Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Rated 7+ IMDb · 70%+ RT Little-known finds Curated by humans
Sling TV’s Sling Blue plan is almost the price of Philo, which makes deciding between the two very difficult. In this page, we hope to help you decide which one is for you.
| Feature | Sling TV BlueOur pick | Philo |
|---|---|---|
| Ideal for | Your local ABC station comes included in many markets | Budget cord-cutting |
| Base price | $50.99/mo | $25/mo |
| Channels | 39+ | 86+ |
| Free trial | None | 7 days |
| Subscribers | 2.3 million | 0.8 million |
| Try Sling TV Blue | Try Philo free for 7 days |
If you just want the lowest possible bill, here is exactly what each service’s cheapest plan gets you.
| Feature | Sling TV Blue Sling Blue | Philo Essential |
|---|---|---|
| Price / month | $50.99 | $25.00 |
| Streams at Home | 3 | 3 |
| Streams Outside Home | 3 | 3 |
| DVR Storage | 50 hours, more with DVR Plus | Unlimited |
| DVR Keeps For | No expiry for first 50 hours, 9 months for more | 12 months |
| Profiles | 4 | 10 |
| Max Quality | 1080p | 720p |
| 4K Support | ✓ Yes | – |
| Audio | Standard stereo | Standard stereo |
| Min. Speed | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps |
| Get Sling Blue → | Get Essential → |
| Sling TV Blue 4 plans | Philo 2 plans | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Sling Blue | Sling Blue with Extras | Sling Blue with Sports Extra | Sling Blue with Total TV Deal | Cheapest Essential | Bundle+ | |
| Price / month | $50.99 | $56.99 | $61.99 | $71.99 | $25.00 | $33.00 |
| Streams at Home | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Streams Outside Home | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| DVR Storage | 50 hours, more with DVR Plus | 50 hours, more with DVR Plus | 50 hours, more with DVR Plus | 50 hours, more with DVR Plus | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| DVR Keeps For | No expiry for first 50 hours, 9 months for more | No expiry for first 50 hours, 9 months for more | No expiry for first 50 hours, 9 months for more | No expiry for first 50 hours, 9 months for more | 12 months | 12 months |
| Profiles | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 10 |
| Max Quality | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 720p | 720p |
| 4K Support | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | – | – |
| Audio | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo | Standard stereo |
| Min. Speed | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps | 3 Mbps |
| Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | Get plan → | |
The base Sling plan that contains more news, reality, and drama channels
The original Philo plan without all the add-ons
16 channels are available on both services. Sling TV Blue has 30 exclusive channels not on Philo. Philo has 80 exclusive channels not on Sling TV Blue.
| Channel | Sling TV Blue | Philo |
|---|---|---|
| A&E | ✓ | ✓ |
| ABC (depending on zipcode) AMC | ✓ | – |
| AMC | – | ✓ |
| AMC Plus | – | ✓ |
| AXS TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| AccuWeather Network | – | ✓ |
| American Heroes Channel | – | ✓ |
| Animal Planet | – | ✓ |
| BBC America | ✓ | ✓ |
| BBC News | – | ✓ |
| BET | ✓ | ✓ |
| BET Her | – | ✓ |
| Baywatch | – | ✓ |
| Bloomberg Television | ✓ | – |
| Bravo | ✓ | – |
| CMT | – | ✓ |
| CNN | ✓ | – |
| Cartoon Network | ✓ | – |
| Catchy Comedy | – | ✓ |
| Charge! | ✓ | – |
| Cheddar News | – | ✓ |
| Cleo TV | – | ✓ |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comet | ✓ | – |
| Cooking Channel | – | ✓ |
| Cook’s Country | – | ✓ |
| Crackle | – | ✓ |
| Crime-Investigation | – | ✓ |
| Dabl | – | ✓ |
| Deck the Hallmark | – | ✓ |
| Destination America | – | ✓ |
| Discovery Channel | ✓ | ✓ |
| Discovery Family | – | ✓ |
| Discovery Life | – | ✓ |
| E! | ✓ | – |
| EPIX Drive-In | ✓ | – |
| FETV | – | ✓ |
| FOX | ✓ | – |
| FS1 4K | ✓ | – |
| FX | ✓ | – |
| FYI | – | ✓ |
| Food Network | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fox News Channel | ✓ | – |
| Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | ✓ | – |
| Fuse | ✓ | – |
| Game Show Network | – | ✓ |
| GetTV | – | ✓ |
| Great American Family | – | ✓ |
| Great American Living | – | ✓ |
| Gusto TV | – | ✓ |
| HGTV | ✓ | ✓ |
| HLN | ✓ | – |
| Hallmark Channel | – | ✓ |
| Hallmark Family | – | ✓ |
| Hallmark Mystery | – | ✓ |
| Heroes & Icons | – | ✓ |
| History | ✓ | ✓ |
| IFC | ✓ | ✓ |
