Frndly, Now TV, and Philo, in that order, are some of the most affordable live TV services on the market right now. But how do they stack up against each other? It depends on what you’re looking for. In terms of content, Philo and Now aren’t all that different, except Now, despite being cheaper, has Peacock Premium built-in in the package. Meanwhile, the lower-priced Frndly may have fewer channels than the two, but it is the only one with The Curiosity Channel and Dove if you’re after more wholesome content. In terms of accessibility, Now TV may be harder to get since it is exclusive to Xfinity internet users. Its DVR storage is also limited to 20 hours, whereas Philo and Frndly are unlimited. You can read our comprehensive guide below to further compare all three of these services and see which is the best fit for you.
| Feature | Philo | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Budget cord-cutting | Family-oriented streaming |
| Base price | $25/mo | $8.99/mo |
| Channels | 86+ | 43+ |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days |
| Subscribers | 800,000 | 700,000 |
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Try Philo — 7 days free | Try Frndly TV — 7 days free |
| Philo 2 plans | Frndly TV 3 plans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Essential | Bundle+ | Cheapest Basic plan | Classic plan | Premium plan | |
| Price / month | $25.00 | $33.00 | $8.99 | $10.99 | $12.99 |
| Annual Price | — | — | $83.88 | $95.88 | $119.88 |
| Streams at Home | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Streams Outside Home | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| DVR Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited | No DVR | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| DVR Keeps For | 12 months | 12 months | — | 3 months | 9 months |
| Profiles | 10 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Max Quality | 720p | 720p | 480p | 720p | 720p |
| Audio | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo |
| Min. Speed | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 5 Mbps | 10 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
| Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | |
The original Philo plan without all the add-ons
21 channels are available on both services. Philo has 75 exclusive channels not on Frndly TV. Frndly TV has 33 exclusive channels not on Philo.
| Channel | Philo | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| A&E | ✓ | ✓ |
| AMC | ✓ | — |
| AMC Plus | ✓ | — |
| ASPiRE TV | — | ✓ |
| AXS TV | ✓ | — |
| AccuWeather Network | ✓ | — |
| American Heroes Channel | ✓ | — |
| Animal Planet | ✓ | — |
| BBC America | ✓ | — |
| BBC News | ✓ | — |
| BET | ✓ | — |
| BET Her | ✓ | — |
| BYUtv | — | ✓ |
| BabyFirst | — | ✓ |
| Baywatch | ✓ | — |
| Bounce | — | ✓ |
| CMT | ✓ | — |
| Catchy Comedy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cheddar News | ✓ | — |
| Circle | — | ✓ |
| Cleo TV | ✓ | — |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | — |
| Cooking Channel | ✓ | — |
| Cook’s Country | ✓ | — |
| Court TV | — | ✓ |
| Cowboy Way Channel | — | ✓ |
| Crackle | ✓ | — |
| Crime-Investigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dabl | ✓ | ✓ |
| Deck the Hallmark | ✓ | — |
| Destination America | ✓ | — |
| Discovery Channel | ✓ | — |
| Discovery Family | ✓ | — |
| Discovery Life | ✓ | — |
| Dove Channel | — | ✓ |
| Dove Family Movies | — | ✓ |
| Dove Kids | — | ✓ |
| FETV | ✓ | ✓ |
| FMC | — | ✓ |
| FYI | ✓ | ✓ |
| Food Network | ✓ | — |
| GRIT | — | ✓ |
| Game Show Network | ✓ | ✓ |
| GetTV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Great American Family | ✓ | ✓ |
| Great American Living | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gusto TV | ✓ | — |
| HGTV | ✓ | — |
| Hallmark Channel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hallmark Family | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hallmark Movies Now | — | ✓ |
| Hallmark Mystery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Heartland TV | — | ✓ |
