Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Army Wives, and many other popular TV shows have found home in the Lifetime channel.
You can watch Lifetime without cable on Fubo, Philo, Hulu, DirecTV Stream, Vidgo, Spectrum TV, Sling Orange, Sling, or Xfinity Choice.
Below, we count down the top options for how to watch Lifetime that cord-cutters use. We made this ranking based on each service's value: how many other channels each dollar of subscription will get you.
✔ Includes Lifetime
Xfinity Choice is a live TV service that's exclusive for Xfinity broadband users. You need to already have the Xfinity Flex device to be able to get to Xfinity Choice. If you're an Xfinity member but don't have the Flex device, you can order one for free on the Xfinity website.
At $18/month, it allows you to get local channels and some national ones, and you can add a "sports & news" package for $36.50, "entertainment" for $15, and "kids & family" for $10 ($79.5 total). There are other add-ons, such as EPIX, Showtime, Cinemax, and HBO at different prices. Exact pricing depends on where you are based.
If your viewing options are limited, it's a good option for the basic package that allows to cut the cord, or a cord, since you'll probably still have a broadband contract with Xfinity.
Price: $79.5 per month
Free Trial: 30 days
Device availability: Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Bravo, CNBC, Comedy Central, Discovery, Disney Channel, E!, ESPN2, ESPNews, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, FX, FXX, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies and Mysteries, HGTV, History, Lifetime, MSNBC, MTV, National Geographic channel, NBC, Nickelodeon, OWN, Regional Sports Networks, SYFY, Tennis Channel, TLC, TV One, Universal Kids, USA, VH1
✔ Includes Lifetime
Sling Orange is one of two plans from cord-cutting alternative Sling.
Channels that Sling Orange has and Sling Blue doesn't have include: Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Freeform, and MotorTrend. Sling Orange has mostly the advantage of channels owned by Disney.
Price: $35 per 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, 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
✔ Includes Lifetime
Sling is establishing itself as a viable cheap alternative to cable, with many local as well national channels available at as little as $35. Sling allows to manage packages, so for example if you don't watch a lot of sports you can remove that package and save a good amount of money. Getting Sling when you're trying to cut the cord is the closest thing to an "à la carte" service, you only pay for what you use.
Price: $50 per 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, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, CNN, Comedy Central, Comet, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, E!, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, FOX (select markets), Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Freeform, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Investigation Discovery (ID), Lifetime, Local Now, MotorTrend, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC (select markets), NBCSN, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Stadium, SYFY, TBS, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, USA, Vice
✔ Includes Lifetime
Sling Blue is a live-tv bundle from cord-cutting alternative Sling, which is owned by the telecom provider Dish. It has many of the top 20 most watched national TV channels in the U.S..
Price: $35 per 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, 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 (select markets), NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland
✔ Includes Lifetime
The "Hulu + Live TV" plan mixes Hulu's exclusive offering of Originals with around 60 TV channels (the channels available depend on where you live). If you already have Hulu, getting the Live TV addition is usually cheaper than subscribing to another Live TV service. And if when you want to cancel the Live TV plan, you can click "cancel" on Hulu which will give you the option to keep the On-Demand part while cancelling the Live TV.
Price: $64.99 per month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC News Live, ACC Network (ACCN), Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Big Ten Network (BTN), Bloomberg, Boomerang, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, CBSN, Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Cozi TV, CW, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN College Extra, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1 (FS1), Fox Sports 2 (FS2), Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Golf Channel, HGTV, History, HLN, Investigation Discovery (ID), Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network (LMN), MotorTrend, MSNBC, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NBC, NBCSN, Olympic Channel, Oxygen, Pop, QVC, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, TCM (Turner Classic Movies), Telemundo, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Universal Kids, USA, Vice, WGN America
✔ Includes Lifetime
DirecTV Stream is a Live TV streaming platform with a twist: you can download the app on any of your existing devices, or for a $120, you can get a box with a custom remote control for the service. But without the box, DirecTV Stream functions like a Netflix or Hulu, allowing you to stream Live TV from anywhere by downloading the app. Within your home, you can stream on up to 20 devices (!), and from outside your home you can stream on up to three devices.
