Comparing streaming services, such as Hulu Live vs YouTube TV and Sling vs AT&T TV Now streaming TV services gets complicated before you know it. Yes, even though many just look at Hulu Live and YouTube TV (which is adding football content but rising in price) those other two deserve consideration.

Picking the right one of these cutting the cord — the right one — will enable you to stream live TV without even worrying about what you left behind with cable. For example AT&T TV Now just added six regional sports networks, including 4 that are not anywhere else.

But overall, this buying decision is complicated as we were once limited to just cable, then a couple of services, and now your options for streaming live TV have grown significantly over the last year, as you can see in our Hulu with Live TV review and our YouTube TV review.

And while YouTube TV gets more expensive, our Sling TV review explains how that service's continues to make a compelling case with its low pricing. And while AT&T TV Now (formerly known as DirecTV Now) isn't exactly beloved, it's still ticking — and its price just dropped (in exchange for making HBO a paid upgrade).

Most of these options are $30 per month or more, though ISPs offer low-cost alternatives, like the $14.99 Spectrum Streaming.

But when it comes time to decide between the best streaming services, cord-cutters probably can't forget about the money they're spending on non-live services. Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus are on the cheap end, but they add up over a year.

More: Unblock region-restricted content with the best YouTube VPN

Hulu Live vs. YouTube TV vs. Sling vs. AT&T TV Now



Hulu with Live TV YouTube TV

AT&T TV Now Sling TV

Starting Price (per month)

$55 $65 (starting July 30, $50 until then) $55 $30 Channels (in entry-level package)

More than 60

More than 85 plus YouTube Red Originals More than 45 More than 30 DVR

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes On-Demand

Yes

Yes Yes

Yes

Device Support

Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Amazon Echo Show, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Computers, iOS, LG Smart TVs, Nintendo Switch, Roku, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4 Android, Apple TV, Chromecast & Chromecast-enabled TVs, Computers, iOS, Roku, Xbox One, Smart TVs, PS4 Amazon Fire, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Chromecast-enabled TVs, Computers, iOS, Roku

Amazon Fire, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Chromecast-enabled TVs, Computers, iOS, Oculus Go, Roku, select LG and Samsung Smart TVs

Simultaneous Streams

2

3 2

1 (with Orange), 3 (with Blue)

4 (in the $40 per month Orange/Blue)



Pricing and availability

The majority of these competitors have risen to at least $50 per month (if not more), while one is still affordable, meaning this is going to be one of the key places where you might make your decision in our Hulu Live vs YouTube TV vs Sling vs AT&T TV Now face-off.

Once $50 per month, YouTube TV will cost $65 starting July 30 -- a price hike YouTube revealed in a blog post that reminded us that it's adding 8 ViacomCBS channels (BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1) on June 30.

(Image credit: Hulu)

The YouTube TV base plan now includes more than 85 channels -- an increase of at least 15 channels from when it cost $50 per month. YouTube TV may be working on a package to rival Sling's customizable options, as the company notes "we are working to build new flexible models for YouTube TV users."

Hulu with Live TV costs $55 for its package of more than 60 channels, placing it in the middle of the pack, arguably in the sweet spot for many with a starting price that isn't the highest but still providing one of the stronger selections.

(Image credit: Google)

The most affordable option is Sling TV, which starts at $30 per month (formerly $25) for more than 30 channels. Sling, which currently discounts its first month to $20, currently offers the most surprising offer to entice people to try its service out. Sling TV, in a shot across the bow at YouTube TV, is now offering a 1-year price guarantee for new and existing customers.

AT&T TV Now just lowered its entry-level pricing, which it needed to. Now its charging $55 per month for 45 channels (still feels like a bad ratio), rather than $65 for $65 per month. HBO has been moved up to the more expensive $80 pricing tier.

YouTube TV offers six login accounts, but only three concurrent streams so while you can share it with your whole family, you might need to ask who's using it. Hulu with Live TV is slightly below that, starting with six profiles and two concurrent streams.

Hulu is the only one of these options with strong original programming (sorry YouTube TV).View Deal

AT&T TV Now offers up to 2 simultaneous streams.

Sling TV's entry level Orange package ($30 per month) offers one stream at a time, while its $30 Sling Blue includes three streams at once and its $45 Orange + Blue service allows four streams at once. For more details, check out our What Is Sling TV? page.



Sling TV starts at a more affordable price.

Verdict: Sling TV is the cheapest, and YouTube TV's increasing price and channel count keep it as the best dollars-to-channels ratio.

