Philo vs DirecTV Cable: Which is better?

Beyond their glaring $57 price gap, Philo and DirecTV have other differences that are worth discussing. We talk about the more notable ones below.

Advantages of Philo over DirecTV Cable: unbeatable price, flexibility, and free trial

Philo is so cheap, you could add up to five extra channel packs and it will still be more affordable than DirecTV Cable. Affordability is the number one draw of a budget live TV service like Philo, but it has other things going for it, too, like flexibility and trial options. Unlike DirecTV, which charges you a $20 termination fee if you cancel before their 2-year contract ends, Philo lets you cancel anytime with no extra fees. And if you're still on the fence about it, it offers a 7-day free trial that lets you test all of its features, including its 70+ channels, unlimited DVR storage, and simultaneous streams.

Advantages of DirecTV Cable over Philo: more premium channels, live sports, and local coverage

Now, with DirecTV's hefty price tag comes a lot of channels, many of which aren't available on Philo no matter how many channel packs you purchase. Unlike Philo, DirecTV airs local networks like ABC and FOX, sports channels like ESPN and FS1, and for an extra fee, it lets you add premium channels like Showtime and Starz. For a lot of people, DirecTV is more valuable for those reasons alone, but it also helps that DirecTV comes with a handy TV box that makes viewing and customizing feel like a breeze.

If you're on a budget, Philo is a worthwhile cable alternative, as long as you don't mind losing some key channels on the lineup. But if you can afford it, DirecTV is as comprehensive as it gets, though you do have to watch out for surcharges once the 2-year price lock is over.

Go to Philo

Go to DirecTV Cable

Summary

Comparaison	Philo	DirecTV Cable
Price	$28/month	$85/month
Trial	7 days	No
Our rating	8/10	7/10
Number of channels	88
Unlimited DVR	Yes	No
Disney Channel	No	Yes
ESPN	No	Yes
ESPN2	No	Yes
Fox Sports 1 (FS1)	No	Yes
History	Yes	No
Lifetime	Yes	No
NBC	No	Yes
Paramount Network	Yes	Yes
RSNs	No	Yes
TNT	No	Yes

Channels on Philo and not DirecTV Cable

The channels that Philo has and which are not available on DirecTV Cable:

A&E
AccuWeather Network
AMC Plus
American Heroes Channel
aspireTV
BBC World News
BET Her
Catchy Comedy
Cheddar News
Cooking Channel
Crackle
Crime-Investigation
Deck the Hallmark
Destination America
Discovery Channel
Discovery Family
Discovery Life
FYI
Game Show Network
GetTV
Great American Family
Great American Living
Gusto TV
Hallmark Family
Hallmark Mystery
Heroes & Icons
History
Investigation Discovery
KIN
Law&Crime
Lifetime
LMN
Logo
Magnolia Network
MeTV
MeTV Toons
Motor Trend
MTV Classic
MTV Live
Nick Jr.
Nicktoons
Oprah Winfrey Network
PlayersTV
pocket.watch
Pop TV
RetroCrush
Revry
Ryan and Friends
Science Channel
Smithsonian Channel
Start TV
Story Television
Sundance TV
Tastemade
Travel Channel
UPtv
Vevo 80s
Vevo 90s
Vevo Country
Vevo Hip-Hop
Vevo Holiday
Vevo Pop
Vice

Channels on DirecTV Cable and not Philo

The channels that DirecTV Cable has which are not available on Philo:

ABC
Antena 3
Aquí
BabyFirst TV
BabyTV
Bandamax
Bloomberg Television
Blossom
Boomerang
Bravo
BYUtv
C-SPAN
C-SPAN 2
Cartoon Network
CBS
CBS local channels
CNBC
CNN
CNN en Espanol
CNN International
CTN
Daystar
Daystar Español
DIRECTV 4K Live
DIRECTV 4K Live 2
DIRECTV News Mix
Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
E!
EarthX
Enlace
ESNE
ESPN
ESPN2
EWTN
Family Movie Channel
FOX
Fox Business Network
Fox News
Fox Sports 1
Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
Free Speech TV
Freeform
FS1
FX
FXX
Galavision
GEB America
GOD TV
Hallmark Movies and Mysteries
HITN
HLN
Hope
HSN
HSN2
ID
Impact Television Network
ION Television
JBS
Jewish Life Television
Living Faith Network
MavTV
MotorTrend
MSNBC
MUSIC CHOICE
NASA TV
National Geographic
NBC
Newsmax
NewsNation
NHK
NRBTV
ONCE MEXICO
Ovation
PBS
PBS Kids
PBS local channels
Pursuit Channel
QVC
QVC2
QVC3
REELZ
REVOLT TV
RFD-TV
RSNs
Scientology Network
Shop LC
ShopHQ
So Yummy!
SonLife Broadcasting
SundanceTV
SYFY
TBN
TBN Inspire
TBS
TCM
TCT
Telemundo local channels
The CW
The First
The Grio
The WORD Network
TNT
Univision
USA Network
Victory
World Harvest Television

Price: Philo is cheaper than DirecTV Cable

Philo's costs $28 whereas DirecTV Cable costs $85. Getting DirecTV Cable instead of Philo will set you back $57 more every month.

Why get Philo?

Nothing beats the price: $28 is really cheap, one of the cheapest ways out there to get Live TV. And the fact that you get unlimited DVR -if you care about that kind of stuff- on top of that is kind of crazy. Just as a comparison, Youtube TV offers unlimited DVR but it costs three times as much.

Go to Philo

Why get DirecTV Cable?

DirecTV's cable packages are some of the most comprehensive you'll find on the market. The cheapest plan, known as the Entertainment package, starts at $85/month and comes with 200 hours of HD DVR (unlimited on cloud). As for channels, some of the more notable ones include CNN, ESPN, The Food Network, TBS, The Disney Channel, and local networks where available. During your first three months, you'll also have access to premium channels like HBO and Showtime. DirecTV's other packages are Choice (which has RSNs), Ultimate (which has even more sports and entertainment), and Premier (which has everything plus premium channels). It may not be explicit about it, but DirecTV does have a 2-year contract, the early termination of which will cost you $20 for each of the remaining months. If this is a deal-breaker, you might want to consider DirecTV Stream, which is the provider's cordless and contractless alternative.

Go to DirecTV Cable

Devices: Philo is more widely available than DirecTV Cable

Philo is available on Airplay supported, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, iPhone, Roku or Samsung TV.

Whereas DirecTV Cable is available on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV, Roku TV, Samsung TV or Vizio. That's 4 less devices than Philo.

Trial: Philo offers a trial

Philo has a trial. The trial duration is 7 days.

Find out more on Philo

Trial: DirecTV Cable does not offer a trial

DirecTV Cable does not offer a free trial.

Find out more on DirecTV Cable

Channels on both DirecTV Cable and Philo

The channels that are available on both DirecTV Cable and Philo are:

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