Live TV streaming services allow you to watch your favorite shows and sports for less than you’d pay for cable.
However, the streaming space is crowded, and choosing the best cable replacement can be challenging.
We compare DIRECTV STREAM vs. YouTubeTV to help you decide which platform is right for you.
Table of Contents
YouTube TV vs. DIRECTV STREAM: How Do They Compare?
Both streaming services with live TV offer similar features. For example, they let you watch local channels without cable.
Each service has 4K content, live TV, a live guide, and a long list of compatible devices. They also let you watch live sports without cable.
But, the available channels, plans and pricing, and simultaneous streams are different.
| Service | Price | Channels | DVR | Screens |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DIRECTV STREAM | $79.99 - $164.99 | 75 - 150+ | Unlimited | 20 |
| YouTube TV | $72.99+ | 100+ | Unlimited | 3 |
Choosing the best streaming service requires cord-cutters to analyze the details. We spent hours testing and comparing each service to help you pick the best option for your needs.
Price
Cost and content are two of the most important factors when choosing between video streaming services.
YouTube TV is simple. It has just one plan and one monthly price.
That plan includes an unlimited cloud DVR, more than 100 channels, and three simultaneous screens for $72.99 a month.
DIRECTV STREAM has four plans, all at different price points.
Entertainment, the base plan, is the cheapest option. At $79.99 a month, its channel lineup includes 75+ stations.
The Choice plan, which costs $108.99 per month, is closest to YouTube TV. There are more than 90 networks in its list of channels. But, it’s more expensive than YouTube TV.
The remaining two plans, Ultimate and Premier, cost $119.99 and $164.99 per month, respectively.
They offer more channels, including some premium ones. The Premier plan, for instance, includes all the Max, SHOWTIME, and STARZ channels.
All DIRECTV STREAM packages include unlimited cloud DVR storage for subscribers. You get to keep recordings for nine months.
When you compare the price of each service, they’re relative close. But, YouTube TV offers the best mix of channels and features for a better monthly price.
DIRECTV STREAM is close behind, if you choose its base plan.
If you want a cheaper option, Sling TV is one suitable alternative. Read our Sling TV vs. YouTube TV review to see how the two services compare.
Price winner: YouTube TV
Free Trial
DIRECTV STREAM offers a five-day free trial. YouTube TV provides a free trial occasionally, though it varies.
Additionally, it does extend deals from time to time, such as getting your first month for $14.99.
Free trial winner: DIRECTV STREAM
Channel Lineup
After price, nothing is more important than content when you cut the cord. Comparing the DIRECTV STREAM vs. YouTube TV channel lineup is critical.
While both services include all your local networks and a fair selection of on-demand content, there are major differences.
YouTube TV’s channel lineup offers over 100 channels, including 32 of the top 35 cable networks.
On the other hand, DIRECTV STREAM’s channel lineup includes 34 of the top 35 cable channels in its Entertainment package. Below is the base package channel lineup.
| Channel Name | Channel 2 | Channel 3 |
|---|---|---|
| A&E | ABC | AccuWeather |
| AMC | Animal Planet | AXS TV |
| Baby TV | BBC America | BET |
| Black News Channel | Bloomberg News | Boomerang |
| Bravo | C-SPAN | C-SPAN2 |
| Cartoon Network | CBS | CMT |
| CNBC | CNN | CNN En Espanol |
| CNN International | Comedy Central | Discovery Channel |
| Disney Channel | Disney Junior | Disney XD |
| E! | ESPN | ESPN2 |
| Food Network | FOX | Fox Business |
| Fox News | FS1 | Freeform |
| FX | FXX | Galavision |
| GEM Shopping Network | Hallmark Channel | Hallmark Movies & Mysteries |
| HGTV | History Channel | HLN |
| Home Shopping Network | IFC | Investigation Discovery |
| MTV | MTV2 | National Geographic |
| NBC | Daystar HD | Get TV |
| Nickelodeon | Newsmax | Paramount Network |
| QVC | Reelz | Revolt |
| RFD-TV | Sundance TV | Syfy |
| TBS | TCM | TeenNick |
| TLC | TNT | truTV |
| TV Land | Univision | USA |
| VH1 | Viceland | We tv |
Read our DIRECTV STREAM review for a full breakdown of the available channels.
The Choice plan includes all the channels in the Entertainment package plus regional sports networks (RSNs). Those channels are critical for some sports fans.
YouTube TV is missing A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, and Univision. DIRECTV STREAM’S Entertainment plan lacks the Travel Channel.
Unless you need RSNs, YouTube TV offers the most well-rounded channel lineup for the best price. While DIRECTV STREAM may have more channels, you’ll pay for them.
Channel lineup winner: YouTube TV
What Sports Channels Does DIRECTV STREAM and YouTube TV Carry?
