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.
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:
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.
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.
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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.