The trend of ditching cable TV for online streaming services is in full force, and for good reason: It’s cheaper, more convenient, and gives you more choice. And if you’re reading this now, chances are you’re also looking for alternatives to that pricey cable package you’ve got. But with so many cable-cutting options to choose from, how do you know which one is best for you?
Cord-cutting options for streaming services
We break down what you get with some of the most popular services.
1. Locast
Country: U.S.
Starting price: Free
Number of channels: Hundreds
Trial period: None
Locast gives you the freedom of streaming U.S. broadcast television online, without the need for a TV or an antenna—and for free.
In each of the 28 markets Locast covers, you’ll find affiliates of the big national networks ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, a quartet that tends to broadcast the country’s biggest events. This is particularly handy if you follow sports: you get NFL Sundays, NBA games, and Olympic coverage, as well as championships like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and the World Series.
The service’s website also includes a comprehensive TV guide for every market, which makes it easy to figure out what’s on when, and plan accordingly.
2. YouTube TV
Country: U.S. only
Starting price: 64.99 USD/month
Minimum number of channels: 32
Trial period: 5 days and up
One of the more premium services is YouTube TV, which gives you access to over 70 channels with live TV coverage, including 24-hour news networks like CBS, Fox, and ABC, and several major sports channels, including ESPN and MLB Network.
You can have up to six user accounts on a single subscription and stream simultaneously on three separate devices. YouTube TV is currently only available in the U.S., and local TV coverage will change depending on your ZIP code.
3. Sling TV
Country: U.S. only
Starting price: 30 USD/month (free for Sling Free)
Minimum number of channels: 32
Trial period: 3 days
Sling TV is also a good choice for those who want to ditch their cable provider and want more options at a cheaper price. There are three packages to choose from: Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and Sling Orange and Blue, and a variety of add-ons you can purchase for more channels.
Orange and Blue each have different selections of TV channels for you to watch, so be sure to check which one you’re more likely to use. With Orange, you can only watch on one device, but with the Blue subscription you can watch on three separate screens. If you pay 45 USD for the Orange and Blue subscription, you can stream on four separate devices simultaneously.
Sling Free is a limited service offering on-demand programs with about a dozen live sports and news channels—completely free.
4. AT&T TV Now
Country: U.S. only
Starting price: 55 USD/month
Minimum number of channels: 45
Trial period: 7 days
Previously known as DirecTV Now, AT&T TV Now is a somewhat expensive alternative to cable. Its standard “Plus” package includes popular cable channels like ESPN and National Geographic, while the pricier “Max” package has HBO and Cinemax. Other premium channels like Showtime can be added piecemeal, as can exclusive sports packages like NFL Sunday Ticket.
5. Hulu
Country: U.S. only
Starting price: 54.99 USD/month
Minimum number of channels: 65
Trial period: 7 days
Hulu is both a video on demand and live TV streaming service. Its VOD-only option starts at 5.99 USD/month, or 11.99 USD if you don’t want ads. But if you want Live TV along with on-demand content, you’ll need to pay 54.99 USD/month. The Live TV package lets you watch on unlimited screens and offers enhanced Cloud DVR to record any shows you might have missed. Additional premium channels can be added individually.
6. fuboTV
Country: U.S. (with limited services for Canada and Spain)
Starting price: 64.99 USD/month
Minimum number of channels: 90
Trial period: 7 days
If you’re only interested in catching the latest sports games, fuboTV will be all you need, covering over 30,000 events including NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL games. The Standard package has your favorite cable channels focusing on sports, news, and movies. Possible add-ons include Showtime channels and even more sports.
FuboTV also has a couple of add-ons: Cloud DVR for an additional 9.99 USD/month and the ability to stream on three separate devices at once for 5.99 USD/month.
7. Zattoo
Country: Germany, Switzerland
Starting price: Free
Minimum number of channels: 253 (30 in HD)
Trial period: 30 days (for Premium/Ultimate subscriptions)
If you live across the Atlantic and mostly watch European TV channels, Zattoo will be all you need. Zattoo is an internet TV platform that broadcasts various live TV and on-demand content. The service is available in Switzerland and Germany, but some subscribers can also access Zattoo throughout the EU and UK. With a staggering 253 channels to choose from with a free subscription, you won’t be short of European TV options.
8. TVPlayer
Country: UK
Starting price: Free
Minimum number of channels: 45
Trial period: 30 days (for Premium)
If you wanted more anglo-centric content, TVPlayer may have the best selection of channels for you. We counted about 45 channels, including free ones like BBC, and some that are only available with the Premium package, like ITV2, 3, and 4.
If you bump up your subscription to Premium, which gives you HD streaming on dozens of channels, you can pay 6.99 GBP/month or 69.99 GBP for the whole year.
The best live-streaming services in 2021
The best live-streaming service boils down to whichever one you’ll be using the most. Whether you’re watching your favorite team play or catching the local news, there are plenty of good cable-cutting options available that will not break the bank. And there’s always Netflix.