Sports channels are a big reason why people stay with cable and satellite tv providers. Thankfully, you no longer need a cable package to watch your favorite teams.
Professional sports fans will love that YouTube TV includes NBA TV, NFL Network, and Turner channels. Plus, it offers all of the ESPN networks along with your locals.
DIRECTV STREAM is pricier, but it offers a competitive lineup of sports channels.
Here are the sports channels you’ll receive in each package:
Entertainment: ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, Turner networks, and Motor Trend
Choice: ACCN, BTN, ESPNU, ESPNews, MLB Network, NBA TV, SECN, and Tennis Channel
Ultimate & Premier: CBSN, FS2, Golf Channel, NHL Network, and Olympic Channel
Keep in mind that when you choose one of the higher-priced plans, you get all the channels in the lower-priced packages as well.
Sports channels winner: Tie
RSNs
While YouTube TV and other platforms like fuboTV offer some regional sports networks (RSNs), DIRECTV STREAM has more of them.
RSNs with the Choice package and above include:
- Altitude
- AT&T SportsNet
- Bally
- Fox Sports RSNs
- NBC Sports RSNs
- MSG
- NESN
- Spectrum SportsNet
If catching all of your local team’s games requires an RSN and that’s important to you, DIRECTV STREAM is your best bet.
*Related: Read our fuboTV vs. Hulu Live analysis to see how the two services compare.
Otherwise, go with YouTube TV. However, if you don’t need a live service the Bally Sports+ app is a good choice.
Read our review of the Bally Sports+ app to learn more.
RSN winner: DIRECTV STREAM
Do YouTube TV and DIRECTV STREAM Carry Local Networks?
Being able to watch local affiliates is important to many cord-cutters.
You’ll get access to your local ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, and the CW networks with both streaming services.
Local channels winner: Tie
*Feeling overwhelmed about which streaming service is best for you? Take our free quiz and find out in 30 seconds!
Premium Channels and Add-ons
YouTube TV is simple. It has only one plan and one price. It keeps add-ons simple as well by only offering two.
The YouTube TV 4K Plus upgrade costs $9.99 per month.
Subscribers receive 4K content, unlimited screens at home, and the ability to watch DVR recordings offline.
However, we think the price tag is steep for the content and features offered.
They also offer the Sports Plus add-on. It costs $10.99 per month and includes roughly 15 channels. NFL Redzone is the package’s main draw.
DIRECTV STREAM is different. With this service, you can add a Movies Extra Pack, Latino channels, and International TV packages with Brazilian, Korean, and Vietnamese channels.
If having access to international language channels is important to you, DIRECTV STREAM is your best bet.
Premium channels and add-ons winner: DIRECTV STREAM
Which is the Better Cloud DVR DIRECTV STREAM or YouTube TV?
A DVR keeps many people unwittingly locked in cable contracts. Thankfully, both live TV streaming services include an unlimited cloud DVR in their plans.
Fast-forwarding through commercials on recordings is a big plus for both services’ DVRs.
Both streaming platforms have unlimited DVR storage and recordings can be kept for nine months.
However, YouTube TV only allows you to record both new and reruns of a show. That makes it easy for your DVR to feel cluttered. DIRECTV STREAM is not that way.
Cloud DVR winner: DIRECTV STREAM
What are the Supported Devices?
The list of streaming media players that you can use to watch both the YouTube TV app and DIRECTV STREAM app is quite long.
Both streaming services are available everywhere. You can stream either cable alternative on Amazon Fire TV devices, Roku devices, Chromecast, Tivo Stream, and more.
You can also watch on smart TVs, iOS and Android devices, tablets, smartphones, and gaming consoles.
DIRECTV STREAM is similar, and works on many of the same devices. Because of that, we’re calling this a tie.
Supported devices winner: Tie
Which Service Has More On-Demand Content?
While both services have thousands of on-demand shows and movies, DIRECTV STREAM has more.
The Entertainment plan has 40,000+ on-demand titles. Choice has 45,000+, Ultimate offers 55,000+, and Premier advertises 65,000+ titles you can stream anytime.
By contrast, YouTube TV has far less. This might be because many on-demand titles are made available by networks.
Streaming providers are often limited to titles that networks make available along with their own original content.
YouTube TV has fewer channels than DIRECTV STREAM’s more expensive plans, which may partially explain why it has fewer on-demand titles.
On-demand content winner: DIRECTV STREAM
How Many Simultaneous Streams Do the Services Offer?
YouTube TV includes simultaneous streaming on three screens in its plan.
DIRECTV STREAM lets you stream on up to 20 devices at once. However, when you’re away from your home network, you are limited to streaming on up to three screens at a time.
Simultaneous streams winner: DIRECTV STREAM
How Many User Profiles Can You Create?
