One of the main reasons people drop cable TV is to save money. Philo understands that and put together a streaming package with several popular entertainment TV channels for a very low price.

Philo Review Summary Monthly Price $20 DVR No Limit if recording watched within 30 days # of Screens 3 Channels 60+ (AMC, A&E, Discovery, MTV, HGTV, and more) Streaming Quality 720p for live TV streaming, on-demand at 1080p Device Support iOS, Android, Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, and more Free Trial 7-days , no credit card required Philo is a quality streaming service that is extremely affordable. While I want to give it 5 stars for streaming quality and affordability, I have to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars due to the lack of some important channels. However, that is how Philo keeps it’s service affordable.

What Is Philo?

Philo is a live TV streaming service that allows you to watch TV channels typically found on satellite and cable TV. (channels like AMC, A&E, and Discovery) Philo differentiates itself from other live streaming services by focusing on entertainment channels instead of news and sports channels. You can watch these channels live as they air through the Philo app on supported streaming and smart devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Android, and more.

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How Much does Philo Cost?

Philo is an affordable $20 per month for 60+ Live TV Channels, a cloud DVR to record your favorite shows, on-demand, and more. Philo keeps costs low by not carrying expensive news and sports channels.

Philo also offers a free trial without having to provide a credit card. Combining Philo with a cheap internet plan can save you a lot of money on cable.

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Philo TV Channels

Philo offers a single subscription plan for $20 (they provide a 1-week free trial). Below is the full listing all the channels you receive with the $20 subscription.

Philo Add-On Premium Channels

Philo recently introduced the ability to add Starz and Epix to your Philo subscription.

You can add STARZ for $9 more per month. This provides access to live and on-demand STARZ, STARZ ENCORE, and STARZ Kids & Family.

You can add EPIX for $6 more per month. This includes access to live and on-demand EPIX, EPIX Hits, and EPIX2

Existing customers can add these channels through their Account page online and clicking Subscribe next to the EPIX or STARZ channel package.

Channels Not on Philo

Philo keeps it’s price low by not carrying expensive sports and news channels. Here are some things to keep in mind about Philo’s channel lineup:

To give you an idea of what cable channels may be missing from Philo, check out the top cable channels below:

Philo TV Free Trial A&E ✓ AMC ✓ BBC America ✓ BET ✓ Bravo ✗ Cartoon Network ✗ CNN ✗ Comedy Central ✓ Discovery ✓ Disney Channel ✗ Disney Junior ✗ E! ✗ ESPN ✗ Food Network ✓ Fox News ✗ Freeform ✗ FX ✗ FXX ✗ Hallmark ✓ HGTV ✓ History ✓ Investigation Discovery ✓ Lifetime ✓ MSNBC ✗ MTV ✓ Nickelodeon ✓ Paramount Network ✓ Syfy ✗ TBS ✗ TLC ✓ TNT ✗ Travel Channel ✓ truTV ✗ USA Network ✗ VH1 ✓ WE tv ✓

It’s incredible how affordable streaming TV online can be once you eliminate all the sports channels. I know quite a few cord-cutters that have been waiting for a service just like Philo. However, Philo isn’t for everyone. Aside from no sports channels, there aren’t any Disney, FOX, CBS, or NBCUniversal-owned networks. That could be a deal-breaker for some.

Need Other Channels?

If you don’t see the channels you are look for on Philo, you may want to look at the channel list from other live TV streaming services in the list below:

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Philo Video and Sound Quality

Philo TV streaming in high definition HD video. Live TV streaming on Philo has a video quality up to 720p with on-demand video streaming at up to 1080p. Video quality will adjust depending on your home internet bandwidth. According to Philo support, the following are the recommended speeds as they pertain to video quality:

13 Mbps – Recommended for reliable HD streaming, even with multiple streams or other devices using the same network.

– Recommended for reliable HD streaming, even with multiple streams or other devices using the same network. 7 Mbps – Stream one HD video. If multiple devices are streaming or using the network at the same time, there may be buffering issues.

– Stream one HD video. If multiple devices are streaming or using the network at the same time, there may be buffering issues. 3 Mbps – Stream SD quality video.

– Stream SD quality video. Under 3 Mbps – Video quality is reduced. Philo may load slowly or rebuffer.

