Ditching Hulu + Live TV After Latest Price Increases? Here Are Your 5 Best Live TV Streaming Alternatives
They warned us it was coming. Starting Oct. 12, the warnings will become reality as Hulu + Live TV increases in price from $69.99 to $76.99, a price jump of $7 per month for the ad-supported plan. Users can upgrade to an ad-free experience, but the new price jumps to $89.99 for that product in October.
If the price increase is just one step too far for you and your budget, you’re probably wondering what your next options are. Cord cutters stepped away from cable in part to get away from repeated price increases, so it’s hard to blame users for being disappointed that the cost of Hulu + Live TV is rising for the second time in less than a year— though last year, only ad-free streaming with Hulu + Live TV got more expensive.
What Alternatives Are There to Hulu + Live TV?
Hulu + Live TV has five major competitors in live TV streaming: DIRECTV STREAM, Fubo, Philo, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. Each of these has its own particular advantages and drawbacks, so we’ll break down each one so users thinking about departing from Hulu + Live TV can make an informed decision on which to add.
| DTV STREAM | Fubo | Hulu | Philo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free 3-Day Trial | Free Trial | Get $10 Off | Sign Up | |||
| $79.99 | $91.99 | $76.99 | $25 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| A&E | + $29 | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | |
| ABC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| AMC | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| BET | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Bravo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Cartoon Network | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| CNN | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Disney Channel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| Disney Junior | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | + $6 | - | ✓ | |
| E! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| Food Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Fox News | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Freeform | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| FX | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| FXX | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | + $6 | ✓ | |
| Hallmark Channel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
| HGTV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| History | + $29 | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | |
| Investigation Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Lifetime | + $29 | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | |
| MSNBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| MTV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
| NBC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Nickelodeon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | |
| Paramount Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
| Syfy | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TBS | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Telemundo | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| The CW | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| TLC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TNT | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Travel Channel | + $29 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| truTV | ✓ | - | ✓ | - | + $6 | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Univision | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | - | - | ✓ | |
| USA Network | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| VH1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
| WE tv | ✓ | - | - | ✓ | + $6 | + $6 | ✓ | |
Top Alternative to Hulu + Live TV: DIRECTV STREAM
The Streamable’s top pick of services available to replace Hulu + Live TV is DIRECTV STREAM. Its base Entertainment package comes in at $74.99 and offers over 75 of the top cable channels on the market. Users can upgrade to add more sports, cable, and news channels if they wish, and new users get a five-day free trial to make sure DIRECTV STREAM is right for them.
You can even bundle services with a DIRECTV STREAM account, just like with Hulu + Live TV. New users can add streaming services like Max, MGM+, STARZ, SHOWTIME, and Cinemax to a DIRECTV STREAM subscription for three months free when signing up. DIRECTV STREAM also allows users to watch their local affiliates in most markets, which is a key feature of Hulu + Live TV.
Best Pick for Users Who Love Sports: Fubo
Fubo also offers local affiliates in top markets, but the true value of this service is its sports offerings. Fubo has plans starting at $74.99 per month, though the regional sports network (RSN) fee that 98% of users will have to pay will bump that price to at least $85.98 monthly.
For that cost, users will get access to a wide variety of national and regional sports channels, including NFL Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, Bally Sports RSNs, and more. Its channel lineup climbs to around 90, and while you won’t get Turner or AMC-owned channels, you will get a seven-day free trial with Fubo. Users who decide to upgrade to Fubo’s Elite plan or higher can even watch select sporting events in Ultra-High-Definition 4K.
The Middle of the Road: YouTube TV
YouTube TV comes in around 85 channels, depending on your area, and includes the ability to watch local affiliates in top markets. Prices for this service start at $72.99 per month, meaning customers will save a bit over a monthly subscription to Hulu + Live TV.
Unfortunately, YouTube TV does not offer all new users the same free trial. It also does not bundle any streaming services into its price, which is why it’s a mid-tier option for replacing a Hulu + Live TV subscription: perfectly workable, just not the best choice users could potentially make.
Best Budget-Friendly Pick: Sling TV
Sling TV’s biggest drawback is that it does not offer local channels in all but a handful of markets. The tradeoff here is a hefty price difference; Sling still offers a good variety of top cable news, sports and entertainment channels in both its Orange and Blue plans for $40 per month, almost half of what a Hulu + Live TV subscription will cost come October.
Sports lovers will want to go with Sling Orange to get ESPN, while Sling Blue offers entertainment channels like FX. Users can switch back and forth between the two, or get the channels of both plans with Sling Orange and Blue for $55 per month. If you don’t mind grabbing a digital antenna to get your local broadcast affiliates, Sling is an incredible value in live streaming.
Best Choice for Big Savings: Philo
If the number of options you got with your Hulu + Live TV subscription was far too dizzying before the price increase announcement, you should look into a Philo account. This service is perfect for entertainment lovers, offering 60 channels including AMC, Discovery, Paramount Network and more. You won’t get live news or sports with Philo, but you will get an excellent monthly price.
Philo offers a single plan for $25 per month, making it the cheapest of the major live TV streaming services. Users who are looking to pare down a bit on their TV offerings will definitely want to check Philo out, as it still offers top cable channels at an unbeatable price.