The ability to create multiple user profiles is a fixture of the streaming space. Most services offer it.
YouTube TV lets you create six user profiles. This is nice because you can personalize your viewing and recording experience.
Unfortunately, DIRECTV STREAM does not allow you to create user profiles.
The clear winner here is YouTube TV.
User profiles winner: YouTube TV
Which Service Has Parental Controls?
Both services offer parental controls, which is nice for families.
Each platform lets you block content and create settings for what kind of content is streamable.
However, since DIRECTV STREAM does not allow you to create separate user profiles, parental controls apply across the board.
With YouTube TV, you can create different permissions for different profiles. This is a clear advantage.
Parental controls winner: YouTube TV
Which Service Offers 4K Capability?
Neither service is great when it comes to 4K content. There’s not a lot of 4K content available to stream.
YouTube TV offers an extremely small number of titles from just seven networks, including Discovery, ESPN, Fox Sports, FX, Nat Geo, NBC Sports, and Tastemade.
Additionally, you have to pay $9.99 per month extra to receive the feature. Read our review of YouTube TV to learn more about the add-on.
If you purchase a DIRECTV streaming device for an extra fee, it will support streaming 4K content when available.
Still, at least as of now, DIRECTV STREAM does not offer any 4K content aside from what’s available through the proprietary device.
If 4K content is important to you, fuboTV is worth considering. With 130+ 4K sporting events and other content, fubo is currently the best option for streaming 4K content.
Read our Fubo vs. YouTube TV guide to learn how they compare.
4K content winner: Tie
What are the Respective Internet Speed Requirements?
Insufficient internet speeds can lead to a frustrating streaming experience. But, with proper speed, you can avoid pixelation and buffering.
YouTube TV recommends the following internet speed requirements:
| Video Quality | Min. Speed |
|---|---|
| SD | 3 Mbps |
| HD (1 TV) | 7 Mbps |
| HD (2+ TVs) | 13 Mbps |
DIRECTV STREAM suggests the following:
| Video Quality | Min. Speed |
|---|---|
| SD | 2.5 Mbps |
| HD | 8 Mbps |
Like all internet TV providers, the speeds listed are per stream and should be multiplied by the number of streams running at once.
Read our guide on the suggested internet speed for streaming to see how they compare to other platforms.
Internet speed requirement winner: DIRECTV STREAM
Is DIRECTV STREAM Better than YouTube TV?
If cost is your most important consideration, YouTube TV is the better choice.
However, if you’re an avid sports fan whose team’s games are aired on RSNs, DIRECTV STREAM’s Choice plan is better.
While both services offer a fantastic selection of pro and college sports networks, YouTube TV gives you what you need for a lower price (unless you need RSNs).
Better yet, YouTube TV’s plan and setup are simple. All features other than 4K content are included with the one monthly price.
Even though both have parental controls, the ability to set them by user profile is something only YouTube TV can offer.
DIRECTV STREAM has more on-demand content, if that’s your thing.
Overall, for its channel selection, price, features, and ease of use, we give the nod to YouTube TV.
Overall winner: YouTube TV
Other Cable Alternatives
The streaming space is filled with excellent options. Other platforms worth considering are listed below.
| Service | Cost | Channels | Streams | DVR | Rating | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hulu Live | $76.99+ | 85+ | 2 | Unlimited | 4.1/5 | Try |
| fuboTV | $79.99+ | 180+ | 10 | 1,000 hrs. | 4.2/5 | Try |
| DIRECTV STREAM | $79.99+ | 65+ | 20 | Unlimited | 3.7/5 | Try |
| Philo | $25 | 70+ | 3 | Unlimited | 4.3/5 | Try |
| Sling TV | $40+ | 30-50+ | 1-4 | 50 hrs. | 4.2/5 | Try |
| Vidgo | $69.99+ | 110+ | 3 | N/A | 4/5 | Try |
| YouTube TV | $72.99+ | 100+ | 3 | Unlimited | 4.2/5 | Try |
You can try any of these services to find the best option for your viewing needs.
Bottom Line
In the DIRECTV STREAM vs. YouTube TV battle, YouTube TV is our top choice. Its channels and valuable features like account profiles and the ability to record unlimited content are attractive.
YouTube TV’s solid sports offering and selection of top entertainment, lifestyle, and news cable networks make it an excellent option for anyone who wants to cut the cord.
How much do you spend on TV each month?
I’m Nicole Schmoll – a master’s-educated professional writer, mompreneur, and co-founder of Frugal Rules.
As a freelance copywriter in Omaha, I still believe that writing is an artistic expression. Every time I strike the keys, I intend to evoke a response from my listeners. I left my full-time career as a senior copywriter for an insurance agency to start my own freelance writing business.
I love watching and writing about TV (and how to stream it!)
