Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Philo and Frndly TV represent two of the cheapest live TV streaming services out there. But how do you choose between them? They both have their perks. Philo has a great selection of channels, while Frndly TV is super affordbale. In the end, it all comes down to your preferences.
Below we talk about who each service is for. Then we talk about their differences based on: popularity, price, device availability, channel count, which channels each one has, specialties, and whether they offer a trial. Basically, everything you need to know to make a choice.
| Feature | PhiloOur pick | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | Budget cord-cutting | Family-oriented streaming |
| Base price | $25/mo | $8.99/mo |
| Channels | 86+ | 43+ |
| Free trial | 7 days | 7 days |
| Subscribers | 0.8 million | 0.7 million |
| Try Philo free for 7 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 | Philo Essential | Frndly TV Basic plan |
|---|---|---|
| Price / month | $25.00 | $8.99 |
| Annual Price | – | $83.88 |
| Streams at Home | 3 | 1 |
| Streams Outside Home | 3 | 1 |
| DVR Storage | Unlimited | No DVR |
| DVR Keeps For | 12 months | – |
| Profiles | 10 | 1 |
| Max Quality | 720p | 480p |
| Audio | Standard stereo | Standard stereo |
| Min. Speed | 3 Mbps | 5 Mbps |
| Get Essential → | Get Basic plan → |
| 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 breakdown based on the device apps each service lists.
| Device / Platform | Philo | Frndly TV |
|---|---|---|
| Airplay | ✓ | Not listed |
| Amazon Fire TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromecast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google TV Streamer | ✓ | Not listed |
| LG Smart TV | ✓ | Not listed |
| Roku | ✓ | ✓ |
| Samsung Smart TV | Not listed | ✓ |
| Samsung TV | ✓ | Not listed |
| Vizio | Not listed | ✓ |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| iPhone | ✓ | Not listed |
“Not listed” means the service doesn’t list an app for that device; it may still work via casting or a browser.
Philo has 0.8 million subscribers compared to 0.7 million 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.
Before you pick either one, here is the drawback of each service, plainly stated.
Philo carries no sports, no news networks, and no local channels at all; that is exactly how it stays cheap.
Frndly TV is family and lifestyle channels only: no sports, no news networks, and no local stations.
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.
Are Philo and Frndly TV the same company?
No. Philo is owned by Philo, while Frndly TV is owned by Frndly TV. They are separate, competing subscriptions.
Is Philo included with Frndly TV?
No. Neither service includes the other: a Frndly TV subscription does not give you Philo content, and vice versa. You need a separate subscription for each.
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.
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