Philo On-Demand

Philo offers some on-demand. Like cable TV on-demand, each TV Network chooses what shows and episodes are available to Philo On-Demand. Philo does have some on-demand, but it’s limited to what the specific channel offers. In most cases the current season of popular shows will be available, but that isn’t always the case. see here for more information.

Philo subscribers can also use their Philo username and password to access over 30 TV everywhere apps. Just download the channel’s app and use your Philo login credentials as your TV provider login. That will provide access to on-demand content through various TV apps like A&E, AMC, BBC America, and more. This makes Philo a great way to catch up on shows like Killing Eve.

The following list are TV Everywhere Apps are supported on Philo:

A&E

American Heroes Channel

AMC

Animal Planet

BBC America

BET

Comedy Central

Cooking Channel

Destination America

Discovery Channel

Discovery Family

Discovery Life

DIY Network

Food Network

fyi

Game Show Network

Hallmark Channel

HGTV

History Channel

IFC

Investigation Discovery

Lifetime

Motor Trend

MTV

Nickelodeon

OWN

Paramount Network

Science Channel

Sundance

TLC

Travel Channel

VH1

Viceland

WETV

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Philo DVR

Yes. Philo’s $20 price includes a cloud DVR. Philo allows you to record any number of shows and saves each recording for up to 30 days. Storage is unlimited as long as you watch within 30 days of recording the episode. You can also set a series to record, so there isn’t much DVR maintenance with Philo’s cloud DVR. Just be sure to watch your recordings in 30 days.

Pause Live TV with Philo DVR

Philo allows you to pause and rewind live TV. While Philo TV is live, you are watching a recorded copy of the live feed. Due to the way Philo works, you can watch a show within three days of it airing, even if you forgot to mark it to record.

How To Record Shows on Philo

It’s easy to record a show with Philo. Simply follow the steps below:

Search for the show you wish to record and select the show to view its profile page. Select the “RECORD NEW” button to record all upcoming, new episodes of the show. Select the “RECORD ALL” button to record any upcoming episode, even if it is a re-run. Episodes scheduled to record are indicated by the red record icon.

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Philo Device Support

You can watch on up to three devices at the same time. Philo is supported on Mac and PC on a web browser, Apple iPhone and iPad (running iOS 9 or newer), Android phones and tablets (running 5.0 or newer). They also support Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, and Roku. Philo plans to support more streaming devices soon.

Philo Frequently Asked Questions

Is Philo free?

No. While Philo offers a 1-week free trial, the service costs $20 per month. However, you can try the service for the first 2 days by just using a valid phone number. After 2 days you will have to enter payment information to extend the trial to it’s full one week. If you cancel before the 1-week trial ends you will not be billed. You can sign up for the free trial here..

Does Philo have ESPN?

No. Philo does not carry ESPN or any other live sports network. To find a way to watch ESPN check out this article: How To Watch ESPN without Cable.

Is Philo on Roku?

Yes. Philo supports the following Roku devices: Roku TV, Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere+, Roku Premiere, Roku 4, Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku Express+, Roku Express, Roku Streaming Stick+, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku 1, Roku SE, Roku LT

How To Cast Philo to Chromecast?

Subscribers can cast from the Philo app to Chromecast devices 2nd generation or later (i.e. firmware 1.42 or higher) using Philo’s Android (Link opens in a new tab)mobile app.

Does Philo have commercials?

Philo is a live streaming service. Therefore there are commercials just like all other live TV services. However, the Philo DVR does allow you to skip commercials.

Is Philo on Smart TVs?

Currently Philo only supports Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV Smart TVs. Philo does not support Samsung Smart TV, VIZIO Smart TV, and LG Smart TV.

Can You Watch Philo on a computer browser?

Yes. You can watch Philo on Chrome, Edge, FireFox, and Microsoft Edge Broswers

How to cancel Philo?

If you are in the first 2 days of your trial and haven’t given your payment information then Philo will cancel automatically after the first 2 days. However, after the first two days you have to go to your Philo Account Page, then log in. On your account page you should see a “Cancel my account” link at the bottom of the page.

Is there more than one Philo plan?

No. Philo offers one plan that provides 60+ channels online for just $20 per month. They used to have another plan with less channels for $16, but that plan has been discontinued.

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Philo Bottom Line

Philo is a quality streaming service that is extremely affordable. While I want to give it 5 stars for streaming quality and affordability, I have to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars due to the lack of some important channels. However, that is how Philo keeps it’s service affordable.

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