If you’re looking for a new live TV streaming service, is Sling TV or Hulu Live TV a better choice? The decision may depend on what you value most. If you want the most entertainment available, you should choose Hulu. If you’d like the best value, Sling is a great choice. Neither service requires a contract, so you can sample each and cancel after one month.
Both Hulu and Sling are excellent streaming options with lots of pros and cons. If you’d like a quick channel comparison, check out The Streamable’s Service Matchmaker. Let’s dig in to compare your options.
Winner on Price: Sling TV
Hulu clocks in at $76.99 / month.
Sling TV has a unique cost structure because it allows you to choose from two limited (but inexpensive) channel groups. A slightly more expensive subscription offers a combo package with a bigger channel lineup.
If don’t mind a narrower channel selection, you can go with either the Sling Orange lineup or the Sling Blue lineup for $40 / month. If you want a wider selection of channels, you’ll need Sling Orange+Blue for $55 / month. That’s still less expensive than Hulu’s live option.
Winner on Overall Channels: Hulu Live TV
When it comes to the base tiers, Hulu Live TV holds the edge. Hulu includes 33 of the top 35 cable channels, which tops Sling TV’s 27 of the top 35 cable channels.
Sling TV will be your choice if you like to watch AMC.
But Hulu offers Disney Junior, FXX, Hallmark Channel, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, and VH1.
If you max out each service, Sling TV offers 145 channels, while Hulu offers 140.
Channel Upgrades
Hulu allows you to add a package of additional channels for $8/month.
That Hulu upgrade adds American Heroes, BET Her, Boomerang, CNBC World, Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, Great American Family, Great American Country, Hallmark Family, Magnolia Network, MTV Classic, MTV2, Nicktoons, Science, and TeenNick.
In line with its a la carte efforts, Sling TV gives users a staggering menu of channel upgrades starting at $6/month. The channels available will vary, depending on whether your base is Sling Orange, Sling Blue, or the Sling Orange+Blue combo.
For example, Sling TV offers mini packages with titles like Entertainment Extra, News Extra, Heartland Extra, Sports Extra, Kids Extra, Lifestyle Extra, and Hollywood Extra. You could choose them individually or get every bundle for $21-$27 / month. See what each bundle offers here.
Sling also offers dozens of international packages, making this a perfect choice for families that speak Spanish, Cantonese, French, Greek, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Urdu, or other languages.
Since Sling TV’s channel options are split into so many different packages, The Streamable’s Service Matchmaker is your best tool to identify what package works best for you.
| Hulu | Sling TV | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Hulu Live TV” | “Orange” | “Blue” | “Combo” | ||
| Sign Up | Get 50% Off | Get 50% Off | Get 50% Off | ||
| $76.99 | $40 | $40 | $55 | ||
| A&E | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| AMC | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| BET | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Bravo | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Cartoon Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| CNN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Discovery | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Disney Channel | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| Disney Junior | ✓ | + $6 | - | + $6 | |
| E! | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| Food Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox News | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Freeform | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| FX | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| FXX | ✓ | - | + $6 | + $6 | |
| Hallmark Channel | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | + $6 | |
| HGTV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| History | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Investigation Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Lifetime | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| MSNBC | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| MTV | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | + $6 | |
| Nickelodeon | ✓ | - | - | - | |
| Paramount Network | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | + $6 | |
| Syfy | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TLC | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Travel Channel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| truTV | ✓ | + $6 | ✓ | ✓ | |
| USA Network | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| VH1 | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | + $6 | |
| WE tv | - | + $6 | + $6 | + $6 | |
Winner on Local Channels: Hulu Live TV
Hulu gives you all your local channels: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo, and The CW
Sling TV does not offer CBS, Telemundo, and The CW. But you can get ABC, Fox, and NBC in select markets. If you do choose Sling, we recommend pairing it with an antenna and HDHomeRun box so you can still access local news, weather, and sports.
Winner on Sports Channels: Hulu Live TV
Pro Sports Networks
Professional sports league channels MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network are not available on Hulu Live TV.
Hulu Live TV includes NFL Network. NFL RedZone is included in its $9.99 Sports Add-On, which includes MAVTV, Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, TVG, and TVG2.
