The Best Services to Get DVR Without Cable

cord-cutting • September 2, 2023 • Staff

While DVR doesn't usually come with on-demand streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, it's almost a staple in live TV streaming services, making the latter the perfect alternative to cable. Thanks to cloud DVR, you don't have to worry about missing live sports or replaying broadcast news when you cut the cord because the feature is already conveniently built into these platforms. 

In this guide, we've listed the best services to get DVR without cable. YouTube TV and Philo have unlimited hours of DVR storage, which makes them great choices if you're a heavy recorder. Sling and Hulu with Live TV are limited in that regard, but they do have a wider range of channels, plus they allow you to keep recordings for a reasonable amount of time.

Read more about these services to see how they stack up against each other in the list below.

Sling Orange

Sling Orange is for all cord-cutters who wish to save money, but it's especially for sports fans who watch ESPN channels as well as households that watch the Disney Channel.

Go to Sling Orange

Price: $40/month

Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Cox, iOS, LG TV, Mi Box, Roku, Samsung TV, TiVo, Vizio, Windows 10, Windows 11, Xbox, Xbox One

Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Charge!, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MotorTrend, Nick Jr., QVC, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Vice

Philo

If you already have other streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, Philo is the perfect option to get access to Live TV without spending too much money. At $25, it has an offer that beats much more expensive services. Plus, in terms of the channel lineup, it has a little bit for everyone, from news channels like BBC World News to the Discovery Channel, to Nickelodeon and Vice.

Go to Philo

Price: $25/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, iPhone, Roku, Samsung TV

Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather Network, AMC, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, aspireTV, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Catchy Comedy, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Crackle, Crime-Investigation, Deck the Hallmark, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, FETV, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Family, Great American Living, Gusto TV, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, IFC, INSP, Investigation Discovery, KIN, Law&Crime, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, Motor Trend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Oprah Winfrey Network, Paramount Network, PlayersTV, pocket.watch, Pop TV, RetroCrush, REVOLT, Revry, Ryan and Friends, Science Channel, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, Story Television, Sundance TV, Tastemade, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TV One, UPtv, VH1, Vice, WE tv

Sling Blue

Sling Blue has one of the best price-quality ratios for cord-cutters. For only $40, you get access to big networks like AMC, Bravo, TBS, National Geographic, and NBC. This package from sling makes the most sense for cord-cutters who don't watch ESPN or the Disney Channel, which are included in the "Sling Orange" offer.

Go to Sling Blue

Price: $40/month

Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Charge!, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Discovery Channel, E!, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MSNBC, National Geographic, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, USA, Vice

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DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream is the level-up Live TV streaming platform designed to substitute traditional cable and satellite services. With $69.99 a month, you can access live feeds of the most popular channels and with $120 a month, you get a box along with a custom remote for the service. Access at least 65 channels from its robust lineup that allows you to stream up to 20 devices from your home and up to 3 devices when you’re on the go. Plus, you get unlimited cloud DVR so you can watch your favorite shows whenever you want.

Go to DirecTV Stream

Price: $69.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV

Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, AMC, Animal Planet, AXS TV, Baby First TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Comedy Central, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Jr, Disney XD, E! Entertainment, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, FX, FXX, Galavision, Gem Shopping Network, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, HLN, Home Shopping Network, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, One America News, Ovation, Paramount Network, QVC, QVC2, ReelzChannel, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, SundanceTV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, Univision East, USA Network, VH1, Vice, WE tv

Hulu with Live TV

Hulu with Live TV is an obvious choice if you already have Hulu On-Demand, as you'll get to keep all your payment information and history, interact with a similar interface, and get a Live TV service without much effort.

Go to Hulu with Live TV

Price: $75/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, iPhone, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Vizio Smart TV, Xbox

Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, BET, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cozi TV, Crime+Investigation, CW, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN College Extra, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Golf Channel, Hallmark, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, HLN, ID, Justice Central TV, Lifetime, Lifetime Movies, Localish, Military History Chanel, Motor Trend, MSNBC, MTV, NASA, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NBC News Now, NBCLX, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, Pop, QVC, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, Telemundo, The Grio, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, TVLand, Universal Kids, USA, Vevo 80s, Vevo 90s, Vevo Country, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Holiday, Vevo Pop, VH1, Vice, Weather Channel

Fubo

With over 100 live TV channels, including ESPN and BeIN, Fubo TV is first and foremost for sports fans. But as it expands, it's including channels and movies that appeal to a wider audience.

