How to Find the Best Alternative to Cable in 2021

Highlights — Launched in 2017, YouTube TV is a live streaming TV service that offers sports, news, and entertainment channels. YouTube TV took the number one spot on our list as the best alternative to cable and satellite TV for many reasons.

First, it has a familiar interface as we all have used YouTube at least a couple of times. Secondly, it offers various channels — entertainment, sports, and news. Lastly, it comes with unlimited DVR storage that keeps your recordings for nine months.

Let’s not forget that YouTube TV offers original shows and movies and broadcasts local news channels — ABC, CBS, PBS, and others.

Moreover, Youtube TV is a great choice for Gen Z since 89% of these neo-digital natives use YouTube at least once a week.

So why choose this service? In a nutshell, if you want the best cable TV alternatives that offer live TV, on-demand movies, unlimited DVR recording, original content, popular TV shows, local news channels, and YouTube videos — YouTube TV is worth considering.

Subscription plans — YouTube TV has only one subscription plan that costs $64.99 per month. It includes over 85 channels, from sports channels (ESPN, NBA TV, CBS Sports Network) to news (MSNBC, CNBC, BBC World News), lifestyle (Food Network, Nat Geo, Pop), and kids channels (Disney, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon).

Then again, if you’re a fan of Hallmark movies and History Channel, you’re in for a rude awakening as YouTube TV doesn’t offer these two channels.

On a positive note, Crown Media recently announced that Hallmark Movies Now, Hallmark’s video-on-demand service, became a part of the YouTube TV add-ons.

YouTube TV is the best alternative to cable for yet one more reason — you can pause or cancel the subscription at any time. So, if you need a breather after the heartbreaking Season 5 finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you can pause your subscription for up to six months and reactivate it without losing any of the recorded material.

On the flip side, if you cancel the subscription, your recordings will expire after 21 days.

Add-ons — YouTube TV offers dozens of add-ons, including the following:

• HBO, HBO Max ($15)
• Showtime ($11)
• Starz ($9)
• EPIX ($6)
• Hallmark Movies Now ($6)
• AMC Premiere ($5)

Highlights — Hulu, a cable alternative, was founded 13 years ago as a video-on-demand service, while the company launched its Hulu + Live TV service in 2017. Now, if there is one thing we all associated with this service in 2017, it was Hulu’s original, Emmy awarded TV series, The Handmaid’s Tale, based on the fantastic novel by Margaret Atwood.

As an online streaming service that’s all about original TV shows, Hulu + Live TV comes with two subscription plans that include more than 65 channels (ABC, TLC, Cartoon Network, and many others). Hulu’s program list is not limited to entertainment only as there are also sports channels, like ESPN, CBS, FS1, and FOX.

As you know, the best cable TV replacement doesn’t require cable boxes, and the same goes for Hulu. Furthermore, you can cancel your subscription at any time.

Subscription plans — Hulu offers two subscription plans — the one that includes ads and the one without them:

• Hulu + Live TV (with ads) — $54.99 per month
• Hulu + Live TV (without ads) — $60.99 per month

While both plans include popular channels like TBS, TNT, E! Entertainment, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, and Boomerang, melophiles might find its lack of MTV and VH1 channels disappointing.

Now, even the best cable replacement services won’t save you from skipping the ads. The only way to get rid of them is to subscribe to the no ads plan or to pay an additional $9.99 for an upgrade that will also increase your DVR storage from 50 to 200 hours.

Add-ons — Hulu offers various add-ons:

• HBO Max ($14.99)
• Showtime ($10.99)
• Cinemax ($9.99)
• Unlimited screens ($9.99)
• Starz ($8.99)
• Español add-on with Spanish-language live streams ($4.99)

Highlights — Philo, a cable TV alternative, was named after a television pioneer, Philo Farnsworth. Compared to other streaming services, Philo is one of the less expensive platforms that offers 60+ channels, with an emphasis on entertainment programs (cooking shows, cartoons, reality shows). In short, there are no sports and local news channels (except for the Motor Trend channel).

