If you're the type of person who's always looking for something new to learn, you'll know how valuable PBS can be. The public channel has local stations all over the country and broadcasts educational (and often entertaining!) shows with topics ranging from art, history, science, nature, and music. A lot of people watch the channel via an antenna, but PBS is actually just as easy to watch if you're on a budget or want to cut the cord. For the former, we recommend taking a look at the standalone PBS app, which gives you access to your local station's live stream for free. For the latter, live TV streaming services are a great way to watch your favorite PBS shows along with a couple of other channels. You can read more about them in the list below.
6 Best Services to watch PBS Live Without Cable
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Includes local channels and most major national networks. No commitment, cancel anytime.
Channels: PBS, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, RSNs, and most major channels.
Price: $86.99/month
Free trial: 5 days
Devices: Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Smart TVs and web browsers
Go to DirecTV Stream |
Named the "best all-around streaming service for cord-cutters" by Rolling Stone, DirecTV Stream tries to be all the good things about cable without any of the hassle. It has a big selection of channels, possibly the best stream quality in the market, and great DVR capability. For example, unlike with competitor Youtube TV, your DVR recordings on DirecTV will be the same quality as the live stream (often in 4K). The service also comes with a decent monthly price tag, and Netflix-style practicality that allows 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: $86.99/month
Free Trial: 5 days
Channel lineup: ABC, ACC Network, AccuWeather, Alien Nation, AMC, Anger Management, Animal Planet, Are We There Yet?, AXS TV, BABY FIRST, BabyTV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Boomerang, Bravo, C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, Cleo TV, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNNi, Comedy Central, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Crime 360, CW, Daystar HD, Discovery, Duck Dynasty, E! Entertainment, EarthxTV, Ebony TV, El Rey Rebel, ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, FMC, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business Network, Fox News Channel, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Weather, Freeform, FUEL TV, Fuse Music, FX, Galavision, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Mystery, HerSphere, HGTV, HLN, Home Shopping Network, HSN, IFC, Investigation Discovery, ION, ION Television, Jewelry Television, MotorTrend, MovieSphere, MSNBC, MTV Classic, MTV2, NBA TV, NBC, NBC local channels, News Nation, Nick Jr., One America News, Ovation, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, PBS, PBS Kids, PBS local channels, Poker GO, Pursuit Channel, QVC, QVC2, QVC3, Racing America, REELZ, REVOLT, RFD-TV, RSNs, Scientology Network, Scripps Sports, Shop LC, Somos Novelas, Spectrum SportsNet, SportsGrid, Start TV, SundanceTV, SYFY, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, TBS, TCM, TeenNick, Telemundo local channels, The First, theGrio, TLC, TNT, truTV, TV Land, TV One, Univision, Up TV, USA Network, VH1, WE tv, Women’s Sports Network
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung TV
In 2020, Hulu updated their interface to a much neater version, allowing for one of the easiest and most intuitive Live navigation systems around.
Price: $82.99/month
Free Trial: 3 days
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC, ABC Localish, ABC News Live, ACC Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, BET, Big Ten Network, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CBS, CBS local channels, CBS News, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNN, CNN International, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Cozi TV, CW, Dabl, Discovery Channel, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN College Extra, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News Channel, Fox Sports 1, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXM, FXX, FYI, Golf Channel, Hallmark, Hallmark Mystery, 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 local channels, NBC News Now, NBCLX, News Nation, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, OWN, Oxygen, Paramount Network, PBS, PBS local channels, Pop, QVC, RSNs, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, Spectrum SportsNet, Start TV, SYFY, TBS, TCM, Telemundo, The Grio, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, TVLand, Universal Kids, USA Network, VH1, Vice, Weather Channel
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google TV Streamer, iOS, iPhone, LG TV, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Vizio Smart TV, Xbox
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.
Price: $72.99/month
Free Trial: 7 days
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 local channels, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar, Cheddar News, CMT, CNBC, CNBC World, CNN, Comedy Central, Comedy TV, Comet, Court TV, Cozi TV, Dabl, Discovery, Disney, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Docurama, Dove Channel, E!, ESPN, ESPN U, ESPN2, ESPNews, Food Network, FOX, Fox Business, Fox News, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Weather, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, Galavision, Game Show Network, Get TV, Golf Channel, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Family, Hallmark Mystery, 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 local channels, 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, PBS local channels, PC Mag, Pop, popular option, QVC, Recipe.TV, RSNs, Scripps News, Scripps Sports, SEC Network, Smithsonian Channel, SNY, Start TV, Sundance TV, SYFY, Tastemade, TBS, TCM, Teen Nick, TeleHit, Telemundo local channels, The CW, The Great Courses, The Weather Channel, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, Tru TV, Turner Classic Movies, TV Land, TYT, Unimas, Unimas local channels, Universal Kids, Univision, Univision local channels, USA, VH1, WE tv
Device availability: Airplay supported, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV Streamer, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Shareplay supported, Sharp, Vizio, Xbox
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.