Go to Fubo

Price: $74.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku

Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, AccuWeather, Animal Planet, Bein Sports, Bein Sports 4, Bein sports 5, Bein Sports 6, Bein Sports 7, Bein Sports 8, Big Ten Network, Bravo, CBS, CBS Sports Network, CBSN, Cheddar, CMT, CNBC, Comedy Central, Comet, Cozi TV, CW, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Estrella TV, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Freeform, fubo Sports Network, FX, FXX, FYI, Galavision, GetTV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Local Now, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, National Geographic, NBC, NBCLX, NBCSN, Newsmax, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Olympic Channel, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, Pop, RSNs, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, SYFY, Tastemade, Telemundo, The Weather Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, TUDN, TUDNxtra1, TUDNxtra10, TUDNxtra11, TUDNxtra2, TUDNxtra3, TUDNxtra4, TUDNxtra5, TUDNxtra6, TUDNxtra7, TUDNxtra8, TUDNxtra9, TV Land, TVG, Unimas, Universal Kids, Universo, Univision, USA, VH1, Vice, WE tv, WGN America

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YouTube TV

If you enjoy using the DVR option, Youtube TV is arguably the best option in the market for you: it gives you unlimited DVR storage on the Cloud (accessible from any of your devices), and it saves each of your recordings for 9 months. Also, you can share Youtube TV with up to six accounts, so if you have a big family, this is a much better option than getting a bunch of cheaper Live TV subscriptions. Youtube TV allows up to three accounts of the six to watch at the same time.

Go to YouTube TV

Price: $72.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Sharp, Vizio, Xbox

Channel lineup: ABC, ABC News, ACCN, Adult Swim, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Big Ten Network, Bounce, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Comet, Court TV, Cozi TV, Dabl, Discovery, Disney, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Docurama, Dove Channel, E!, ESPN, ESPN U, ESPN2, ESPNews, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News, FOX SOUL, Fox Weather, Freeform, FS 1, FS 2, FX, FXM, FXX, Galavision, Game Show Network, Get TV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, HLN, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, Justice Central TV, LAFC Channel, Law & Crime, Live Now, Local Now, Localish, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV 2, MTV Classic, My TV, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBA TV, NBC, NBC News Now, NBC Universo, NBCLX, NBCSN, NECN, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Orlando City Channel, OWN, Oxygen, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount, PBS, PBS Kids, PC Mag, Pop, QVC, Recipe.TV, Scripps News, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, SNY, Start TV, Sundance TV, SYFY, Tastemade, TBS, Teen Nick, TeleHit, The CW, The Great Courses, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, Tru TV, Turner Classic Movies, TV Land, TYT, Unimas, Universal Kids, Univision, USA, VH1, WE tv, YouTube Originals

NOW TV and Peacock Premium Bundle

If you're an Xfinity internet customer, you're eligible to sign up for the Now TV and Peacock Premium bundle, a hefty live TV and on-demand streaming package that gives you access to films and TV shows from Universal, NBC, Bravo, Hallmark, History, and AMC, as well as 24/7 coverage from live channels like BBC News, NBC News Now, the Food Network, Discovery, and IFC. The beauty of this bundle is that covers the essentials of traditional TV, namely news, entertainment, and sports (Peacock is home to a number of live sporting events), while also giving you all you need on the on-demand front. Even better? It only costs $20/month, Now TV's regular price, since Peacock Premium is added to the bundle completely free—no need to pay an additional $6/month, which is what the service would normally cost outside of this bundle. 

The Now TV and Peacock Premium Bundle also comes with 20 hours of cloud DVR, and you can stream it on three concurrent screens. Apart from a subscription to Xfinity, there are no other strict requirements when claiming this offer.