Not only is Philo one of the cheaper alternatives to cable TV, but it also has one exceptional feature — unlimited DVR. In other words, you’ll be able to save any program you want with no limitation. Be that as it may, all the programs you saved on the DVR will be deleted after 30 days, so make sure to keep track.

What’s more, there are no contracts whatsoever. To sign in, you just need to enter your email address or phone number. Finally, you’ll be able to cancel your subscription any time you want.

Subscription plans — Is Philo the best, most affordable replacement for cable TV? It looks that way. Philo comes with only one subscription plan that costs $20.00 per month. With the subscription, you’ll get about 60 channels, mostly entertainment (Animal Planet, Cooking Channel, Crime and Investigation). As stated earlier, Philo doesn’t offer sports and local news channels.

Add-ons — In the same fashion as other TV streaming platforms, Philo offers multiple add-ons. For example, if you’re a fan of movies, you can add Starz to your subscription for $9 or Epix channels for $6 to rewatch Hollywood’s Golden Era classics.

There is one downside, however. According to the reviews on the best alternative to cable, you can at times get a “Recording Disabled” error when trying to DVR a show. That is because the platform doesn’t have the rights to record that program or show where you live.

Highlights — Sling TV is a streaming service launched in 2015, and at first, its intention was not to be one of the alternatives to cable and satellite TV but to be a complement to online subscription-based services.

As is often the case, people behind Sling changed their minds in 2017 and joined the race for the number one spot in the online TV streaming industry.

Older folks among us remember how dull the installation of cable TV was and how it included receivers, cords, and other equipment. Luckily for us, Sling TV is like cable, but without the hard-line connection.

To put it differently, all you need is good internet speed (at least 25 Mbps) and a long wish list since you’ll be able to watch up to 50 cool channels on your smart TV, phone, or computer.

Subscription plans — When it comes to subscription plans, you can pick from the following:

• Sling Orange — $30 per month
• Sling Blue — $30 per month
• Sling Orange + Blue —$45 per month

As you can see, Sling is one of the affordable cable alternatives for live TV that offers its services for an attractive price.

Below, you’ll find an overview of each plan.

• Sling Orange. This package will allow you to watch 33 channels (ESPN, Cartoon Network, HGTV, and many others). Sling positions the package as the most suitable for large family gatherings and sports events.
• Sling Blue. This package for those keen on news and entertainment comes at the same price as the Orange plan. However, you get to watch more channels — 45 (SYFY, History Channel, USA Network, and many others). In other words, you’ll get the same channels from the Orange plan and a few more.
• Sling Orange + Blue. This customized plan includes nearly 53 channels. Not only are you getting the channels from the previous two plans, but you’re also unlocking a few more channels.

Even though you can save your favorite programs and movies, Sling doesn’t offer the best alternative to cable DVR storage. In other words, you’ll be limited to only 10 hours. So, forget about the 12-hour long Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Nonetheless, you shall pass if you upgrade the DVR cloud to 50 hours. It will only cost an additional $5.

Add-ons — Sling offers add-on packages that cost between $5–$15 per month. You can add any channel you like (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax) for an additional price.

Some of the add-ons include:

• Showtime ($10)
• Kids add-ons ($5)
• News ($5)
• Lifestyle ($5)
• Hollywood ($5)

Sling is one of the good alternatives to cable TV that offers the best customization at a low price. Furthermore, if you want, you can switch between the two plans. You won’t be charged for that.

Highlights — Watching an important game before the rise of the internet meant running all over the city, hitting countless sports bars, and begging baristas to allow you to watch a match while spending dollar after dollar on snacks and beverages.

Yet, it all changed with the arrival of the best alternatives to cable TV that gave us online streaming services like FuboTV. This young streaming service was launched in 2015. What started as a soccer streaming platform became one of the best all-sports streaming services.

