DirecTV Stream and YouTube TV are some of the most in-demand streaming services in the market. Both have great channels to choose from and vary very little in their price range. So, when it comes to cord-cutting, how will you choose your pick?
That depends, mainly on the following factors: popularity, price, device availability, channel availability, specialties, and whether each service offers a trial or not.
That said, the main difference between DirecTV and Youtube TV is the quality of the picture, especially when using the DVR functionality. DVR recordings on Youtube TV will be downgraded in quality, but they will stay the same on DirecTV.
Below, we discuss all these and more to help you make the best choice.
Summary
| Comparaison | DirecTV Stream | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|
| In a nutshell | World-class image quality & channel lineup | A familiar interface |
| Price | $86.99/month | $82.99/month |
| Trial | 5 days | 7 days | Our rating | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Number of channels | 80 | 134 |
| Unlimited DVR | Yes | Yes |
| Parental controls | Yes | Yes |
| 4K | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Channel | No | Yes |
| ESPN | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN2 | Yes | Yes |
| Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | Yes | Yes |
| NBC | Yes | Yes |
| Paramount Network | Yes | No |
| RSNs | Yes | No |
| TNT | Yes | Yes |
Channels on DirecTV Stream and not YouTube TV
The channels that DirecTV Stream has and which are not available on YouTube TV:
- ACC Digital Network
- AccuWeather
- Alien Nation
- Anger Management
- Are We There Yet?
- Ax Men
- AXS TV
- Baby First
- BabyTV
- Big 12
- Bloomberg TV
- Bob Ross
- Boomerang
- C-SPAN
- C-SPAN2
- Cleo TV
- CNN en Espanol
- CNN International
- Comedy Dynamics
- Crime 360
- Daystar HD
- Declassified
- Duck Dynasty
- E! Entertainment
- EarthxTV
- Ebony TV
- El Rey Rebel
- ESPN Deportes
- ESPNU
- FMC
- Fox Business Network
- Fox News Channel
- FUEL TV
- Fuse Music
- HerSphere
- Home Shopping Network
- ion Television
- Jewelry Television
- MeatEater TV
- MovieSphere
- MTV2
- One America News
- Ovation
- Paramount Network
- Poker GO
- Pursuit Channel
- QVC2
- QVC3
- Racing America
- REELZ
- REVOLT
- RFD-TV
- RSNs
- Scientology Network
- Shop LC
- Somos Novelas
- SportsGrid
- SundanceTV
- Tastemade Home
- Tastemade Travel
- TCM
- TeenNick
- The First
- theGrio
- truTV
- TV One
- Up TV
- Women’s Sports Network
Channels on YouTube TV and not DirecTV Stream
The channels that YouTube TV has which are not available on DirecTV Stream:
- ABC News
- ACCN
- Adult Swim
- BBC World News
- BET Her
- Big Ten Network
- Bounce
- CBS Sports Network
- Charge!
- CNBC World
- Comedy TV
- Comet
- Cozi TV
- Dabl
- Disney
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- Docurama
- Dove Channel
- ESPN U
- Fox Sports 2 (FS2)
- FXM
- Game Show Network
- Get TV
- Golf Channel
- Hallmark Drama
- Justice Central TV
- LAFC Channel
- Law & Crime
- Live Now
- Local Now
- Localish
- MTV 2
- My TV
- Nat Geo Wild
- National Geographic
- NBC News Now
- NBC Universo
- NBCLX
- NBCSN
- NECN
- Neon
- Newsmax
- NFL Network
- Nickelodeon
- Nicktoons
- Orlando City Channel
- OWN
- PC Mag
- Pop
- Recipe.TV
- SEC Network
- Smithsonian Channel
- SNY
- Sundance TV
- TBD
- Teen Nick
- TeleHit
- Tennis 2
- The CW
- The Great Courses
- The Walking Dead Universe
- The Weather Channel
- Travel Channel
- Tru TV
- Turner Classic Movies
- TYT
- Unimas
- Unimas local channels
- Universal Kids
- Univision local channels
- YouTube Originals
- Zen channel
Popularity: YouTube TV is more popular than DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV has 8,500,000 subscribers whereas DirecTV Stream has 788,000 subscribers. This means that YouTube TV has 7,712,000 more subscribers than DirecTV Stream. That's a pretty big difference.
Price: YouTube TV is cheaper than DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV's costs $83 whereas DirecTV Stream costs $87. Getting DirecTV Stream instead of YouTube TV will set you back $4 more every month.
Why get DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream is a Live TV streaming platform with a twist: you can download the app on any of your existing devices, or if you choose, you can get a "Gemini Air" 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.
Why get YouTube TV?
Youtube TV boasts a wide offering of almost every major channel, unlimited DVR, six accounts, and up to three simultaneous streams. It's the perfect option for families. The cost is a little steep, and there are cheaper options out there, but with a great interface (Live TV services are not known to always have the most intuitive interfaces) and wide availability across devices, it's fair to say that you'll get your dollar's worth.
Devices: YouTube TV is more widely available than DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV is available on Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV Streamer, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Sharp, Vizio or Xbox.
Whereas DirecTV Stream is available on Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku or Samsung TV. That's 6 less devices than YouTube TV.
Channel count: YouTube TV has 54 channels more than DirecTV Stream
YouTube TV's lineup includes 134 channels whereas DirecTV Stream has only 80 channels. Getting a subscription to YouTube TV will give you access to 54 more channels than DirecTV Stream. That's quite a bit of channels.
Trial: DirecTV Stream offers a trial
DirecTV Stream has a trial. The trial duration is 5 days.
Find out more on DirecTV Stream
Trial: YouTube TV offers a trial
YouTube TV has a trial. The trial duration is 7 days.
DirecTV Stream's specialty
The specialties of DirecTV Stream are: Lifestyle, News, RSNs, Soccer, Sports.
YouTube TV's specialty
The specialties of YouTube TV are: Baseball, Lifestyle, News, RSNs, Science fiction, Soccer.
DirecTV Stream's accepted payment methods
DirecTV Stream accepts: Amazon Appstore, credit card, debit card, Paypal, Retailer gift card, Roku Channel Store.
YouTube TV's accepted payment methods
The payment methods that YouTube TV accepts are: credit card, debit card, Google Pay, Google Play Store, Paypal, Retailer gift card.
Channels on both YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream
The channels that are available on both YouTube TV and DirecTV Stream are:
- ABC
- AMC
- Animal Planet
- BBC America
- BET
- Bravo
- Cartoon Network
- CBS
- CBS local channels
- Cheddar News
- CMT
- CNBC
- CNN
- Comedy Central
- Court TV
- CW
- Discovery Channel
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPNews
- Food Network
- FOX
- FOX SOUL
- Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
- Fox Weather
- Freeform
- FX
- FXX
- Galavision
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Mystery
- HGTV
- HLN
- HSN
- IFC
- Investigation Discovery (ID)
- ION
- MotorTrend
- MSNBC
- MTV Classic
- NBA TV
- NBC
- NBC local channels
- News Nation
- Nick Jr.
- Oxygen True Crime
- PBS
- PBS Kids
- PBS local channels
- QVC
- Scripps News
- Start TV
- SYFY
- TBS
- Telemundo local channels
- TLC
- TNT
- TV Land
- Univision
- USA Network
- VH1
- WE tv
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.