Sling TV allows users to bolster their sports coverage with the Sports Extra package ($11-$15/month) with channels like beIN Sports, ESPNEWS, Fox Sports 2, Golf Channel, MLB Network, MLB Network Strike Zone, NBA TV, NFL RedZone, NHL Network, SEC Network+, and Tennis Channel. The channels you receive in this add-on depend on whether you subscribe to Sling Orange, Sling Blue, or the combo.
| Hulu | Sling TV | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Up | Get 50% Off | |||
| $76.99 | $40 | $40 | ||
| beIN Sports | - | + $11 | + $11 | |
| Next Level Sports | - | - | - | |
| ESPNEWS | ✓ | + $11 | - | |
| FanDuel TV | + $10 | - | - | |
| Fox Soccer Plus | - | - | - | |
| Golf Channel | ✓ | - | + $11 | |
| MLB Network | ✓ | + $11 | + $11 | |
| NBA TV | - | + $11 | + $11 | |
| NFL Network | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| NFL RedZone | + $10 | - | + $11 | |
| NHL Network | - | + $11 | + $11 | |
| Tennis Channel | - | + $11 | + $11 | |
Regional Sports Networks
Only Hulu offers Monumental Sports Network, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports California, NBC Sports Chicago, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC Sports Philadelphia+, NBC Sports Washington+, and SportsNet NY.
Sling TV does not offer Regional Sports Networks.
College Sports Networks
Both services offer ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network.
However, Hulu offers those channels, plus CBS Sports Network and truTV in its most basic channel package.
To get those college sports channels through Sling TV, you need Sports Extra ($11-$15/month), which also gives you Longhorn Network and Pac-12 Network.
| Hulu | Sling TV | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign Up | Get 50% Off | |||
| $76.99 | $40 | $40 | ||
| ACC Network | ✓ | + $11 | - | |
| ACC Network Extra | ✓ | + $11 | - | |
| Big Ten Network | ✓ | - | + $11 | |
| CBS Sports Network | ✓ | - | - | |
| ESPNU | ✓ | + $11 | - | |
| Longhorn Network | - | + $11 | - | |
| Pac-12 Network | - | + $11 | + $11 | |
| SEC Network | ✓ | + $11 | - | |
| truTV | ✓ | + $6 | ✓ | |
Winner on Included Features: Hulu Live TV
Disney Bundle
Hulu Live TV subscribers get ESPN+ and Disney+ at no extra cost. That means you’ll get access to exclusive NHL games and sporting events, alongside the Disney+ standout series like “The Mandalorian,” “Loki,” and “WandaVision,” plus the great movie libraries of Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney animated classics.
On Demand Library
Hulu Live users get access to Hulu’s vast library of on demand content, although you will see ads. Paying another $13/month will remove the ads from Hulu and Disney+.
Hulu offers hits like “Shogun,” “Fargo,” “The Bear,” “Abbott Elementary,” “The Handmaid's Tale,” and a great rotating library of blockbuster movies.
Sling TV offers no similar feature.
Simultaneous Devices
Hulu allows you to stream live TV on two devices at the same time. For another $9.99/month, you can watch on unlimited devices on your home network. Plus, while you’re on the go you can also stream from up to three separate mobile devices. If you have a second home, you must have a second Hulu Live TV account.
If you subscribe to Sling Orange, you can enjoy Sling TV on one screen at a time. Sling Blue allows three simultaneous streams. If you subscribe to Sling Orange + Sling Blue, you can enjoy up to four streams at once.
DVR
Hulu includes an unlimited DVR.
Sling TV also includes 50 hours of recording space with each subscription, but it will automatically delete the oldest watched shows, so it can continue to record the latest shows scheduled to be recorded.
For $5/month, you can add a Sling TV cloud DVR with 200 hours of recording space.
Sling TV has the most full-featured DVR of any of the streaming services. You can record individual episodes, all episodes of a series, or only new episodes of a series. You can also protect recordings to keep them indefinitely. If you cancel your service, Sling will keep your recording for up to 30 days in case you decide to return to the service.
Free Channels
You have the option to use Sling to watch free TV channels without a subscription. It’s called Sling Freestream, and users can watch more than 500 channels like FOX Weather, ABC News Live, Drag Race Universe, Game Show Central, Screambox TV, Dove Channel, Documentary+, and the Pluto TV version of Nick Jr. If you pay for Sling TV, you can access Freestream within the same interface.
Verdict
Sling TV is a better bet if you’re price-sensitive, or if you don’t mind occasionally swapping packages from month to month. If you have a narrow group of channels you prefer, Sling may allow you access to those without some of the additional cost of other services. If you think Sling TV is right for you, be sure to run your favorite channels through The Streamable’s Service Matchmaker to be sure you can get them all at a reasonable price through the service. Sling does offer lots of different configurations, but the price can escalate quickly.
If you want a quick solution to provide a huge channel selection, Hulu makes more sense. Its great on-demand library is also a unique feature among all streaming services. The addition of free Disney+ and ESPN+ makes this one of the best deals in entertainment. The superior local channel availability also makes Hulu a stronger choice if those are a priority.