Also read: Parents’ guide to the 8 best streaming services for kids
Comments
I have a Roku device and YoutubeTV.
I like it until today when I had issues
I could not get into the YouTube Tv and I removed it now I can not find it
I’ll be called them tomm morning.
Ugh !!
I decided a long time ago that I would not pay for TV. I mostly watch the free movies on Roku, Tubi, Vudu, Crackle, Pluto, and various other smart tv apps. Yes, there is advertising, but that’s a small price to pay than what the streaming companies want. Honestly, the streaming companies should be paying us to watch their movies.
The higer cost is internet service which is needed for amost anything including streaming. How do I find that?
It’s weird because I pay $0 for Pluto TV with about 200 channels. Some of the channels have too many commercials but some have very view. I love the selection. I also pay $0 for USTV247 with a bunch of channels. I got HBO max free when I upgraded my cell phone making it a personal hotspot w AT&T for $10 a month or something. I use that for commercial free movies. I don’t plan on spending a dime on TV ever again. I don’t want to fund nonsense news and woke bs
If you want real free streaming you should d.l Stremio..all you can watch.
Combine that with o.b.s screen recording software,and save on local h.d.
Both are free downloads..but you need to use a v.p.n to be safe.
Just my 2 cents.
Got no grip against Sling here in N. Texas. Works fine 98% of the time! Got a memory sized Sling adaptor and remote on 3 TVs AND the Sling app on an IPad Pro and IPhone 10S Max.
watch ustvgo(dot) tv for free
Nice!!!!!
Hulu commercial free is going ip to $70.99 a month. That’s a $10 jump.
I was notified today that my Hulu + service is being increased to $70 beginning next month.
¡¡¡Satisfactorio!!! Es agradable , lo comprendo y siempre tengo segura mis cosas .
My husband and I are in our early 60s. We have a cable bundle bill of $236 per month. We are trying to cut our bills back because of retirement and this is way too much. We like to watch ABC, CBS, NBC, Bravo channel, OWN channel, TLC channel, lifetime channel, Hallmark channel, CNN, MSNBC, ESPN channel, western channel. We also watch YouTube channel. Can you tell me what would work best for us thank you
Probably youtube TV.
I so get your issue…. Not at retirement yet but I wanted my husband to be able to work at home and stop having to travel internationally for work. I dropped our cable internet and cable service and got the phone company’s internet for about 60 a month and we use YouTube tv and love it. It has all the channels you can think of and locals. It’s 64 a month and has cloud dvr to record my favs. I’m happy with it and it saves us about 120 a month!
YoutubeTV is increasing their monthly price. Going from $49.99 to $64.99. That’s quite a jump in my book and I’m shopping for other options.
I think compared to the other services, the $64.99 of Youtube is totally worth it. What isn’t mentioned in any of these is the amount of DVR storage you get with the service. YouTube gives you unlimited storage, meaning you can save anything and everything. And they keep it available for nine months. My wife works nights and saves all her favorite network programs. So yeah, the extra cost of Youtube TV is totally worth it.
youtube is owned by Google now….Not surprised they want to get their 25 million back..thru YOU
Just a quick comment to let you know that the price of YouTubeTV is $64.99 /month, not $49.99 /month!
Good spot, thanks Tim, I’ve just updated it.
From the top number 1 to 5 is the same price you pay in Canada if not more expensive with the high exchange rate of the USD.
Cutting cord in my mind it means STOP PAYING and getting FREE streaming channels like some others on your list.
Interesting article but as always it’s American tv that has so many options. I wish there were options for Canada. I hate paying for the crap cable we get
But Laura the thing is all of those options have the same programs as cable. The main reason I wanted to get rid of cable is the cost. It seems like they raise the price every other month. And most of these options are just as expensive as cable. Only now you have to deal with constant interruptions in your programs when they drop the signal. And they just blame you internet service when it’s a problem in their end. Netflix works fine 100% of the time. Sling used to work almost perfectly, but in the last month it’s terrible. Every few minutes the screen goes black. Not exaggerating at all. It’s terribke. I’m dropping them. And I refuse to pay the others $55-$75 a month. I’ll go back to cable until they get the glitches worked out of streaming live tv.
I’m glad to see i. Not the only one having issues with sling. All the other apps including Netflix work flawless, but sling has gotten so bad its unwatchable!
I completely agree with you! Sling is awful. I’d rather pay a little more for being able to watch something without Sling quitting.
Just want to add that Hulu & Sling along with a few other U.S based companies will sell your info to others & will get constant calls & text on everything. I hired an attorney on this to get it stopped but the way it is written in the contract your screwed.
You can thank the CRTC for that, Canada has poor options ,lack of competition high prices and all this for low content, content controlled by the CRTC which is forcing many Canadians to turn to VPN’s or outright piracy. Cable is controlled by Bell,Rogers and some smaller outfits that bleed us dry.
These are only of us or Europe. 😔
Thangyou
Cwill it work with amazon fire stick. How do I contact you.
Hi Annie, a VPN router will cover all your devices.