Philo vs YouTube TV: which is better?

By almost all accounts, YouTube TV is a superior live TV streaming option to Philo. The former has more channels, local and sports ones at that, and it's user-friendly to anyone who's used YouTube in their lifetime. But it's also true that Philo is significantly cheaper, making it a great option not just for those looking to save a penny, but for those who want lean, filler-free channel lineups. Both YouTube TV and Philo have unlimited DVR storage and seven-day free trials, too, so don't kick Philo to the curb just yet. Below, we examine their similarities and differences to help you make the best possible cord-cutting choice.

Summary

Comparaison	Philo	YouTube TV
In a nutshell	Budget cord-cutting	A familiar interface
Price	$28/month	$72.99/month
Trial	7 days	7 days
Our rating	9/10	7/10
Number of channels	86	134
Unlimited DVR	Yes	Yes
Parental controls	No	Yes
4K	No	Yes
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	No
TNT	No	Yes

Channels on Philo and not YouTube TV

The channels that Philo has and which are not available on YouTube TV:

• A&E
• AccuWeather Network
• AMC Plus
• American Heroes Channel
• aspireTV
• AXS TV
• Baywatch
• BBC News
• Catchy Comedy
• Cleo TV
• Cook’s Country
• Cooking Channel
• Crackle
• Crime-Investigation
• Deck the Hallmark
• Destination America
• Discovery Channel
• Discovery Family
• Discovery Life
• FETV
• FYI
• GetTV
• Great American Family
• Great American Living
• Gusto TV
• Heroes & Icons
• History
• INSP
• KIN
• Law&Crime
• Lifetime
• LMN
• Logo
• Magnolia Network
• MeTV
• MeTV Toons
• Motor Trend
• MSG SportsZone
• MTV Live
• MTV2
• Oprah Winfrey Network
• Overtime
• Paramount Network
• Perform by LIFETIME
• PlayersTV
• pocket.watch
• Pop TV
• RetroCrush
• REVOLT
• Revry
• Ryan and Friends
• Scares by Shudder
• Science Channel
• Story Television
• TeenNick
• TV One
• UPtv
• Vevo 80s
• Vevo 90s
• Vevo Country
• Vevo Hip-Hop
• Vevo Holiday
• Vevo Pop
• Vice
• Xtreme Outdoor by HISTORY

Channels on YouTube TV and not Philo

The channels that YouTube TV has which are not available on Philo:

• ABC
• ABC News
• ACCN
• Adult Swim
• BBC World News
• Big Ten Network
• Bounce
• Bravo
• Cartoon Network
• CBS
• CBS local channels
• CBS Sports Network
• Charge!
• CNBC
• CNBC World
• CNN
• Comedy TV
• Comet
• Court TV
• Cozi TV
• Disney
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• Docurama
• Dove Channel
• E!
• ESPN
• ESPN U
• ESPN2
• ESPNews
• FOX
• Fox Business
• Fox News
• FOX SOUL
• Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
• Fox Sports 2 (FS2)
• Fox Weather
• Freeform
• FX
• FXM
• FXX
• Galavision
• Get TV
• Golf Channel
• HLN
• HSN
• ION
• Justice Central TV
• LAFC Channel
• Law & Crime
• Live Now
• Local Now
• Localish
• MotorTrend
• MSNBC
• MTV 2
• My TV
• Nat Geo Wild
• National Geographic
• NBA TV
• NBC
• NBC local channels
• NBC News Now
• NBC Universo
• NBCLX
• NBCSN
• NECN
• Neon
• News Nation
• Newsmax
• NFL Network
• Orlando City Channel
• OWN
• Oxygen
• Oxygen True Crime
• PBS
• PBS Kids
• PBS local channels
• PC Mag
• QVC
• Recipe.TV
• Scripps News
• SEC Network
• SNY
• SYFY
• TBD
• TBS
• Teen Nick
• TeleHit
• Telemundo local channels
• Tennis 2
• The CW
• The Great Courses
• The Walking Dead Universe
• The Weather Channel
• TNT
• Tru TV
• Turner Classic Movies
• TYT
• Unimas
• Unimas local channels
• Universal Kids
• Univision
• Univision local channels
• USA
• YouTube Originals

Popularity: YouTube TV is more popular than Philo

YouTube TV has 8,500,000 subscribers whereas Philo has 800,000 subscribers. This means that YouTube TV has 7,700,000 more subscribers than Philo. That's a pretty big difference.

Price: Philo is cheaper than YouTube TV

Philo's costs $28 whereas YouTube TV costs $73. Getting YouTube TV instead of Philo will set you back $45 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 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.

Go to YouTube TV

Devices: YouTube TV is more widely available than Philo

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 Philo is available on Amazon Fire TV, Android Phones, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, iPhone, LG Smart TV, Roku or Samsung TV. That's 2 less devices than YouTube TV.

Channel count: YouTube TV has 48 channels more than Philo

YouTube TV's lineup includes 134 channels whereas Philo has only 86 channels. Getting a subscription to YouTube TV will give you access to 48 more channels than Philo. That's quite a bit of channels.

Trial: Philo offers a trial

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

Find out more on Philo

Trial: YouTube TV offers a trial

YouTube TV has a trial. The trial duration is 7 days.

Find out more on YouTube TV

Philo's specialty

The specialties of Philo are: Lifestyle, News, True Crime.

YouTube TV's specialty

The specialties of YouTube TV are: Baseball, Lifestyle, News, RSNs, Science fiction, Soccer.

Philo's accepted payment methods

Philo accepts: Amazon Appstore, Apple Pay, Cash App, credit card, debit card, Google Pay, Paypal, prepaid card, Roku Channel Store, Roku Payment Method (RPM), Samsung Smart Hub, Vizio TV App 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 Philo

The channels that are available on both YouTube TV and Philo are:

• AMC
• Animal Planet
• BBC America
• BET
• BET Her
• Cheddar News
• CMT
• Comedy Central
• Dabl
• Food Network
• Game Show Network
• Hallmark Channel
• Hallmark Drama
• Hallmark Mystery
• HGTV
• IFC
• Investigation Discovery (ID)
• MTV
• MTV Classic
• Nick Jr.
• Nickelodeon
• Nicktoons
• Smithsonian Channel
• Start TV
• Sundance TV
• Tastemade
• TLC
• Travel Channel
• TV Land
• 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.