Summary
YouTube TV has more than doubled in price since its 2017 launch. When it first hit our screens, it was expensive, at 83 per month. It’s time to hit the cancel button and move to these much cheaper YouTube TV alternatives. Free TV streaming services Free streaming, free media server It doesn’t get cheaper than free, and there is an impressive selection of no-cost TV streaming channels for those who don’t mind sitting through ads. Here are some of my favorite options:
- Tubi: An ad-supported channel owned by the Fox Corporation. It boasts over 250,000 movies and TV show episodes across 78 channels and has content deals with Lionsgate and MGM.
- Pluto TV: Owned and operated by Paramount Global, Pluto TV offers plenty of live and on-demand content. Its parent company includes some of my favorite channels, including MTV, CBS, and Comedy Central, on the platform.
- Midnight Pulp: Cineverse’s channel for cult and genre film: horror, sci-fi, kung fu, and everything too weird for the mainstream catalogs.
- Plex: In addition to giving you your own personalized media library, Plex offers free, ad-supported live TV, movies, and TV shows. While the content may be limited, I like the interface and the convenience of having all my content in one well-organized place. However, if the free services don’t have what you want to watch, there are paid streaming options, too. Frndly Cheap streaming with loads of options If you enjoy live TV, with a focus on lifestyle channels and documentaries, Frndly offers an affordable service. Frndly has three plans:
- The basic plan, which costs $8, provides standard-definition viewing on one screen.
- For $10, the intermediate plan doubles the screens and includes a DVR service to save titles for up to three months.
- The 12 premium plan provides four screens and up to nine months of DVR storage. Frndly's channel selection is relatively modest compared to its more expensive on-demand counterparts, but as a cheap cable TV alternative, it still offers good value. Over 50 channels are available, including History, Ion, Hallmark, A&E, INSP, Game Show Network, and The Weather Channel. It also offers a sizeable selection of movies and local TV channels to keep you entertained. Philo Still half the price of YouTube TV At 25 per month, Philo is significantly more expensive than Frndly. However, it is less than half the price of YouTube TV and still feels like a premium service. Philo has heaps of brilliant features, with over 70 live channels, a DVR service with unlimited storage for up to one year, and over 100 free channels offering preprogrammed content. While it isn’t comprehensive enough to replace cable TV entirely, with few news channels and nothing to offer sports fans, Philo has plenty to justify its price tag. Channels include BBC America, BET, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central, Hallmark, SCI, Lifetime, and the Travel Channel, with AMC+ shows and movies added at no extra charge. You can navigate these via a user-friendly interface, though viewing quality maxes out at 1080p (no 4K), and some ads appear throughout Philo’s content. Sling TV One of the most comprehensive YouTube TV alternatives Cord-cutters looking for a cable TV alternative won’t find a better solution than Sling TV. At an entry-level price of 45, or you can get both for 20 monthly fee. The Now TV subscription has 40 live TV channels, Peacock Premium, and dozens of streaming channels to rival YouTube TV. Channels include lifestyle options like Hallmark, Cooking, Discovery, History, BBC America, Lifetime, Science Channel, Vice, and the Weather Channel. However, it lacks sports channels, and movies are not as well represented as on-demand streaming channels like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Benefits include up to 20 hours of DVR storage and a friendly UI for live and streamed content, with a nifty mini-guide that lets you channel surf while watching.