Sling TV vs. YouTube TV vs. Fubo - Comparing the 4K Live Streamers
For years, Fubo and YouTube TV were the only live streamers offering 4K programming. Now, Sling TV has entered the 4K competition, offering a far less expensive way to watch ultra high-definition programs. We’ll help you decide which service is right for you.
Comparison at a Glance
| Feature | YouTube TV | Sling TV | Fubo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Price | $72.99 | $40 | $94.99 |
| Base Channels | 121 | 49 | 197 |
| Max Channels | 171 | 143 | 226 |
| Local Channels | Yes | In select markets | Yes |
| Sports Channels | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regional Sports Networks | 6 | 0 | 35 |
| 4K Price | 30 days free, then $4.99/mo for 12 months, then $9.99/mo | Free | Free |
| DVR | Unlimited | 50 Hours (upgradable) | Unlimited |
| On-Demand Services | No | No | No |
| Free channels | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free Trial | Yes | No | 7 Days |
Overview
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YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a solid overall streamer with a good channel selection, an excellent mobile interface, and a solid DVR. Adding 4K is free for the first 30 days, then you’ll pay $5/mo for the next year. After that, it jumps to $10/mo.
YouTube TV is an easy choice for cord-cutters, but you can get more channels or a lower price with another service.
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Fubo
Fubo is a superior choice if you need Bally Regional Sports networks. The price is prohibitively high, however. The channel selection outside sports is lacking.
If sports channels are important to you, Fubo makes those a priority.
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Sling TV
Sling TV is a fantastic choice for anyone looking to save money. The first month is 50% off, and you have the ability to add or subtract channel bundles to fit your budget. We love the fact that they are including 4K for free. One major factor to consider: the main channels offering 4K (FOX and NBC) are not available in all areas. If you live in a major market like New York, LA, Chicago, or San Francisco, this may not be an issue.
CBS is not available through Sling, though you could simply use an antenna or sign up for Paramount+ with Showtime to get your local station.
Although we love DIRECTV STREAM and Hulu Live TV as well, they do not offer 4K, so we’re excluding them from this comparison.
What Can You Watch in 4K?
In most cases, 4K broadcasts are limited to select sports on NBC or FOX. Some other programming may be available.
4K Device Compatibility
Fubo lists its 4K compatible devices as FireTV 4K, FireTV Cube, Google Pixel 5/5a/6/6a/7/7a, LG V30/V50, Samsung Galaxy S20/S21/S22/S23/Tab S8, Sony Xperia 1V/10V/5IV, Hisense 4K TV, NVIDIA Shield, Sharp AQUOS 4K TV, Sony Bravia 4K TV, Xiaomi Mi Box S/2/3/4, AppleTV 4K, Chromecast Ultra, Safari (latest version), Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere+, Roku Premiere, Roku Streaming Stick+, 4K Roku TVs, Vizio SmartCast TVs (2016 and newer 4K TVs, OLED, P-Series, M-Series, V-Series), Xbox One S, Xbox One X, and Xbox Series X/S.
Sling TV offers 4K on 4K smart TVs and Roku 4K, Roku Stream Bar, Roku Ultra, Roku Express 4K+ / Streaming Stick 4K+, 4K Roku TV, Fire TV, Fire TV Stick 4K, 4K Max, and the Fire TV Cube.
YouTube TV offers 4K on 4K smart TVs (4K Android TV models like Sony Bravia, and others, Samsung, LG and HiSense 4K smart TVs (2019 or later)). You can also watch if you have a 4K device connected to a 4K TV (Chromecast with Google TV, 4K Roku Streaming Devices, Apple TV 4K (2021), PS4 Pro, Amazon Fire 4K Stick (1st Gen - 2018), and Nvidia Shield).
YouTube TV notes 4K is only available on select content for Apple TV and PS4 Pro. Some programs may have lower quality or may rebuffer when viewing.
Top Channel Comparison
When it comes to top cable channels, YouTube TV includes 32 of the top 35 channels, which tops Sling TV’s 27 and Fubo’s 19.
Before you make your choice, run your favorite channels through The Streamable’s Service Matchmaker to find the right choice.
| Fubo | Sling TV | YouTube | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| “fubo” | “Elite” | “Deluxe” | “Orange” | “Blue” | “Combo” | “YouTube TV” | ||
| Free Trial | Free Trial | Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Get 50% OFF | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | ||
| $94.99 | $114.99 | $124.99 | $40 | $40 | $55 | $72.99 | ||
| 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 | ✓ | |
Local Channel Comparison
Fubo and YouTube TV provide access to ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo, The CW, and Univision.
For Sling, consult this chart to see if your local channel is available. If you need CBS, and you still want Sling, you can grab Paramount+, which offers your live local CBS channel on the premium tier. If your market doesn’t offer NBC on Sling, you can get your local affiliate on Peacock.