Not only does FuboTV offer various sports programs, but it also provides most on-demand and some live programs in 4K. Interestingly, FuboTV launched its live streaming in 4K not that long ago — during the 2018 FIFA Men’s World Cup.

Furthermore, FuboTV was recognized as one of the best cable alternatives in 2019, thanks to its streaming of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Lucky subscribers were able to watch all matches in 4K. Thanks to FuboTV, they could witness the thrilling US vs. Netherlands finale where Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle brought the 4th World Cup title to the US.

Subscription plans — Fubo TV has three subscription plans:

• Fubo Standard — $59.99 per month
• Fubo Family —$64.99 per month
• Fubo Elite — $79.99 per month

All in all, Fubo might be the best alternative to cable internet, especially when it comes to sports channels, but compared to other streaming services, it doesn’t come cheap.

• Fubo Standard. This plan comes at a price of $59.99 per month. You’ll get 90 channels, 2 simultaneous streams, and 30 hours of DVR.
• Fubo Family. You’ll get 115 channels, 3 simultaneous streams, and 250 hours of DVR for $64.99 per month.
• Fubo Elite. Fubo’s best alternative to cable TV is its Elite plan that costs $79.99 per month. It comes with 162 channels, 1,000 hours of DVR, 5 simultaneous streams, and the Fubo extra package with 47 entertainment channels.

Another key point we need to mention when talking about the channels is the RSN (regional sports networks) accessibility. Long story short, the access to specific channels will depend on your location. On the bright side, you can watch national sports regardless of your location.

What’s more, according to cable alternatives reviews from 2020, August has marked the end of some channels on Fubo (TNT, TBS, CNN, Cartoon Network, and other Turner channels), and the beginning of others (ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN, FX, etc.).

Add-ons — Add-on packages include:

• Fubo Cycling for $11.99
• Sports Plus (Fox College Sports, Red Zone, Fight Network) for $8.99
• RAI Italia for $7.99
• International Sports Plus for $5.99
• Adventure Plus (Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel) for $4.99

Highlights — We decided to add AT&T TV NOW to our best cable alternatives list because of its diversity of subscription plans. Not only will you be able to choose one of the seven plans, but you’ll also get the chance to subscribe to the Spanish and international packages.

Put 500 hours of DVR into the bargain, and you’ll get yourself a pretty good deal.

Keep in mind that AT&T TV NOW (formerly known as DirectTV NOW) is not the same as AT&T TV. Unlike the latter, AT&T TV NOW is a cheaper and more flexible online service.

Subscription plans — AT&T TV NOW might be the best replacement for cable, but it’s not the cheapest. Here is a list of its subscription plans:

• • Plus — $55 per month, 45+ channels
  • Max — $80 per month, 60+ channels with more sports coverage
  • Entertainment — $93 per month, 65+ channels
  • Choice — $110 per month, 85+ channels
  • Xtra — $124 per month, 105+ channels
  • Ultimate — $135 per month, 125+ channels

• Premier — $183 per month, 140+ channels

• Optimo Mas — $86 per month, 90+ channels for Spanish speakers
• International packages — Vietnamese ($20 per month), Brazilian ($30 per month), and Korean channels ($30 per month)

At Capital Counselor, most of us are millennials who love tech and spend much money on the newest gaming consoles, and that’s why it took us by surprise that AT&T TV NOW is not compatible with our beloved boxes.

Add-ons — As mentioned in many alternative to cable reviews, AT&T TV NOW allows you to get the following premium channels:

• HBO Max ($15 per month)
• Showtime ($11 per month)
• Cinemax ($11 per month)
• Starz ($11 per month)
• EPIX ($6 per month)
• Movies Extra Pack ($5 per month)

Highlights — If you’re asking yourself what is the best alternative to cable that has family-friendly programs, meet Frndly TV. This service offers 15 channels that include live and on-demand content — from news and sports to movies and TV shows. The devices that support Frndly TV’s app include Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and Apple TV.

