40 Best Cable Alternatives on Roku for Cord-Cutting

cord-cutting • November 6, 2023 • Staff

Roku was originally a project within Netflix called "Project:Griffin" but it spun off into its own company. Now, it's often hailed as the best streaming player for TVs, offering a complete, fast, and reliable experience. It's a great choice of a device for cord-cutters. 

Almost every major live TV streaming app is available on Roku: Philo, Sling, Fubo, Frndly TV, Pluto TV, Xumo, Hulu with Live TV, and DirecTV Stream. These are all great cable alternatives, but from this list, you can find which one works best for you.

YouTube TV Entertainment Plus (Live TV + Max, Showtime, and Starz)

With YouTube TV's entertainment bundle, you get three premium services for the discounted price of $30—that's $5 off compared to getting Max (without ads), Showtime, and Starz separately. It may seem pricey, especially since you'll be paying it on top of YouTube TV's already costly subscription, but it could be worth it if you're looking to get a first-rate entertainment package. 

Max alone gives you access to HBO's critically-acclaimed shows, Warner Bros.'s past and present blockbusters, and Discovery's many wildlife features. But coupled with Showtime and Starz, you get prestige dramas, trendy comedies, and insightful documentaries on top of all that, not to mention YouTube TV's unrivaled DVR storage feature and lengthy live channel list. It's a bundle tailor-fit for TV and film enthusiasts.

Go to YouTube TV Entertainment Plus (Live TV + Max, Showtime, and Starz)

Price: $102.98/month

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

Channel lineup:

STIRR

Stirr is an American ad-supported streaming service owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. It was launched in 2019. Not only is it free, but it provides access to live local news, 120+ TV shows, and 8,000+ hours of on-demand movies. This service is for viewers who don’t want to commit to a cable fee and don’t mind intermittent ads when watching their favorite movies and shows.

Go to STIRR

Price: free for 1 channels available

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung, Sony, Vizio, Website

Channel lineup:

Spectrum TV Choice

If you’re a Spectrum internet customer, Spectrum offers a unique deal with its TV Choice package, now with ESPN back after the dispute has been resolved. You take your pick of 15 must-haves from a list of 65 channels, completely customizing your own mini live TV lineup. It’s $30 a month with no cable box and no annual contract, so if you have very streamlined TV interests, it’s a cost-effective move.

Go to Spectrum TV Choice

Price: Varies depending on your location and account history.

Sling TV + All Extras

With Sling TV's Total TV Deal, you get all seven of the service's add-on packages, namely all the channels in its Comedy, Hollywood, Heartland, Kids, Lifestyle, News, and Sports extras. You'll also be getting the DVR plus, which gives you access to 200 more hours of storage. Getting all extras plus DVR storage normally cost about $45, so this bundle from Sling is actually quite the steal.

Go to Sling TV + All Extras

Price: $21/month

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

Channel lineup:

Channel lineup with Sling Blue ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland

Channel lineup with Sling Orange ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Newsy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, Viceland

Sling TV + 4 Extras

Sling TV's 4 Extras bundle deal gives you access to the service's Kids, News, Lifestyle, and Comedy channels on top of your base Sling subscription. These four extras are among the service's most popular, and while each normally costs about $5 each as an add-on, you'll only be paying $13 for all additional 35 channels through this deal. The new channels include the likes of NickToons, BBC World News, MTV, and TV Land.

Go to Sling TV + 4 Extras

Price: $13/month

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

Channel lineup:

Channel lineup with Sling Blue ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland

Channel lineup with Sling Orange ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Newsy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, Viceland

Redbox

No longer just a physical DVD kiosk, Redbox has expanded to become an online space where you can rent and purchase films and TV shows as well as watch live channels for free. Like Vudu and Amazon Prime, Redbox gives you access to a plethora of movies, including fan favorites and indie gems (these can cost anywhere from $2 to $5) and movies currently screening in cinemas (these usually cost more, around $20). Redbox also has a live TV streaming feature that you can access even without a registered account. Although most of the channels are not that notable, they cover the essential categories: news, sports, and entertainment.