Go to NOW TV and Peacock Premium Bundle

Price: $20/month

Device availability: Amazon FireTV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Visio TV, Xbox, Xfinity Flex

Channel lineup: A&E, AFROTV, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BBC News, Comedy TV, Cooking, Crime-Investigation, Discovery, Discovery Life, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, Get TV, Great American Family, Great American Living, Hallmark, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies, HGTV, History, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Justice Central, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Magnolia Network, Military HISTORY, MotorTrend Network, NBC News Now, OWN, Pursuit, Recipe.TV, Science Channel, Sky News, Sony Movie, Sundance TV, The Weather Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, Vice, Weather Channel, WEtv, Xumo Action Movies, Xumo Black Cinema, Xumo Bollywood & Indian Cinema, Xumo Comedy Movies, Xumo Comedy TV, Xumo Crime TV, Xumo Documentaries, Xumo Drama and Action TV, Xumo Family Movies, Xumo Food TV, Xumo Game Show, Xumo Her Movies, Xumo Horror & Thriller, Xumo Kids TV, Xumo Movies, Xumo Reality TV, Xumo Sci-Fi & Fantasy Movies, Xumo Travel & Lifestyle TV, Xumo Westerns

LocalBTV

LocalBTV is a streaming service that delivers live feeds from local TV stations around the United States. Free of charge and offering cloud DVR with up to 1 TB of storage, it's an accessible resource for those looking to cut the cord without having to cut ties with their community. As of this writing, LocalBTV has yet to stream major news networks like ABC or CBS, but it is working toward that goal. It's set to set up a paid premium version that carries nationwide networks and doubles the number of available local stations. For now, it's still a handy live TV service that covers 52 areas in the US.

Go to LocalBTV

Price: free for 26 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV

Channel lineup: Ace, beIN ES, Bein Sports, BEKSports, CMC, CMC-USA, Cozi TV, Diya, France24, GetTV, ISciFi, Kpop, Local news channels, NewsNet, Nostalgia, NTD, Quili, QVC, RightNow, ShopLC, Sidewalks, Sportsnews, TCN, TCT, TeleXitos, The Country Network

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DirecTV Stream Ultimate

Over 140 channels, unlimited DVR and RSNs included - DirecTV Stream Ultimate is one of the most complete cord-cutting streaming bundles out there. Think of every sports network for example, ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, NHL Network, etc, you name it, you got it. You also get over 55,000 (15,000 more than the base Entertainment package, mainly from Starz Encore) of on-demand movies and shows included. Of course, there is a price tag that comes with all of this that will rival the most expensive cable packages: over $100 a month.

With this package DirecTV is saying: if you want cheap, go to Sling. This is not cheap, but it has everything a family could need from a TV package.

Go to DirecTV Stream Ultimate

Price: $109.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV

Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network, AccuWeather, AHC, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, Aspire, BBC News, Bein Sports, Bein Sports 4, Bein sports 5, Bein Sports 6, Bein Sports 7, Bein Sports 8, BET Her, BET Jams, BET Soul, BIG Network, Big Ten Network, Bounce, Bravo, CBS, CBS Sports Network, CBSN, Cheddar, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, Comedy Central, Comet, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, Curiosity Channel, CW, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, DUST, E!, ESPN, ESPN U, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Estrella TV, Fanduel TV, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Sports 2, Freeform, Fuse, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Galavision, Game Show Network, Get TV, GetTV, GINX Esports TV, Golf Channel, GRIT, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Heroes & Icons, HGTV, History, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime Movie Network, Local Now, Logo, Magnolia Network, MLB Network, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, MTVU, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBA TV, NBATV, NBC, NBCLX, NBCSN, Newsmax, Newsy, NFL Network, NHL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, NickMusic, Nicktoons, Olympic Channel, OWN, Oxygen, Oxygen True Crime, Pac-12 Network, Paramount Network, People TV, Pop, Pop TV, REVOLT, Revry, RSNs, Science Channel, SEC Network, Showtime FamilyZone, Smithsonian Channel, Sony Movie Channel, Sportsman Channel, Stadium, SYFY, Tastemade, TeenNick, Telemundo, Tennis Channel, The Weather Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TVG, Unimas, Universal Kids, Universo, Univision, UPtv, USA, VH1, Vice, WGN America, Zona Futbol

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More lists

Lists on how to save money by cutting the cord.
15 Cheapest Live TV Streaming Services for Cord-cutting
11 Best Services to Watch ESPN live Without Cable
30 Best Streaming Bundles in 2023
10 Best Live TV Services That Offer Free Trial
Philo Channels, Plans, and Costs 2022
Sling TV Channels List
YouTube TV Channel List
Hulu+ Live TV Channel List

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.

That's all from us for the The Best Services to Get DVR Without Cable!