Supported devices

YouTube TV started off on a scant few devices but that's changed. It's now available for Apple TV, Roku boxes, sticks and TVs, Google Chromecast, Android devices and TVs running Android TV, iOS devices, Xbox One, Apple TVs via AirPlay and smart TVs from LG and Samsung.

It looks like YouTube TV will have prime placement in the upcoming Chromecast Ultra 2, thanks to a redesigned Android TV interface that includes a prominent Live tab. Just don't confuse it with the company's other paid subscription service: our YouTube Premium vs YouTube TV guide can help explain the difference.

(Image credit: YouTube TV)

Hulu with Live TV is available on Amazon Fire TVs and Fire TV sticks, Android devices, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS devices, LG Smart TVs, Macs, PCs, Rokus and the Xbox One. Hulu is also the only of these competitors to be available on the portable Nintendo Switch console. Hulu's now giving 1080p at 60fps streaming for select live channels, which is currently only on Xbox One and Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K. And it just landed on the PlayStation 4, making it one of the two live TV services on the console.

AT&T TV Now and Sling TV are available on Chromecast, 4th Gen Apple TVs, Amazon Fire TV devices, Roku, Android and iOS. Sling is also on select LG Smart TVs and the Oculus Go, compatible Samsung Smart TVs (including 2016 and 2017 models) and the Xbox One.

AT&T TV Now recently had issues with the Roku platform, finally returning for download in mid-May, after having been unavailable since January 1. Roku owners who had downloaded the app could still use it, but anyone who reset their Roku or bought a new one was out of luck.

Verdict: Device availability is pretty even, and Hulu and YouTube have done a lot to catch up.

Broadcast TV

One of YouTube TV's biggest features is live streams of the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and The CW). Hulu with Live TV is the competitor that stacks up the best here, offering all of those except for The CW.

(Image credit: YouTube TV)

Sling TV's $30 per month package includes live streams of Fox and NBC, while AT&T TV Now only guarantees video on demand content for ABC, FOX and NBC, with access to live streams differing by region.

YouTube TV includes Telemundo for Spanish-speaking audiences. Sling TV no longer offers Univision, though that channel is available on AT&T TV Now, which provides Video On-Demand access to Telemundo with live streams again varying by region.

CBS All Access — available starting at $6 per month — provides live streams of your local CBS station, along with access to a trove of on-demand movies and TV shows. Its current big show is Star Trek: Picard.

It should be noted that you can get local stations by simply buying an HD antenna for your TV, though that won't provide DVR or on-demand options (more on those later) to save shows for later.

Verdict: YouTube TV looks great for cord cutters worried about losing network TV channels, as does Hulu with Live TV (if you don't need The CW).

Live sports

Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV offer many of the same live sports channels you can find on its competitors, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN 3, ESPN News, ESPN U, SEC ESPN, Fox Sports, FS1, FS2, the Big Ten Network and the NBC Golf.

YouTube TV just NFL Network on top of its coverage of March Madness, MLB Postseason games, nationally televised NBA games, the NBA All-Star weekend events, NBA Playoff games, the PGA Championship and UEFA soccer.

The one sports channel that Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV offer that nobody else does is CBS Sports.

YouTube TV offers plenty of live sports but not NFL Network.

As for what you're missing, NFL fans will probably want to check out Sling TV's $25 per month Blue package, which has NFL RedZone from the NFL network as well as many Fox Sports channels. The new YouTube TV Sports Plus package is a $10.99 per month add-on that packs NFL RedZone, Fox College Sport, GolTV, FOX Soccer Plus, MAVTV, TVG and Stadium.

Sling TV also offers NBA League Pass as a $29 per month upgrade, allowing basketball fans to watch out-of-market games they'd normally miss. If you just need to follow one team, Sling TV subscribers can pay an extra $18 per month for Team Pass, which includes live regular season games, full game replays and audio broadcasts for one out-of-market team.

AT&T TV Now finally earned itself some applause by adding the following regional sports networks (entries marked with an * have never been on any streaming service):

AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh

AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain

AT&T SportsNet Southwest

Mid Atlantic Sports Network (MASN)

New England Sports Network (NESN)

Root Sports Northwest

AT&T TV Now places the MLB Network in its $110 per month Choice deal. You'll need its $124 monthly package called Xtra, to add NBA TV and the NHL Network.