Price: $129.99/month
Free Trial: 5 days
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 local channels, 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 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 Family, Hallmark Mystery, HBO, 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, NBC local channels, 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, PBS, PBS local channels, People TV, Pop, Pop TV, Pursuit Channel, REVOLT, Revry, RSNs, Science Channel, Scripps Sports, SEC Network, Showtime, Showtime FamilyZone, Smithsonian Channel, Sony Movie Channel, Spectrum SportsNet, Sportsman Channel, Stadium, Starz, SYFY, Tastemade, TeenNick, Telemundo, Telemundo local channels, Tennis Channel, The Weather Channel, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, TVG, Unimas, Universal Kids, Universo, Univision, UPtv, USA, VH1, Vice, WGN America, Zona Futbol
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV
PBS channels around the country are free on television, and thanks to the PBS app, they're now free to stream as well. The PBS app gives you on-demand access to many of the network's famously educational shows, including Nova and PBS News Hour, as well as the nearest local station in your area. You don't need an account to start watching on the PBS app, although you might have to activate it beforehand. Again, PBS is free, but if you want to support your local PBS station and gain extended access to even more films and TV shows, then you can purchase a PBS Passport membership, which costs around $5/month or $60/year.
Price: free for 2 channels available
Channel lineup: PBS, PBS local channels
Device availability: Amazon Fire Tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Comcast, iOS, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Vizio
Tablo TV is a free live TV streaming service that lets you watch local channels like ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS, as well as 70 fast channels, including HSN, ION, Grit, MeTV, and CourtTV. It's exclusively available to those with a Tablo device—the latest already comes with a built-in indoor antenna—which itself requires a one-time payment of about $70 to $130, depending on what version you get. It's free in the sense that you don't have to pay a monthly subscription fee, as you would on usual live TV streaming services since it streams channels that are already airing for free via broadcast towers near you. A Tablo device lets you watch Tablo TV on up to 4 devices connected to your home Wi-fi and record shows while watching a different channel. If you're on the go, you can also control the DVR via the Tablo TV app. You can download the app on all major smart TVs and mobile devices.
Price: free for 85 channels available
Channel lineup: ABC, Alien Nation, All Reality, All Weddings, AllBlk Gems, Almost Friday, AMC En Español, AMC Thrillers, ANIME x HIDIVE, Bike, Bloomberg Originals, Bloomberg TV, Bounce, Bounce XL, Buzzfeed Unsolved, CBS, Circle, Comedy Dynamics, Country Network, Court TV, Court TV Legendary, Craftsy, CW, Dove, Draft Kings TV, Entrepreneur, Estrella Games, Estrella News, Estrella TV, Fawsome, Forbes, FOX, Free Movies +, Fubo Sports, GRIT, Grit Xtra, Gusto, Gusto Español, History Time, Homeful, HSN, IFC Film Picks, iFood, ION, ION Mystery, ION Plus, LAFF More, Love Nature, Maximum Effort Channel, MeTV, MSG Sports Zone, Mytime Movie Network, NBC, Nosey, Nosey Judge, Outside TV+, Overtime, Pac-12 Insider, PBS, Portlandia, Powder, QVC, Racing America, RetroCrush, Scripps News, Skateboarding, Slightly Off IFC, Snowboarder, So Real, Sports News Highlights, Stories by AMC, Surfer, Tastemade, Tastemade Home, Tastemade Travel, Team USA, The Big Dish, The Design Network, The Washington Post, Time, Total Crime, Univision, Walking Dead Universe, Women’s Sports Network, World Poker Tour
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Google TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung, Samsung Smart TV
Let's recap the streaming services that allow you to watch PBS without cable.
What is the cheapest way to watch PBS?
The most cost-efficient way to watch PBS content is to get a subscription to PBS App for $0/month.
How to get a free trial to PBS?
You can get a limited time free trial to PBS by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, or DirecTV Stream Ultimate.
How to watch PBS for free?
Unfortunately there are no streaming services that offer PBS completely for free. That said, as we mentioned above you can get it for free for a limited time by subscribing to a service with a free trial. Here they are, this time ranked by which one offers the longest free trial:
- YouTube TV (7 days free)
- DirecTV Stream Ultimate (5 days free)
- DirecTV Stream (5 days free)
- Hulu with Live TV (3 days free)
How to get a PBS live stream?
The platforms that will get you a PBS live stream are:
How to watch PBS on Roku?
You can watch PBS on your Roku device by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Tablo TV, or PBS App.
How to watch PBS on an Amazon Fire TV?
PBS can be accessed on an Amazon Fire TV device by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Tablo TV, or PBS App.
How to watch PBS on an Apple TV device?
The streaming services that include PBS and are available on Apple TV are DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Tablo TV, and PBS App.
How to watch PBS on a computer?
On a web browser head to the websites of DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Tablo TV, or PBS App to start watching PBS.
How to watch PBS on iOS (iPhone or iPad)?
You can watch PBS on an iPhone or iPad by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Tablo TV, or PBS App.
How to watch PBS on an Android phone?
You can watch PBS on an Android device such as Samsung or Google Pixel by subscribing to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Tablo TV, or PBS App.
How to watch PBS on an Android TV?
You can watch PBS on a Smart TV that runs on Android by getting a subscription to DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream Ultimate, Tablo TV, or PBS App.
How to watch PBS on an Xbox?
You can watch PBS on an Xbox console through Hulu with Live TV, or YouTube TV.
How to pay for a PBS subscription with Paypal?
The services that accept Paypal and carry PBS are: DirecTV Stream, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and DirecTV Stream Ultimate.
How to pay for a PBS subscription with Apple Pay?
The services that accept Paypal and carry PBS are: .
How to pay for a PBS subscription with Google Pay?
The services that accept Paypal and carry PBS are: YouTube TV.
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.