DIRECTV STREAM, as you’ve probably guessed from the name, is the streaming counterpart to the DIRECTV satellite service. It features the same set of plans and channels, but without a two-year contract or a dish attached to your roof. It’s also one of the more expensive live TV streaming services, but — like DIRECTV satellite — it might be worth it for sports fans who want to see all the games and entertainment completists who don’t want to miss a single show or movie.

Philo, on the other hand, offers a smaller channel lineup with no sports or local programming, and it’s the cheapest live TV streamer carrying over 50 popular entertainment channels. It’s a niche service, but Philo is popular with over 1 million subscribers who have no interest in sports (yes, they exist).

Let’s look at the many, many differences between DIRECTV STREAM and Philo, including pricing, features, and channel lineups.

Philo vs. DIRECTV STREAM: Which is best for you?

The Essentials

Price

Philo’s $28-per-month price tag gets you 70 channels (including popular cablers like Paramount Network, AMC, and HGTV) and unlimited cloud DVR storage for recorded shows. Unlike all of the other live TV streaming services, Philo has rarely raised its price since its 2017 launch.

DIRECTV STREAM is more like a standard satellite or cable TV service, carrying a loaded lineup of entertainment, sports, local, and kids’ channels and the tiered pricing that comes with it: Entertainment (91 channels for $87 per month), Choice (167 channels for $115 per month), Ultimate (195 channels for $130 per month), and Premier (200 channels for $170 per month).

Overall Channels

DIRECTV STREAM carries practically every popular channel available, as well as a few you’ll likely never use (like its Music Choice suite, a gaggle of audio-only channels that are no competition for Spotify). The Entertainment package has a few holes in its channel lineup, as it is missing A&E, History, and Lifetime, but otherwise offers a robust lineup. On the pricier side, DIRECTV STREAM’s Premier plan comes with premium channels HBO, Cinemax, Paramount+ with Showtime, and Starz included.

Philo’s single 70-channel plan features entertainment and lifestyle channels like Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, Travel Channel, and WE tv, but no sports, local, or news programming (Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” not withstanding). It’s a skinny bundle, but a solid one at that.

Popular Channels

DIRECTV STREAM carries local affiliate stations for ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, and The CW in most parts of the country, just as DTV satellite service does.

Philo carries no local channels, but an easy and inexpensive way to get them is with an over-the-air digital antenna, which you’ll pay for once to watch free channels for life. At least for now, the public airwaves are still there for the people.

Sports Channels

While this article is focused primarily on the standard base channel offerings from the specific streamers, DIRECTV STREAM has recently begun offering genre-specific packages tailored to the individual needs of customers. One of those options is the MySports package. This pack of channels costs $70 per month with the option to add your local regional sports networks for another $20 monthly.

The MySports package offers numerous traditional cable and free sports channels.

National channels

Free Channels

Pro Sports Channels

DIRECTV STREAM touts itself as a leader in live TV streaming sports, but only its most expensive Ultimate and Premier plans carry a full lineup of sports networks, including MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network. DIRECTV STREAM’s $15-per-month Sports Pack can be added to any of its Entertainment, Choice, and Ultimate plans; the pack’s channels are already included with the Premier plan.

Philo carries no pro sports channels.

Pro and College Sports Channels

Regional Sports Channels

In its Choice, Ultimate, and Premier plans, DIRECTV STREAM’s regional sports network (RSN) lineup includes over 30 channels, including FanDuel Sports Networks, ROOT Sports Northwest, Monumental Sports Network, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, and NBC Sports California.

Philo carries no regional sports networks.

Included Features

On-Demand Library

DIRECTV STREAM and Philo both offer on-demand content from the channels in their plans, and you can also rent or buy older movies and TV shows as you would with a video-on-demand service. In most cases, on-demand content will come with unskippable ads (but not on rented or purchased shows).

Add-On Channel Packages

Philo features add-on channels, including ALLBLK, AMC+, Hallmark+, MGM+, and STARZ. You can also get HDNet Movies, REELZ, Sony Movie Channel, FMC, Movies!, and Fandor with Philo’s $3-per-month Movies & More channel pack.

Besides the Sport Pack add-on (which includes NFL Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network), you can also top off your DIRECTV STREAM plan with Max, Apple TV+, Prime Video, AMC+, Peacock, Discovery+, BET+, Fox Nation, A&E Crime Central, or Lifetime Movie Club.

DVR

Philo and DIRECTV STREAM both offer unlimited cloud DVR storage for recorded TV shows and movies, but Philo will store your content for a little bit longer (12 months) than DIRECTV will (nine months). Philo’s extra three months might not seem like much until you realize that you’ve fallen behind on your Lifetime thrillers like “Meet, Match, Murder” and “Buried in Barstow” (Lifetime movies aren’t for the weak).

Simultaneous Streams and 4K

Philo gives you three simultaneous streams, but DIRECTV STREAM allows for unlimited simultaneous in-network streams and three outside of it.

DIRECTV STREAM features three 4K channels dedicated to movies, TV shows, and select sports events. Philo, in keeping with its low-cost vibe, doesn’t carry any 4K content.

Device Compatibility

Which is right for you?

The differences between Philo and DIRECTV STREAM are stark, with very little crossover between intended audiences.

DIRECTV STREAM is a full-service streaming replacement for satellite TV, offering hundreds of channels and a familiar user experience for new cord-cutters. It’s expensive, but if you want a wide variety of channels, including sports and local fare, DIRECTV STREAM is up there with power streamers like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.

Philo is a niche service aimed at viewers who only want entertainment and lifestyle channels and nothing else. If sports and local channels don’t factor into your live TV streaming shopping concerns at all, Philo is probably the one for you.