digital Network, AccuWeather, Alien Nation, AMC, and more.
What channels does Frndly TV have that DIRECTV doesn't?
Frndly TV has 44 channels not available on DIRECTV, including: A&E, ASPiRE TV, BabyFirst, Bounce, BYUtv, and more.
Which has better DVR, DIRECTV or Frndly TV?
DIRECTV's base plan includes Unlimited of DVR storage. Frndly TV's base plan includes No DVR of DVR storage.
Can I cancel DIRECTV or Frndly TV anytime?
Yes. Both DIRECTV and Frndly TV are month-to-month subscriptions with no long-term contracts. You can cancel either service at any time.
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