Sling TV Local Channel Availability
| Market | FOX Station | NBC Station | ABC Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | WAGA | ||
| Austin | KTBC | ||
| Boston | WBTS | ||
| Chicago | WFLD | WMAQ | WLS |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | KDFW | KXAS | |
| Detroit | WJBK | ||
| Fresno | KFSN | ||
| Gainesville | WOGX | ||
| Hartford/New Haven | WVIT | ||
| Houston | KRIV | KTRK | |
| Los Angeles | KTTV | KNBC | KABC |
| Miami/Fort Lauderdale | WTVJ | ||
| Milwaukee | WITI | ||
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | KMSP | ||
| New York | WNYW | WNBC | WABC |
| Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne | WOFL | ||
| Philadelphia | WTXF | WCAU | WPVI |
| Phoenix | KSAZ | ||
| Raleigh-Durham | WTVD | ||
| San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose | KTVU | KNSD | KGO |
| Seattle | KCPQ | ||
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | WTVT | ||
| Washington, DC | WTTG | WRC |
Pro Sports Networks
All three services offer important sports channels. You may need to pay extra for an enhanced package for some channels.
| Fubo | Sling TV | YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Get 50% OFF | Sign Up | |||
| $94.99 | $40 | $40 | $72.99 | ||
| ESPN | ✓ | ✓ | - | ✓ | |
| FS1 | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| MLB Network | + $8 | + $11 | + $11 | - | |
| NBA TV | + $8 | + $11 | + $11 | ✓ | |
| NFL Network | ✓ | - | ✓ | ✓ | |
| NFL RedZone | + $11 | - | + $11 | + $11 | |
| NHL Network | + $8 | + $11 | + $11 | - | |
| TBS | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TNT | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
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.
For $11/month, you can add Sports Plus to Fubo for ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, Fight Network, GOLTV, IMPACT Wrestling, MLB Network, MLB Network Strike Zone, NBA TV, NFL RedZone, NHL Network, SEC Network, SEC Network+, SportsGrid, Stadium, Tennis Channel, TyCSports, and Zona Futbol.
For $7/month, you can also add International Sports Plus to Fubo for Next Level Sports, ESPN Deportes, FOX Deportes, Fox Soccer Plus, GOLTV, TyCSports, Willow TV, and Zona Futbol.
You can add beIN Sports, Billiard TV, FanDuel TV, Fight Network, Fox Soccer Plus, IMPACT Wrestling, MAVTV, NFL RedZone, Outside Television, Overtime, PlayersTV, PokerGO, SportsGrid, Stadium, Tennis Channel, and VSiN to YouTube TV for $11/month.
It’s important to note that YouTube TV is the home of NFL Sunday Ticket, allowing you to watch out-of-market football games, though it is prohibitively expensive. You can still watch the package through regular YouTube (and its TV apps) if you don’t want to sign up for YouTube TV.
Regional Sports Networks
This is Fubo’s place to shine. Subscribers get access to Altitude, Arizona's Family Sports, SportsNet Pittsburgh, Chicago Sports Network, FanDuel Sports Network Detroit, FanDuel Sports Network Florida, FanDuel Sports Network Great Lakes, FanDuel Sports Network Indiana, FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, FanDuel Sports Network Midwest, FanDuel Sports Network North, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network Oklahoma, FanDuel Sports Network SoCal, FanDuel Sports Network South, FanDuel Sports Network Southeast, FanDuel Sports Network Southwest, FanDuel Sports Network Sun, FanDuel Sports Network West, FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, Marquee Sports Network, MASN, MSG, MSG Sportsnet, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports California, NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBC Sports Philadelphia+, NESN, Rockies.TV Channel, Root Sports Northwest, Space City Home Network, Utah 16 (KUPX), and YES Network.
YouTube TV is much more limited, only offering Monumental Sports Network, NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Boston, NBC Sports California, NBC Sports Philadelphia, and NBC Sports Philadelphia+.
Sling does not offer regional sports networks.
College Sports Networks
When it comes to college, Fubo includes ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, and SEC Network.
YouTube TV offers ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, SEC Network, and truTV.
And Sling can give you truTV.
DVR
If you’re the kind of person who records a lot of TV, you will prefer Fubo or YouTube TV and their unlimited cloud DVRs. You can store recordings up to nine months.
Sling TV 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.
Multiview
If you have Fubo and an Apple TV, you can customize a multiview experience to watch up to 4 channels at once. You can save your favorite multiview configuration.
YouTube TV offers multiview on more devices, but the channels are preset - you’re stuck with the options YouTube TV includes.
Verdict
Choose Sling TV if…
- You want to save money.
- You live where local channels are included, or you don’t mind using a second viewing option.
- You want more control over your channel lineup.
Choose Fubo if…
- You want to watch the regional sports networks.
- You watch lots of international sports.
Choose YouTube TV if…
- Local channels are important.
- You need an easy-to-use option.