As mentioned above, this inexpensive service comes with family-friendly programs — another win for fans of Hallmark — that include the following channels:

• BabyFirst TV
• Game Show Network
• INSP
• Light TV
• Outdoor Channel
• PixL
• Sportsman Channel
• The Weather Channel

Subscription plans — A great alternative to cable, this internet-based service comes with three subscription plans:

• Basic — $5.99 per month (limited to one simultaneous stream, SD quality videos)
• Classic — $7.99 per month (two simultaneous streams, unlimited DVR recordings that are stored for three months, HD quality videos)
• Premium — $9.99 per month (four simultaneous streams, unlimited DVR recordings that are kept for nine months, HD quality videos)

Highlights — In a nutshell, the giants of the industry, T-Mobile, decided to create an alternative to cable TV — TVision. Since it’s a relatively new service (launched in November 2020), only T-Mobile customers can use it for now. However, it should become available to everyone in 2021.

If you’re a T-Mobile user that wants to learn how to watch TV without cable or satellite, you should try this new streaming service while it’s hot.

TVision currently offers more than 30 channels, including local ABC and NBC channels, sports channels like ESPN, and entertainment channels like AMC, TLC, Discovery, and Hallmark. On top of that, you can record 100 hours on your DVR that will be kept for nine months.

Subscription plans — When it comes to the subscription plans, you can choose from the following:

• Vibe — $10 per month, 34 channels
• Live TV — $40 per month, 35 channels
• Live TV+ — $50 per month, 65 channels
• Live Zone — $60 per month, 75 channels

We simply couldn’t steer clear of adding TVision to our “the best alternative to cable” list as it might become one of the cable replacements not only for T-mobile users but also for all other customers who want to cut the cord. That said, it remains to be seen if the prices will be the same for non-T-mobile users.

Add-ons — You can add premium channels like EPIX ($5.99), Starz ($8.99), and Showtime ($10.99).

Highlights — Even though Pluto TV is not the best replacement for cable TV, it’s one of the most popular streaming services because it offers more than 200 channels, and it’s free — no signing up and no monthly subscriptions.

You’ll be able to save your money on cable bills and watch online content by visiting Pluto’s website or downloading its app.

Pluto TV offers a decent selection of news channels (CNN, NBC News, CBSN), on-demand movies, and a few sports channels (Fox Sports, NFL Channel). Take into account that most programs are pre-recorded and not live content.

In addition to that, you can choose what to watch from the list of categories that include Movies, News, Sports, Comedy, Life + Style, and Geek + Gaming.

Special features — According to the alternative to cable reviews, Pluto TV has one unique feature that will put a smile on the faces of binge-watchers — channels that are dedicated to a particular TV show. For example, there’s a Star Trek channel, Hell’s Kitchen channel, and Classic Doctor Who channel.

Let’s not forget to mention the kid’s channels that include Dora TV, Nick Pluto TV, Totally Turtles (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles old and new episodes), Anime All Ages, etc.

When it comes to the on-demand content, you can use the 10-second fast-forward option, turn the captions on or off, and change the text’s color and size. On top of that, music enthusiasts will be excited to know that Pluto TV offers four MTV-branded channels.

Highlights — Xumo TV is straightforward when it comes to providing free live content. Its main philosophy is based on two words — install and browse. Moreover, if you want to find the best alternative to cable or satellite with the feel of conventional cable TV, you should definitely go with Xumo.

Not only is this a free service, but it also provides over 180 channels that fall into the following categories:

• Comedy
• Entertainment
• Kids & Family
• News
• Sports
• Movies

Be that as it may, since this is a free service, don’t expect to find premium channels like HBO.

Special features — Xumo is the best TV alternative to cable that comes with an intuitive mobile app. Unlike its website, Xumo’s app is modern and straightforward, and all the essential tools are displayed in the menu bar — On Now, Channels, Search, and Settings.

You can easily find any movie or TV show by genre, title, actor, etc.

In addition to that, there are a few interesting and unique categories you should check out, like CONtv (for Comic-Con fans) or Her Movies (a female-focused channel).