Having access to live sports is essential for many cord-cutters. This is why some people are ditching cable and opting for fuboTV.
However, recent price hikes may cause the platform to be too expensive for you. Thankfully, there are several fuboTV alternatives that offer comparable levels of service.
This guide reviews the top streaming services with live TV you may want to consider.
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What are the Top Fubo Alternatives?
If you want to cancel fuboTV, finding what you want is easier than you might think. Similar live TV streaming services can meet your needs.
As a preview, here are the top five fuboTV competitors we’ve tested. Nearly all of them are priced lower than the $79.99 plus RSN fees you will find at fuboTV.
All options have similar compatible devices, including Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku. If you have a newer smart TV, all you need is high-speed internet.
| Service | Cost | Channels | Locals? (Y/N) | DVR | Try |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fubo | $79.99+ | 180+ | Y | 1,000 hrs | Try |
| Sling TV (O+B) | $55+ | 50+ | Varies | 50 hrs | Try |
| DIRECTV STREAM | $79.99+ | 70+ | Y | Unlimited | Try |
| Philo | $25 | 70+ | N | Unlimited | Try |
| Hulu Live | $76.99+ | 85+ | Y | Unlimited | Try |
| YouTube TV | $72.99+ | 100+ | Y | Unlimited | Try |
Here are the top five alternatives to fuboTV.
1. Sling TV
Sling TV is the most affordable fuboTV alternative. The service has two base packages – Orange and Blue.
Both base plans cost $40 a month, or you can combine them for $55 a month.
The Orange channel lineup has roughly 30 channels, and Blue has just over 40. You receive approximately 50 channels with the combined package.
Orange is best for sports since it lets you watch ESPN without cable. Blue has Fox Sports 1 (FS1). If you want sports, Orange is best. Blue is best for lifestyle and news content.
Sling is the closest to an à la carte TV streaming service. It offers 11 different add-on packages you can purchase, starting at $6 per month.
Most add-ons include at least eight to ten live TV channels.
The platform is able to keep its prices low since it only offers some local stations in a few select markets. You can pair a membership with an over-the-air antenna and save potentially $35 or more a month.
Sling TV doesn’t typically offer a free trial, though it does offer various money-saving promotions for new users.
Read our Sling TV review to learn more.
2. DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM is one of the top streaming apps like fuboTV. It has four packages that start at $79.99 and top out at $164.99 a month.
The higher-end packages include premium channels and are close to a cable-like experience. Entertainment, the base plan, has roughly 70 popular networks, including local channels.
What makes DIRECTV STREAM similar to fuboTV is that it has regional sports networks (RSNs), including Bally Sports. You must subscribe to the Choice plan at $99.99 a month to get these.
This monthly subscription price is similar to Fubo, when you include its RSN fees, but there is one significant difference. DIRECTV STREAM has the Turner networks, while fuboTV doesn’t.
However, DIRECTV STREAM doesn’t have the NFL Network. Fubo does.
Like other premium cable TV alternatives, DIRECTV STREAM includes an unlimited DVR. It also boasts 20 simultaneous streams.
DIRECTV STREAM offers a five-day free trial to test its service.
Read our DIRECTV STREAM review to learn more.
3. Philo
Philo is your best choice if you have a limited television budget and want to save money. The satellite TV alternative costs just $25 per month.
This platform is able to do that because it doesn’t carry live sports or local channels. Both are expensive for streaming services to offer.
Don’t let the low price fool you, though, as it carries over 70 networks of live programming. Its wide selection of channels specializes in entertainment and lifestyle content.
Furthermore, the discount service has a robust user interface and unlimited cloud DVR. However, it doesn’t offer parental controls found with other services.
We did not experience buffering in our testing, making it a reliable platform to watch popular TV shows.
If you want an even more affordable service, Frndly TV is a suitable alternative starting at $7.99 a month. It has a similar lineup of channels with the same focus.
Philo TV offers a seven-day free trial to test the service.
Read our Philo TV review to learn more.
*Related: Do you want to cut the cord on cable but don’t know the best service? Take our free cord-cutting quiz to see which app is best for you.
4. Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV is a well-known service that lets you stream TV online. The service is a bit cheaper than fuboTV, costing $76.99 a month.
Hulu Live carries almost 90 popular channels, including local broadcast affiliates and sought-after sports networks.
All subscribers also receive the Disney bundle with their plan. This includes Disney+ and ESPN+. You get original content from Hulu as well as Disney+.
If you find that you don’t need live TV, it’s possible to downgrade to Hulu on-demand.
Hulu streams ABC and FOX shows the day after they air live. You also get access to the same original and on-demand content.
Like other premium services, Hulu Live includes an unlimited DVR and six user profiles. Unfortunately, Hulu Live doesn’t offer a free trial.
Read our Hulu Live review to learn more.
5. YouTube TV
With over five million subscribers, YouTube TV is the most popular live TV streaming service. YouTube TV also recently increased its price to $72.99 per month.
The service has over 100 networks and is a good option for streaming TV. It’s the closest you can get to cable, with a lower cost and no contract.
YouTube TV carries local networks, plus dozens of popular sports and lifestyle channels. In the fall of 2023, the service will have NFL Sunday Ticket.
The platform offers a family-sharing perk. You can create up to six profiles. Each profile gets its own unlimited DVR so that everyone can record their favorite shows.
This is a bit better than the 1,000 hours of DVR capacity you will find at fuboTV. Read our YouTube TV vs. fuboTV analysis to learn more about how the two services compare.
Another feature that sets YouTube TV apart is that it makes it easy to get everything you watch on its platform.
You can subscribe to different platforms within the YouTube TV app. This lets you stream movies and TV shows online, all in one place, similar to cable.
YouTube TV offers a seven-day free trial, though it often extends it to two weeks.
Read our YouTube TV review to learn more.
Common Questions About Fubo
Fubo is an excellent choice to stream live channels, especially for sports fans. However, it may not fit your needs.
Here are some common questions we receive from readers about the streaming service.
Why is Fubo So Expensive?
Fubo is costly because it carries two expensive offerings, including live sports and local channels. Both are high-priced, and they must pass this expense on to customers.
Fubo, and all live TV streaming apps that carry locals, are charged a broadcast retransmission fee of over $20 a month. This cost is in your monthly subscription price.
Using an over-the-air antenna to watch TV shows on local networks is a fantastic way to avoid that fee.
Sports channels are also expensive to carry. FuboTV has over three dozen in its base package, causing the high cost.
Read our Fubo review to learn more.
Is There a Free Version of Fubo?
There is no free offering for Fubo. The service does provide a seven-day free trial to all subscribers to test the app.
The company does have a lower-price offering, Fubo Latino. It costs $34.99 a month and includes 50 channels of Spanish-language content. However, there’s no free version of the app.
What is the Downside of Fubo?
Fubo is a fantastic service if you want to try cord-cutting. It works with most streaming devices, has many popular channels, and all you need is internet service to watch content.
It’s also one of the most expensive services on the market. If you live in an area that is covered by an RSN, you will face an additional $10.99 or $13.99 fee.
This brings the cost to almost $90 a month for its base plan, fuboTV Pro. If you love various live sports, it might be worth it.
But, it doesn’t currently include the Turner networks, which many sports fans want.
Outside of that, it’s a good but costly service.
Bottom Line
There is a lot of competition in the streaming space. Fubo is a good service, but it’s expensive. Fortunately, the platform is not your only option..
When looking at fuboTV alternatives, consider what is important to you. It’s possible to watch what you want for less, but you may need to do some work to find the best choice for your needs.
How often do you change streaming providers?
I’m John Schmoll, a former stockbroker, MBA-grad, published finance writer, and founder of Frugal Rules.
As a veteran of the financial services industry, I’ve worked as a mutual fund administrator, banker, and stockbroker and was Series 7 and 63-licensed, but I left all that behind in 2012 to help people learn how to manage their money.
My goal is to help you gain the knowledge you need to become financially independent with personally-tested financial tools and money-saving solutions.
