If you’ve had it with YouTube TV’s rising subscription costs, you’re not alone: So many customers are threatening to cancel that the live TV streamer offereda six-month reprieve from this week’s price hike. However, even if you take advantage of that deal, you might be looking for a more cost-effective live TV streaming option.

Sling TV, The Streamable’s pick for cord-cutters on a budget, is still the cheapest live TV streaming service featuring a wide variety of channels and customization options. Even though Sling TV recently implemented its own price increase — $6 more per month for its base plans — it’s still relatively easy on the credit card.

If you are contemplating a move from YouTube TV to Sling TV specifically in order to save money, you should know that you’ll be losing a few channels, but also gaining more viewing choices — Sling TV is the Swiss Army knife of live TV streaming services. But how does it compare head-to-head with YouTube TV? Read on.

How do YouTube TV and Sling TV compare?

The Essentials

Price

Unless you’re a current subscriber who took advantage of YouTube TV’s price-hold offer, the service now costs $83 per month, closer to the cost of cable or satellite TV than ever before. Likewise, Sling TV has upped the monthly price of its Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans to $46 monthly and the combined Sling Orange + Blue plan to $61 monthly.

Despite this, Sling TV still wins in terms of affordability. You might wince at the channel-count discrepancy between the two (YouTube TV’s 121 channels versus Sling TV’s base maximum of 50), but there’s more to the story. Also, does anyone regularly watch more than 50 channels? Unless they’re an eccentric shut-in or a niche TV critc — what’s the difference really — you probably don’t.

Overall Channels

YouTube TV offers one set of base channels, with the possibility of adding several premium channels and a couple of channel packs on top. Conversely, Cling TV features three plans: Sling Orange (30 channels leaning more toward sports and kids programming, but no local networks), Sling Blue (40 channels favoring entertainment and news, with some local networks), and Sling Orange + Blue (a 50-channel combo).

As mentioned before, YouTube’s 121 channels beat Sling TV’s combined 50 on paper. But Sling TV offers more ways to personalize your stream with channels you actually watch, not to mention a fat swath of bonus FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channels similar to what you get with Pluto TV or Tubi.

Local Channels

YouTube TV carries local affiliates for ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS, and The CW in most areas, so your live access to “Matlock” is safe.

Local channels are trickier with Sling TV. It streams local ABC, Fox, and NBC affiliates in most major areas (Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue plans only), but does not carry any CBS or The CW affiliates at all. However, Sling TV does offer the workaround of integrating an over-the-air antenna into the mix to receive more local channels for no extra cost, which might sound daunting to the tech-unsavvy, but it is actually very easy.

Sports Channels

Pro Sports Networks

YouTube TV carries ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, Fox Sports 2, CBS Sports Network, NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, and most other sports staple channels, with the option for even more with its Sports Plus multi-channel add-on package, as well as the NFL Sunday Ticket (now exclusive to YTTV).

Sling TV’s Orange plan only gets you ESPN and ESPN2, while its Blue plan includes FS1 and NFL Network; Orange + Blue gives you both pairs. Not a compelling lineup for sports fans until you factor in Sling TV’s Sports Extra add-on, which supplies differing sets of sports channels to Orange and Blue and a YouTube TV-competitive full package to Orange + Blue. Yes, Sling TV requires a bit of homework, but it can pay off in the end.

College Sports Networks

YouTube TV carries ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPNU, SEC Network, and truTV for college ball fans, while Sling TV has nada — until you factor in the Sports Extra add-on. As with the pro sports channels, Orange and Blue’s Sports Extras offer different sets of college sports channels, and Orange + Blue gives you all of them. Sensing a pattern here?

Pro and College Sports Networks comparison

Regional Sports Channels

Despite having varying arrays of sports channels, neither YouTube TV nor Sling TV offer dedicated regional sports networks (RSNs). So if your favorite team is playing a nationally televised game, you likely will be able to watch it on both of those services — and almost certainly YouTube TV.

However, if the game is only available via a FanDuel Sports Network or similar channel in your market, neither of these platforms will offer the game.

Included Features

On-Demand Library

Both YouTube TV and Sling TV make TV shows and movies from their channel lineups available on-demand, and both insert unskippable ads as annoying reminders to DVR your stuff beforehand.

YouTube TV and Sling TV also allow you to rent or buy recent and older video-on-demand movies for about the same price you’d pay with Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video.

Add-On Channel Packages

YouTube TV features over 60 add-on packages, from popular premium channels like Max, Paramount+ with Showtime, and AMC+ to niche outlets like Screambox, Acorn TV, and Magnolia Selects. For sports, YTTV offers the NFL RedZone with Sports Plus, NBA League Pass, and the now-exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket.

You can’t add HBO, Max, or Cinemax to Sling TV, but you can get Paramount+ with Showtime, Starz, and AMC+. Sling TV also offers over 25 add-on channels ranging from niche channels like MGM+, discovery+, and Shudder.

Sling TV also offers seven additional channel packs, including the previously mentioned Sports Extra, Entertainment Extra (Paramount Network, MTV, TV Land, and nine others for $6 per month), Kids Extra (Boomerang, Disney XD, Nicktoons, and three others for $6 a month), and Hollywood Extra (FXX, SundanceTV, TCM, and seven more for $6 monthly). Sling TV is nothing if not versatile.

DVR

YouTube TV includes unlimited cloud DVR storage that will keep your recordings for nine months with its subscription price. Sling TV is less generous, with only 50 hours of included DVR storage with the option to upgrade to 200 hours for an extra $5 a month. It may be inexpensive on the surface, but Sling TV’s myriad add-ons can add up quickly.

Simultaneous Streams and 4K

Why would Sling TV make things uncomplicated at this point? Follow along: Sling Orange gives you one stream, Sling Blue gives you three, and Sling Orange + Blue gives you four simultaneous streams. It’s as perplexing as why Sling Orange + Blue wasn’t labeled more simply as Sling Mauve.

Meanwhile, YouTube TV gives you three simultaneous streams—see how easy that is, Sling? Both YouTube TV and Sling TV offer limited 4K content (if your smart TV can handle it).

Device compatibility

Which is Right for You?

If you’re a current YouTube TV subscriber looking for a cheaper TV offramp, Sling TV can look appealing. Similarly, newbie cord-cutters only eyeballing the monthly price tags will likely not even consider YouTube TV over a less-expansive service.

Fair enough, if YouTube TV and Sling TV were similar live TV streaming services. But this isn’t just apples to oranges; it’s more like a Chinese takeout dinner and a buffet. YouTube gives you one complete channel lineup with a few bonus choices, while Sling TV gives you seemingly endless channel and feature options to build your own personalized TV experience.

If you’re a set-it-and-forget-it kind of TV viewer, the higher price of YouTube TV might be worth it to avoid the homework. But, if you want an exacting bang for your buck and go in with a battle plan, Sling TV could be far more rewarding.