If you’re cutting the cord or dropping the dish, Fubo is one of your best live TV streaming bets when it comes to sports. Besides carrying most of the mainstream sports channels, Fubo also offers several sports add-on packs to bring additional international soccer, extreme sports, and more into your life. However, it’s also missing a few popular channels — you can’t have everything. In fact, one streamer designs its channel packages specifically for customers who don’t want everything.

Sling TV is a highly customizable streaming service that allows you to shape your own viewing experience with optional add-on channel packages based on movies, children’s programming, entertainment, news, and sports. Sling TV is also The Streamable’s choice for best budget live TV streaming service because it delivers more for less than the rest of the options. However, like Fubo, it lacks some important and popular channels.

Let’s get into the contrasts between Fubo and Sling TV.

Fubo vs. Sling TV: Which is right for you?

The Essentials

Price

Fubo offers three monthly plans: Essential (212 channels for $85 per month), Pro (212 channels for $85 per month), and Elite (293 channels for $95 per month). The difference between Fubo’s plans is more about extra features than channels, and it’s more about sports than entertainment content. In addition to different channel offerings, the difference amongst these three plans is that the latter two also require a regional sports fee. Depending on how many regional sports networks (RSNs) that you have in your market, this could cost you up to $17 more per month. However, the Essential package doesn’t carry any RSNs, so there is no additional cost involved beyond the $85 per month.

Sling TV gives you three basic plan choices: Sling Orange (30 channels for $46 per month), Sling Blue (40 channels for $46 per month), or Sling Orange + Blue (50 channels for $61 per month). Sling Orange carries more sports and kids channels, Sling Blue focuses on news and entertainment channels, and Sling Orange + Blue obviously mashes up both.

Overall Channels

If you count TNT, TBS, CNN, A&E, History, Lifetime, or AMC among your go-to channels, bad news: Fubo doesn’t carry them. Since its launch in 2015, sports programming has been Fubo’s jam, with pro and college sports channels, regional sports networks, and more international soccer coverage than any other TV service; entertainment channels come second.

Sling TV’s Orange and Blue plans offer complementary channel lineups (with some overlaps), and Sling Orange + Blue is more in line with a traditional cable TV lineup. Popular channels like FXX, Hallmark, MTV, Paramount Network, and VH1 are missing from the basic plans, but they’re available as add-ons in Sling TV’s extra channel packages.

Popular Channels

Local Channels

Fubo carries local affiliates for broadcast networks ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW, and Telemundo but not PBS. A PBS Passport subscription is an easy workaround to keep up with “Call the Midwife.”

Sling TV’s local channel coverage is a bit more limited. The streamer carries local ABC, Fox, and NBC affiliates in a number of the largest markets in the country on the Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue plans. However, not every market has all of the channels, and Sling does not carry CBS or The CW anywhere. Sling TV does offer local channel integration using a digital over-the-air antenna to get channels it doesn’t stream, or you could lean on another streamer like Paramount+ for CBS content.

What local channels are available by market on Sling TV?

Sports Channels

Pro Sports Channels

Fubo’s basic plans include pro sports channels ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, and NFL Network. There are also sports add-on channels available through Fubo, like International Sports Plus (international soccer and more for $7 per month), Sports Plus with NFL RedZone (RedZone and NCAA games for $11 per month), and Adventure Plus (racing and extreme sports for $5 per month). You can also subscribe to out-of-market packages NBA League Pass and MLB.TV through Fubo.

Sling TV’s Orange plan features ESPN and ESPN 2, and the Blue plan includes FS1 and NFL Network. Orange + Blue has them all, but sports fans will probably want more in their lineup. Sling TV’s Sports Extra add-on gets you 15 more channels, including FS2, beIN Sports, MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, and more, for an additional $11 per month.

College Sports Channels

Fubo has a few college sports channels in its base plans, including Big Ten Network and SEC Network. Fubo’s Sports Plus add-on channel pack includes ESPNU and ACC Network for more college ball action.

Sling TV’s Sports Extra add-on pack includes ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network, but there are no college sports channels in any of its basic plans. To get the most sports content out of Sling TV, the Sports Extra add-on is an obvious must.

Pro and College Sports Channels

Regional Sports Channels

You can watch plenty of regional sports networks (RSNs) with Fubo, including NBC Sports Boston, NESN, Chicago Sports Network, Marquee Sports Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh, FanDuel Sports Networks, and Space City Home Network.

Sling TV features zero RSNs, regardless of plan or add-on.

Included Features

On-Demand Library

Both Fubo and Sling TV let you click and watch on-demand TV shows and movies from channels carried by the respective services — usually with ads, because nothing’s ever really free.

Add-On Channel Packages

Fubo’s available premium add-on channels include Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ, and MGM+, either individually or in a discounted bundle for $20 per month. Fox Nation, Hallmark+, TV5MONDE (French sports and entertainment), and RAI Italia (Italian sports and entertainment) add-ons are also available. The aforementioned Sports Plus add-on is $11 per month, and the smaller Sports Lite pack is $10 per month.

Premium channel options with Sling TV include Paramount+ with Showtime and STARZ, as well as AMC+, MGM+, discovery+, and Shudder. Its add-on channel packs, like Entertainment Extra (Paramount Network, MTV, TV Land, and more), Kids Extra (Boomerang, Disney XD, Nicktoons, and more), and Hollywood Extra (FXX, SundanceTV, Turner Classic Movies, and more), and Sports Extra are just some of what else is available, with most priced under $10 per month.

DVR

Fubo and Sling TV both come standard with an unlimited cloud DVR that will keep your recorded TV shows and movies for up to nine months before deletion. You could probably get through eight seasons of “Bob’s Burgers,” special of the day hamburger puns and all, in that time.

Simultaneous Streams and 4K

Fubo allows for up to 10 simultaneous streams within your home network and two outside of it, with the option to upgrade to three with Fubo’s Family Share add-on. Sling TV’s simultaneous streams are more limited: One stream at a time with Sling Orange, three with Sling Blue, and four with Sling Orange + Blue.

Fubo’s Elite plan includes 4K streaming for select content, or it can be added to Essential or Pro for $5 per month. Sling TV streams select 4K events and shows.

Device Compatibility

Which is Right for You?

It may be priced like one, but Fubo isn’t a complete replacement for cable or satellite TV. It’s missing several popular channels in its lineup, including some that are season sports hubs like TNT, TBS, and truTV. But, its international soccer offerings are impressive, as is its array of channel add-on packs — if your interests go beyond the boundaries of the U.S., Fubo might be worth the price tag.

Sling TV is one of the least expensive live streaming TV services available, and its add-on channel choices are even wider than Fubo’s. If you want to create your own entertainment experience, Sling TV serves up more personalization options than a sundae bar. Sling TV isn’t a perfect live TV streamer, but it comes close enough to compete with pricier services like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.