What is best for cutting cables?

YouTube TV and Sling TV are two of the most popular live streaming platforms, and one of them may be your best bet for ditching cable. Whether you need lots of channels or are more of a budget-conscious viewer, we’ll help you decide which option is best for your situation.

Best value for money: Sling TV

If you want major networks, Sling TV’s price can’t be beat. Philo costs less, but there’s no option for local networks and you’ll miss out on most major channels. Sling TV offers many must-have networks like ESPN and Bravo. Pricing starts at $40 per month, or $45 if you have access to local channels. ABC, NBC, and Fox are available in some markets.

If you want to combine Sling Orange and Sling Blue, the company’s $40 plans, you can do so for just $55. This will give you 46 channels. In addition to its low price, Sling TV usually offers a discount for the first month. You can usually save at least half.

For comparison, YouTube TV costs $72.99 per month. While you get over 100 channels, which is way more than Sling TV, it also doubles your entertainment budget. YouTube TV doesn’t offer as many discounts for new customers, but you can get a cheaper price on NFL Sunday Ticket if you’re a YouTube TV customer.

Best for Flexibility: Sling TV

Since Sling TV starts at such a low price, it doesn’t hurt to add extras – and there are plenty of them. These include Sports Extras, Entertainment Extras, News Extras, and Kids Extras. Prices for these extras start at just $6. If you add the Lifestyle Extra and News Extra to your plan, you’ll have 20 more channels for just $12.

Sling TV offers three different plans and dozens of add-ons, making it easy for you to change your plan as needed – up to once a month.

YouTube TV also offers some extras, but they tend to be more expensive. NFL RedZone with Sports Plus costs $10.99 and the Entertainment package costs almost $30. Overall, there are fewer ways to customize a package. However, YouTube TV does let you reorder the channels in your program guide using a browser.

You can also remove channels you never watch. This could improve the user experience by ensuring that your favorites are at the top when you switch to the live screen and your grid isn’t cluttered by a bunch of networks you don’t need.

Best for sports fans: YouTube TV

YouTube TV is better for sports fans because it has more channels, and many of them cover everything from hockey to college football. The platform’s basic plan gets you ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, ACCN, SEC Network, NHL Network, NFL Network, and other channels for professional and college games.

Sling TV makes it difficult to access college sports networks because they’re all included in the sports add-on. Some channels, like FS2, aren’t available on Sling TV at all. If you want to watch live network games on the weekend, you’re out of luck unless you’re in an area with local channels. You won’t be able to get Sunday Night Football on NBC, for example.

Another reason YouTube TV wins in this category is because YouTube and YouTube TV are the only places to get NFL Sunday Ticket. If you already have a YouTube TV plan, you’ll get a significant discount. The price of Sunday Ticket has been reduced by $100 for YouTube TV subscribers for the 2024-2025 NFL season.

Best for local channels: YouTube TV

If you’re a big fan of primetime dramas, comedies, and live events, YouTube TV is usually a better choice. All local networks are included in your basic plan, so you get ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and The CW.

On the other hand, many Sling TV customers don’t have the option to receive local networks at all. Where they are available, only local channels NBC, ABC and Fox are offered. CBS is not available. Receiving local networks will also add $5 to your monthly bill.

A side note: Sling TV offers a free OTA antenna to its customers. Taking advantage of this offer may allow you to receive local channels if the signal is strong enough.

Best overall: YouTube TV

Overall, YouTube TV is the better option if you can afford it. It offers an experience more similar to traditional cable TV. If you’re looking for a true cable replacement, YouTube TV offers a channel list that feels more familiar. You don’t have to add extras to recreate the cable guide you’ve come to know and love.

YouTube TV also has unlimited cloud DVR, and you have to pay Sling TV $5 per month just to upgrade from 50 hours of cloud DVR storage (the standard offering) to 200 hours.

YouTube TV also lets you upgrade to unlimited streams, making it ideal for larger households. This plan allows you to allow every family member to watch what they want at the same time. Three additional streams are allowed outside of your home network. Sling TV offers a maximum of four simultaneous streams with the Sling Orange & Blue plan. On the plus side, the location of your streams doesn’t matter with Sling.

Finally, YouTube TV has a broader on-demand library. Although neither platform creates original content like Hulu + Live TV, you’ll find many more series and movies on YouTube TV.

YouTube TV offers a 20-minute free trial, while Sling TV doesn’t. You’ll have to put in the effort to get started, but there’s no serious commitment. Neither Sling TV nor YouTube TV require you to sign a long-term contract. Both services run on a month-to-month basis. If you try one service and don’t like it, you can simply cancel it and try the other platform.