| Heroes & Icons | ✓ | ✓ |
| History | ✓ | — |
| Holiday Scapes | — | ✓ |
| IFC | ✓ | — |
| INSP | ✓ | ✓ |
| ION | — | ✓ |
| ION Mystery | — | ✓ |
| Investigation Discovery (ID) | ✓ | — |
| JusticeCentral.TV | — | ✓ |
| KIN | ✓ | — |
| LMN | ✓ | — |
| Laff | — | ✓ |
| Law&Crime | ✓ | — |
| Lifetime | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lifetime Movie Network | — | ✓ |
| Local Now | — | ✓ |
| Logo | ✓ | — |
| MSG SportsZone | ✓ | — |
| MTV | ✓ | — |
| MTV Classic | ✓ | — |
| MTV Live | ✓ | — |
| MTV2 | ✓ | — |
| Magnolia Network | ✓ | — |
| MeTV | ✓ | ✓ |
| MeTV Toons | ✓ | ✓ |
| Military HISTORY | — | ✓ |
| Motor Trend | ✓ | — |
| Movies! | — | ✓ |
| Nick Jr. | ✓ | — |
| Nickelodeon | ✓ | — |
| Nicktoons | ✓ | — |
| Oprah Winfrey Network | ✓ | — |
| Outdoor Channel | — | ✓ |
| Overtime | ✓ | — |
| Paramount Network | ✓ | — |
| Perform by LIFETIME | ✓ | — |
| PixL | — | ✓ |
| PlayersTV | ✓ | — |
| Pop TV | ✓ | — |
| QVC | — | ✓ |
| REELZ | — | ✓ |
| REVOLT | ✓ | — |
| Recipe.TV | — | ✓ |
| RetroCrush | ✓ | — |
| Revry | ✓ | — |
| Ryan and Friends | ✓ | — |
| Scares by Shudder | ✓ | — |
| Science Channel | ✓ | — |
| Smithsonian Channel | ✓ | — |
| Sportsman Channel | — | ✓ |
| Start TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Story Television | ✓ | — |
| StoryTV | — | ✓ |
| Sundance TV | ✓ | — |
| TLC | ✓ | ✓ |
| TV Land | ✓ | — |
| TV One | ✓ | — |
| Tastemade | ✓ | — |
| TeenNick | ✓ | — |
| The History Channel | — | ✓ |
| The Weather Channel | — | ✓ |
| Travel Channel | ✓ | — |
| UPtv | ✓ | ✓ |
| VH1 | ✓ | — |
| VICE TV | — | ✓ |
| Vevo 80s | ✓ | — |
| Vevo 90s | ✓ | — |
| Vevo Country | ✓ | — |
| Vevo Hip-Hop | ✓ | — |
| Vevo Holiday | ✓ | — |
| Vevo Pop | ✓ | — |
| Vice | ✓ | — |
| WE tv | ✓ | — |
| Xtreme Outdoor by History | ✓ | — |
| aspireTV | ✓ | — |
| pocket.watch | ✓ | — |
Both services support most major devices. Here’s a full breakdown of where you can watch each one.
| Device / Platform | Philo | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Fire TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromecast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google TV Streamer | ✓ | — |
| LG Smart TV | ✓ | — |
| Roku | ✓ | ✓ |
| Samsung Smart TV | — | ✓ |
| Samsung TV | ✓ | — |
| Vizio | — | ✓ |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| iPhone | ✓ | — |
Philo has 800,000M subscribers compared to 700,000M for Frndly TV. That makes Philo 14% more popular by subscriber count.
Frndly TV starts at $8.99/month, while Philo starts at $25/month. That’s $16.01 more per month for Philo, or $192.12 more per year. Philo costs more but carries more channels (86+ vs 43+), which may justify the difference depending on what you watch.
Is Frndly TV cheaper than Philo?
Yes. Frndly TV starts at $8.99/month, while Philo starts at $25/month. That's a difference of $16.01/month, or $192.12 per year.
Do Philo or Frndly TV offer a free trial?
Philo offers a 7-day free trial. Frndly TV offers a 7-day free trial.
Which has more channels, Philo or Frndly TV?
Philo carries 96 channels, while Frndly TV carries 54. 21 channels are available on both services.
What channels does Philo have that Frndly TV doesn't?
Philo has 75 channels not available on Frndly TV, including: AccuWeather Network, AMC, AMC Plus, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, and more.
What channels does Frndly TV have that Philo doesn't?
Frndly TV has 33 channels not available on Philo, including: ASPiRE TV, BabyFirst, Bounce, BYUtv, Circle, and more.
Which has better DVR, Philo or Frndly TV?
Philo's base plan includes Unlimited of DVR storage. Frndly TV's base plan includes No DVR of DVR storage.
Can I cancel Philo or Frndly TV anytime?
Yes. Both Philo and Frndly TV are month-to-month subscriptions with no long-term contracts. You can cancel either service at any time.
Nothing beats the price: $25 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.
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