Unless you’re a brand-new participant in the streaming marketplace, you’re assuredly aware of how much prices have risen in the last couple of years. Streamers like Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and Peacock have elected to raise their subscription rates multiple years in a row, and as streamers strive to continue boosting their profitability, such trends are likely to continue.

The Streamable knows how hard it is to save money on video entertainment as it is, and we want to make it easier for our readers to get more for less. Saving on streaming doesn’t have to be impossible if you use our handy guide and employ the tips and tricks we lay out below!

How to save money on streaming in 2026

Cancel if you want to!

One of the complaints I hear most frequently about streaming is that, because of rising prices, it has essentially become just like cable. An apples-to-apples comparison of what the average family spends on streaming each month compared to the cost of a pay-TV plan leaves little room for argument.

But there is still one essential difference between streaming and cable that viewers should take advantage of in order to save money: a lack of long-term contracts. This makes it so much easier to pick and choose which streamers should be in your bundle, and which content you prize the most.

There’s no need to lock yourself into a long-term commitment with any streaming service, and if a platform doesn’t have a show or movie coming out in the next month, or two, or three that you want to watch, just cancel! Save that money for another streamer, or just pocket it and spend it on something else.

Consider free streamers

If you’re the type of person who puts on a streaming service just to have background noise going much of the time, then a free streaming service is a far more cost-effective choice for you. Ad-supported streaming services like Pluto TV, Tubi, and The Roku Channel offer thousands and thousands of hours of free programming that you can watch on-demand, or on free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels.

I know how many viewers out there will watch the same show on repeat, which is why FAST channels are so convenient. Many such channels are devoted to a single show, airing episodes over and over again in continuous playlists. Others offer a mix of content, but either way, viewers can simply sit back and watch instead of having to pick what they watch next.

Now might be a good time to evaluate your streaming habits and see if you should be watching more free streaming services. If you only follow one or two streamers for new content, and use the rest of your subscriptions to watch shows you’ve seen already, you might want to cut the latter out of your budget and replace them with free streamers instead!

Go with a genre pack

If you’re a customer of a live TV streaming service, but you’re ready to take a step back in how much you pay for your subscription each month, 2026 could be a fantastic year to do so. DIRECTV has already launched a great lineup of genre-specific channel plans that allow you to pay for only one segment of programming at a price much lower than all-in pay-TV plans.

Fubo now offers a sports-only option as well, and starting next year YouTube TV will begin selling its own genre packages, starting with a sports plan. When these packages hit the market, viewers will have more options than ever to pay less for programming they don’t watch from pay-TV distributors, and focus more on the content they do like to watch.

The increasing availability of genre packages could help live TV streaming continue offering a viable alternative to on-demand bundles for some time to come. At the very least, it will help customers who still enjoy streaming live cable channels a viable way to save money next year.

Know your schedule, sports fans!

If you’re a major follower of live national sports, make sure you have a reliable calendar on hand for 2026. Knowing which marquee college and pro sporting events you’ll want to stream on ESPN channels on a night-in, night-out basis will be key to saving money on streaming those events in 2026.

That’s because you can stream ESPN for as little as $5 per day with Sling TV. Sling sells limited-time subscription options called Passes to its Orange plan, which carries ESPN and ESPN2, and allows viewers to stream sports events on ABC through the ESPN app. Sling Orange Passes cost $5 per day, $10 per three days, or $15 per week, and allow sports fans — or anyone who wants to watch the programming found on the 30+ Sling Orange channels — to stream the service at a very low price, and only for as long as they want to!

Save with Sling

sling.com

Sling TV

Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.

You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.

Save with Sling

$19.99+ / month

sling.com