Price: $59.99 per month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
Channel lineup: A&E, 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 Business Network, Fox News Channel, 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, SundanceTV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, Univision East, USA Network, VH1, Vice, WE tv
✔ Includes Lifetime
Vidgo is a Live TV streaming service that offers a good selection of channels, especially Sports, for a reasonable price that undercuts some competitors (mainly Hulu and Youtube). The interface is not great and the apps are not as reliable as other services, but if that's the kind of thing that doesn't usually bother you, or if you don't mind logging into individual network apps, it's a decent option. Oh, and if you're wondering about DvR? There is none, Vidgo only offers a 24-hour playback option, so you can only replay what aired the day before basically.
On the other hand, Vidgo allows simultaneous streams on up to three devices at once, and they have apps for Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Roku, and Apple TV.
Price: $55 per month
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ACC Network, American Heroes, Animal Planet, Aspire, AWE, Bein Sports, BET, Big Ten Network, Cheddar, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, CuriosityStream, Destination America, Discovery, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, DIY Network, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox Deportes, Fox News, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, GetTV, GSN, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, INSP, Investigation Discovery, Law & Crime, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Longhorn Network, MAV TV, MotorTrend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV2, Nat Geo Wild, National Geographic, NewsNation, NFL Network, NFL Redzone, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, OAN, OWN, Pac-12 national feed, Pac-12 regionals, Paramount Network, QVC, Science, SEC Network, Sony Movie Channel, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, UPtv
✔ Includes Lifetime
Fubo is a live TV and on-demand streaming service. The platform had it beginning as a soccer stream service, but it quickly became popular as a viable alternative to expensive cable subscriptions in the U.S, offering an attractive bundle of more than 100 live channels as well as an endless array of on-demand movies.
Price: $64.99 per 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 (in-market), AccuWeather, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, Bein Sports, Bein Sports 4, Bein sports 5, Bein Sports 6, Bein Sports 7, Bein Sports 8, Big Ten Network (BTN), 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 (FS1), Fox Sports 2 (FS2), Freeform, fubo Sports Network, FX, FXX, FYI, Galavision, GetTV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, IFC, Investigation Discovery (ID), Lifetime, Lifetime Movies (LMN), Local Now, MotorTrend, MSNBC, MTV, National Geographic, NBC, NBCLX, NBCSN, Newsmax, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Olympic Channel, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), Oxygen, Paramount Network, Pop, SEC Network (in-market), Smithsonian Channel, Sundance TV, 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
✔ Includes Lifetime
Spectrum TV Choice is an internet television service that is only available to Charter Spectrum internet customers. It costs $24.99 per month, the channels available to you will depend on your location, but usually you can choose 10 more channels to add to your plan. Please be careful that after 30 days, you might not be able to change the list of 10 channels you choose.
Designed as an alternative to cable subscriptions and on-demand streaming platforms, Spectrum TV Essentials offers a combination of major cable channels and on-demand content that can be streamed through smart TVs, digital media players, and mobile apps.
Spectrum TV is accessible via Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Chromecast, as well as via web browser (using Flash), desktop and mobile app including Android and iOS. As of December 2020, Spectrum TV is no longer available via Roku.
Price: $24.99 per month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: A&E, AMC, Animal Planet, Azteca América, BBC America, BBC World News, BeIN SPORTS Español, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Discovery en Español, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, El Rey Network, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Fox Business Network, Fox Deportes, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, FX, FX Movie Channel, FXX, Galavision, GSN, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, HLN, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, LMN, MSNBC, MTV, MTV2, National Geographic, NBC Sports Network, NFL Network, Nickelodeon, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, SYFY, TBS, TCM, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, TV Land, Unimas, Univision, Univisión Deportes, USA Network, VH1, WAPA América, WE tv
✔ Includes Lifetime
Philo is one of the most interesting ways to cut the cord out there: it offers over 60 channels for as little as $20. If you don't watch sports or a lot of local TV, but want access to everything else, it's the perfect Live TV option.
Price: $20 per month
Free Trial: 7 days
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Roku
Channel lineup: A&E, AccuWeather, AMC, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, aspireTV, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, Bloomberg Television, Cheddar, Cheddar News, Cleo TV, CMT, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Crackle, Crime-Investigation, Destination America, Discovery Channel, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, DIY Network, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Great American Country, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HGTV, History, IFC, INSP, Investigation Discovery, Law&Crime, Lifetime, LMN, Logo, MotorTrend, MTV, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTV2, Newsy, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, OWN, Paramount Network, PeopleTV, REVOLT, Revry, Science Channel, Sundance TV, Tastemade, TeenNick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TV One, UPtv, VH1, Vice, WE tv
The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors and ranked based on objective criteria (value per dollar spent). 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.