If you're a sports fan first, above all other media, you'd be smart to consider FuboTV. Its entry-level package costs $54.99 per month, and while its first month is no longer discounted, the service offers a free 1-week trial period to see if it's right for you. Its value proposition is much stronger, with 85 channels included. TNT isn't one of those channels, which stinks for watching NBA live streams.

Verdict: Football aficionados will want Sling, though YouTube TV is becoming a compelling challenger -- and while Fubo seems more than capable now that it has ESPN, it's still lacking a little

Cable channels

The $55 per month you'd spend on Hulu with Live TV gets you a decent selection of cable TV channels, such as Bravo, Cartoon Network, Food Network and the History Channel. Unfortunately, it doesn't offer Viacom channels such as Comedy Central, BET, MTV and VH1. Oh, and Hulu just got a ton of the FX library available as video on demand content, including the hidden gem show Terriers.

YouTube TV ($65) costs more, but is a more complete cable replacement. Now that it's adding the Viacom channels to the likes of USA, FX, FXX, FXM, TBS, TNT, E!, Bravo, Syfy, National Geographic, Oxygen and the Disney channels, it could become the defacto option for those who can afford to pay a little more.

Sling TV's $30 per month packages gives you other channels such as Comedy Central, History, Food Network, IFC, the Travel Channel and A&E, as well as upstarts such as Viceland, El Rey and El Rey. AT&T TV Now's $65 per month deal includes many of those, as well as MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and VH1.

YouTube TV is finally getting ViacomCBS channels, such as MTV. (Image credit: YouTube TV)

In terms of cable news, YouTube TV includes CNBC, CNN, Newsy, Fox News and MSNBC. AT&T TV Now's entry-level packages offers all of those channels, save for Newsy, and Sling TV's $30 Orange package gives you CNN, BBC World News, Newsy and Bloomberg, and its $30 Blue package has those, plus Fox News, MSNBC and HLN.

If you'd rather just buy one channel and not a whole package, consider Amazon Channels, an ala carte alternative to subscription services.

Verdict: YouTube TV is offering the most-complete-looking array of programming (at a higher price0, and you can learn more with YouTube TV channels guide packs all the full details about that service.

DVR and on-demand

YouTube TV includes a cloud-based DVR service with an unlimited amount of storage, a perk none of its competitors can touch. We found that the services "makes it trivially easy to record shows you want," and that the competition "could stand to learn a thing or two from YouTube TV in this regard." YouTube TV also offers On Demand content, though not for all shows. YouTube TV just improved its DVR, allowing you to skip ads in programming recorded on CBS, Smithsonian and Pop TV.

Sling TV finally added its cloud DVR to its standard package, so you no longer need to spend $5 extra for saving shows. This tier is called Cloud DVR Free, and includes 10 hours of storage. Cloud DVR Plus is the next step up, and includes 50 hours of storage for $5 per month.

What's sweeter than unlimited DVR space? Full control of your recorded shows! Starting today, you can ️⏸, ⏪, & ⏩ through your @CBS, Smithsonian Channel, & POP TV favorites to your heart's content.December 2, 2019

Hulu with Live TV, though, beats Sling with 50 hours of Cloud DVR for free. Its paid DVR tier costs $15 more per month to bump you up to 200 hours.

Sling TV's DVR feature is in beta. (Image credit: Sling TV)

AT&T TV Now offers On Demand content available "within hours after a program airs" for "up to 20,000 shows and titles based on your subscription package." AT&T TV Now recently announced that the Beta version of its cloud DVR service will soon exit beta testing, ending the free 100-hour tier, and switching those users to 20 hours, specifically the most recently recorded 20 hours in an account. Once we see this DVR move out of beta, we'll update this section of our Hulu Live vs YouTube TV vs Sling vs AT&T TV Now face-off.

Verdict: YouTube TV is the best for those who can plan ahead and record, and even offers content for catching up. Hulu's DVR is close, but capped at 50 hours of content.

Bottom line

The Hulu Live vs YouTube TV debate is real because the two are ever-close top contenders, but it's hard to say which is the champ without knowing what you're looking for. If you're on a tighter budget, you'll lean Hulu, but YouTube TV's increasing number of channels (ViacomCBS was a glaring hole) is improving its legitimacy -- at a higher price.

But if you need broadcast TV and live sports and want a super-simple Cloud DVR, both will certainly suffice. Many, though, see Sling's customization and lower entry fee, plus its 1-year price lock guarantee, as the best way to cut the cord. If you always dreamed of an ala carte TV future, you're better off with carving out your own version of Sling TV.