| INSP | – | ✓ |
| Investigation Discovery (ID) | ✓ | ✓ |
| KIN | – | ✓ |
| LMN | – | ✓ |
| Law&Crime | – | ✓ |
| Lifetime | ✓ | ✓ |
| Local Now | ✓ | – |
| Logo | – | ✓ |
| MGM+ | ✓ | – |
| MSG SportsZone | – | ✓ |
| MSNBC | ✓ | – |
| MTV | – | ✓ |
| MTV Classic | – | ✓ |
| MTV Live | – | ✓ |
| MTV2 | – | ✓ |
| Magnolia Network | – | ✓ |
| MeTV | – | ✓ |
| MeTV Toons | – | ✓ |
| Motor Trend | – | ✓ |
| NBC | ✓ | – |
| NBC local channels | ✓ | – |
| NFL Network | ✓ | – |
| National Geographic | ✓ | – |
| Nick Jr. | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nickelodeon | – | ✓ |
| Nicktoons | – | ✓ |
| Oprah Winfrey Network | – | ✓ |
| Overtime | – | ✓ |
| Paramount Network | – | ✓ |
| Perform by LIFETIME | – | ✓ |
| PlayersTV | – | ✓ |
| Pop TV | – | ✓ |
| QVC | ✓ | – |
| REVOLT | – | ✓ |
| RetroCrush | – | ✓ |
| Revry | – | ✓ |
| Ryan and Friends | – | ✓ |
| SYFY | ✓ | – |
| Scares by Shudder | – | ✓ |
| Science Channel | – | ✓ |
| Sling Scapes | ✓ | – |
| Smithsonian Channel | – | ✓ |
| Start TV | – | ✓ |
| Story Television | – | ✓ |
| Sundance TV | – | ✓ |
| TBS | ✓ | – |
| TLC | ✓ | ✓ |
| TNT | ✓ | – |
| TV Land | – | ✓ |
| TV One | – | ✓ |
| Tastemade | – | ✓ |
| TeenNick | – | ✓ |
| Travel Channel | ✓ | ✓ |
| UPtv | – | ✓ |
| USA Network | ✓ | – |
| VH1 | – | ✓ |
| Vevo 80s | – | ✓ |
| Vevo 90s | – | ✓ |
| Vevo Country | – | ✓ |
| Vevo Hip-Hop | – | ✓ |
| Vevo Holiday | – | ✓ |
| Vevo Pop | – | ✓ |
| Vice | ✓ | ✓ |
| WE tv | – | ✓ |
| Xtreme Outdoor by History | – | ✓ |
| aspireTV | – | ✓ |
| pocket.watch | – | ✓ |
| truTV | ✓ | – |
Both services support most major devices. Here’s a breakdown based on the device apps each service lists.
| Device / Platform | Sling TV Blue | Philo |
|---|---|---|
| AirTV | ✓ | Not listed |
| Airplay | Not listed | ✓ |
| Amazon Fire TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromecast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google TV Streamer | ✓ | ✓ |
| LG Smart TV | Not listed | ✓ |
| LG TV | ✓ | Not listed |
| Roku | ✓ | ✓ |
| Samsung TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Xbox | ✓ | 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.
Sling TV Blue has 2.3 million subscribers compared to 0.8 million for Philo. That makes Sling TV Blue 191% more popular by subscriber count.
Philo starts at $25/month, while Sling TV Blue starts at $50.99/month. That’s $25.99 more per month for Sling TV Blue, or $311.88 more per year.
Before you pick either one, here is the drawback of each service, plainly stated.
Sling Blue skips the Disney and ESPN channels entirely; sports fans usually end up needing Orange or the combined plan.
Philo carries no sports, no news networks, and no local channels at all; that is exactly how it stays cheap.
Is Philo cheaper than Sling TV Blue?
Yes. Philo starts at $25/month, while Sling TV Blue starts at $50.99/month. That's a difference of $25.99/month, or $311.88 per year.
Do Sling TV Blue or Philo offer a free trial?
Sling TV Blue does not currently offer a free trial. Philo offers a 7-day free trial.
Are Sling TV Blue and Philo the same company?
No. Sling TV Blue is owned by DISH (EchoStar), while Philo is owned by Philo. They are separate, competing subscriptions.
Is Sling TV Blue included with Philo?
No. Neither service includes the other: a Philo subscription does not give you Sling TV Blue content, and vice versa. You need a separate subscription for each.
Which has more channels, Sling TV Blue or Philo?
Philo carries 96 channels, while Sling TV Blue carries 46. 16 channels are available on both services.
What channels does Sling TV Blue have that Philo doesn't?
Sling TV Blue has 30 channels not available on Philo, including: ABC (depending on zipcode) AMC, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Charge!, and more.
What channels does Philo have that Sling TV Blue doesn't?
Philo has 80 channels not available on Sling TV Blue, including: AccuWeather Network, AMC, AMC Plus, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, and more.
Which has better DVR, Sling TV Blue or Philo?
Sling TV Blue's base plan includes 50 hours, more with DVR Plus of DVR storage. Philo's base plan includes Unlimited of DVR storage.
Can I cancel Sling TV Blue or Philo anytime?
Yes. Both Sling TV Blue and Philo are month-to-month subscriptions with no long-term contracts. You can cancel either service at any time.
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