Go to Redbox

Price: free for 18 channels available

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG, LG Smart TV, LG TV, Roku, Samsung, Vizio, Vizio TV, Xbox

Channel lineup: America's Test Kitchen, beIN Sports Extra, Billiard TV, Bloomberg, CBC News, Cheddar, Family Feud TV, Glory Kickboxing, Hard Knocks, Johnny Carson TV, Now This News, Outdoor America, Pac-12 Insider, Scripps News, Unsolved Mysteries, USA Today, Vogue TV, World Poker Tour

Peacock Premium Plus

Peacock Premium Plus is the highest streaming tier Peacock offers, but it's still one of the cheapest packages you'll find right now. For just $12/month, you get access to a vast selection of TV shows (many from NBC and Bravo), movies, live channels, and of course, sports. 

Premium Plus subscribers also get offline downloads, ad-free viewing, and access to their local NBC channel. 

Go to Peacock Premium Plus

Price: $11.99/month

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Visio TV, Xbox

Channel lineup: 80’s Mixtape, American Greed, Caso Cerrado, CNBC Ka-Ching, CNBC Make It, D&D Live, Fail Army, Fallon Tonight, Food52, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, Hell’s Kitchen, In It To Win It, Kiss Me Deadly, Laugh Here, NatureVision TV, NBC local channels, NBC News Now, NBC Sports on Peacock, Office Shorts, Olympic Channel, Out of This World, Peacock Reality, People Are Awesome, Saved by the Bell, Seth Meyers Now, Sky News, SNL Vault, Telemundo Series, The Choice, The Pet Collective, The Rotten Tomatoes Channel, TODAY All Day, True Crime, Unsolved Mysteries, USGA, Weather Spy, WWE Network

Peacock Premium

Despite its wobbly start in the streaming sphere, Peacock now has a growing and respectable catalog of titles to its name. It's home to critically acclaimed shows like Poker Face and movies like Tar, not to mention a whole host of reality shows and sports events. But perhaps the greatest edge Peacock has over its competitors is that along with its on-demand content, it also features a solid lineup of live TV channels, many of them for free.

Peacock's premium tier, often referred to as Peacock Premium, has channels like Hallmark, Fallon Tonight, SNL Vault, NBC News, Premier League TV, WWE, Dateline 24/7, and Below Deck. 

Go to Peacock Premium

Price: $5.99/month

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Visio TV, Xbox

Channel lineup: 80’s Mixtape, American Greed, Caso Cerrado, CNBC Ka-Ching, CNBC Make It, D&D Live, Fail Army, Fallon Tonight, Food52, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, Hell’s Kitchen, In It To Win It, Kiss Me Deadly, Laugh Here, NatureVision TV, NBC News Now, NBC Sports on Peacock, Office Shorts, Olympic Channel, Out of This World, Peacock Reality, People Are Awesome, Saved by the Bell, Seth Meyers Now, Sky News, SNL Vault, Telemundo Series, The Choice, The Pet Collective, The Rotten Tomatoes Channel, TODAY All Day, True Crime, Unsolved Mysteries, USGA, Weather Spy, WWE Network

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

NFL+

NFL+ is the league's official streaming service that gives you access to live and local regular season and postseason games, on-demand programs, and even tools for your next fantasy football game. As of 2023, NFL+ also offers the NFL Network and NFL Redzone channels in its plans, making it a solid option for true-blue football fans hoping to finally cut the cord.

A regular subscription costs $6.99/month and includes everything in the above, except for NFL Redzone and replays of full games, highlights, and all-22 coaches films, which are only available in NFL+'s premium subscription, priced at $14.99/month. Both plans offer free trials and are available on most major streaming devices, with the exception of live local and primetime regular season and postseason games, which can only be viewed on phones and tables. 

Go to NFL+

Price: $6.99/month

Free Trial: 7 days

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

Channel lineup: NFL Network, NFL Redzone

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Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 12 cheapest Live TV streaming services for cord-cutting.

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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.