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Free TV Streaming Services
After YouTube TV ramped its price up to $82.99 per month in January 2025, I hit the cancel subscription button almost instantly. Now, I’m switching to these cheaper YouTube TV alternatives and barely missing any programming from my old subscription.
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Free TV Streaming Services
It doesn’t come 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: This is 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 has some of my favorite channels, including MTV, CBS, and Comedy Central, contributing to the platform.
- Plex: In addition to providing you with 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.
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Frndly
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 for one screen only.
- 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.
The channel selection on Frndly is relatively modest compared to its more expensive on-demand counterparts, but as a cheap cable TV alternative, it still represents good value. Over 50 channels are available, including History, Ion, Hallmark, A&E, INSP, Game Show Network, and The Weather Channel. There is also a sizeable selection of movies and local TV channels to keep you entertained.
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Philo
With a $28 monthly starting price, Philo is significantly more expensive than Frndly. However, it is still less than half the price of YouTube TV and still feels like a premium service. Philo has heaps of brilliant features, with over 70 channels, a DVR service with unlimited storage for up to 30 days per title, 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 offers enough to justify its price tag. Channels include BBC America, BET, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central, Hallmark, SCI, Lifetime, and the Travel Channel. These are navigable via a very user-friendly interface, although viewing quality maxes out at 1080p, with no 4K streaming, and some ads are placed throughout Philo’s content.
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Sling TV
Cord cutters looking for a cable TV alternative won’t find a better solution than Sling TV. At an entry-level price of $45 per month, it’s certainly not cheap, with extra costs added for services like DVR storage and additional channels. With that said, Sling TV is one of the most comprehensive YouTube substitutes, with plenty to shout about.
Two plans are available on Sling TV: Orange and Blue. Each costs $45, or you can opt for both for $60 monthly. The Orange plan is ideal for sports fans, with ESPN in glorious 4K and ESPN2 and ESPN3 as standard. The Blue plan is more network TV-oriented, with Fox, NBC, and ABC available. This distinction aside, subscribers will receive between 35 and 46 channels, with the most popular movie and TV services available on both plans.
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Now TV
If you are an Xfinity internet subscriber, you can add Now TV to your package for an additional $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 many lifestyle options, including 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.
