If Philo doesn't offer the kind of channel line-up you need (including sports and local broadcast networks), you may want to check out a few alternatives: Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, or DirecTV Stream. And if you're a fan of the Discovery, Inc. channel lineup, you can get them all with the new Discovery+ streaming service.
We also created extensive, free TV guides for every major cord-cutting service. Use channel guides for Fubo, Sling TV, YouTube TV others to view currently-playing and upcoming programs using almost any device and without a service subscription.
Sling TV: Best low cost Philo alternative
Source: Sling TV
Sling TV is available either in the “Orange” package or the “Blue” package. Both of these packages are viable alternatives to Philo. Want more information? Take a look at our Sling TV review.
Sling TV pricing and packages
You can overspend with Sling TV if you're not careful, but it's hard to not see the price benefits versus other competitors, like DirecTV Stream. Depending on which package you choose, you'll get between 30-40+ channels.
Sling Orange
$20 off your first month
- 30+ channels
- ESPN
- Stream on one device
$45.99/month
Sling Blue
$20 off your first month
- 40+ channels
- Local channels in select cities
- News and entertainment
- Stream on three screens
$45.99/month
Sling Orange & Blue
$20 off your first month
- General cable replacement
- 45+ channels
- Stream on three screens
$60.99/month
Alongside that, you can pick some add-on channel packages that can significantly increase your number of available channels.
Sling TV channels
The Orange Package includes a pretty good selection of channels, including ESPN and other sports channels that are not offered in any of Philo’s package options.
The Blue Package has a similar selection of channels, but lacks ESPN and has a few more cable entertainment channels, such as Fox Sports, NBC, NBCSN, FX, and SyFy.
You can learn more about Sling TV's channels here.
Fubo: Best Philo alternative for sports
Source: fuboTV
If poor sports coverage is the primary reason you’re not interested in Philo, Fubo is a great choice for you. Fubo began as a sports-focused streaming service, and it still offers the widest variety of sports coverage of any “skinny bundle” subscription. Take a look at our full Fubo review here.
Fubo pricing and packages
Fubo offers several channel packages, with the 170+ channel Pro package being the cheapest. While the price is far higher, you'll get a large number of channels you won't find through Philo.
Fubo Pro
Try 7 days free
- 1000 hours of cloud DVR
- Stream on ten screens
- 180+ channels
$84.99/month
Fubo Elite
Try 7 days free
- Stream on ten screens
- 1000 hours of cloud DVR
- 250+ channels
- HD and 4K video quality
$94.99/month
Fubo Premier
Try 7 days free
- Stream on ten screens
- 250+ channels
- HD and 4K video quality
- 1000 hours of cloud DVR
- Showtime included
$109.99/month
You'll get 170+ channels in most locations. The higher-tier packages include a boost in features and channels, including additional simultaneous streams and more DVR storage.
Learn more about Fubo's pricing and packages here.
Fubo channels
Fubo includes numerous sports, entertainment, news, and lifestyle networks. Enjoy cable networks like CBS Sports, beIN Sports, NBA TV, NFL Network, and NBCSN, and many more.
Learn more about Fubo's channel packages here.
Hulu + Live TV: Best Philo alternative for on-demand
Source: Hulu
Hulu + Live TV offers a large live TV package, but its biggest draw is the hybrid on-demand/live TV service that it provides. It's a great alternative to Philo if you’re interested in combining live TV with Hulu’s library of on-demand content. Get more info in our full Hulu + Live TV review.
Hulu + Live TV pricing and packages
You'll get a large package of channels and access to Hulu on-demand from Hulu + Live TV, with a total of 90+ in most areas. Hulu + Live TV now also includes Disney+ and ESPN+ as part of the package. If you're already paying for Disney+ that means you can get a huge discount off the price by switching to Hulu + Live TV.
Hulu (with ads)
Get 3 HULU, DISNEY Plus, ESPN
- Stream on two screens
- Big movies
- Hit TV shows
- On demand content
$9.99/month
Hulu (no ads)
Get 3 HULU, DISNEY Plus, ESPN
- Stream on two screens
- Big movies
- Hit TV shows
- On demand content
- No ads
$18.99/month
Hulu Live TV only
- 90+ live channels
- Stream on two screens
$81.99/month
Hulu Live TV (with ads)
Disney+ and ESPN+ included
- Stream on two screens
- ESPN+ and Disney+ included
- On demand content
- 90+ live channels
$82.99/month
Hulu Live TV (some ads)
Disney+ and ESPN+ included
- Stream on two screens
- ESPN+ and Disney+ included
- On demand content
- 90+ live channels
$87.99/month
Hulu Live TV (no ads)
Disney+ and ESPN+ included
- Stream on two screens
- ESPN+ and Disney+ included
- On demand content
- 90+ live channels
$95.99/month
You can learn more about Hulu's packages here.
Hulu + Live TV channels
Your Hulu + Live TV subscription lets you access 90+ cable channels, depending on where you are, including USA, A&E, FX/FXX, TBS, and SyFy. You also get sports coverage from Fox Sports 1 and 2, ESPN/ESPN2, and local CBS/NBC/FOX/CBS affiliates.
To learn more about Hulu's live TV channels, check here.
DirecTV Stream: A Philo alternative for channel lovers
Source: DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream is quite a bit more expensive than Philo. However, you can get as many as 150+ channels through DirecTV Stream, which is more than most other services. That said, you'll be paying through the nose to get that many. You can get more info from our full DirecTV Stream review.
DirecTV Stream pricing and packages
DirecTV Stream offers a range of channel packages starting at 75+ channels with the Entertainment package, all the way up to 150+ with the Ultimate package. This is vastly, more channels than Philo offers, but also vastly more expensive than most cord-cutters are willing to pay.
DirecTV Stream Entertainment
Try 5 days free
- 75+ channels
- Stream on unlimited devices at home
- Unlimited DVR space
$84.99/month
DirecTV Stream Optimo Mas
- 100+ live TV channels
- Spanish and English programming
- Three months of Max free
- Unlimited DVR space
$86.99/month
DirecTV Stream Choice
Try 5 days free
- 105+ live channels
- Unlimited DVR space
- Includes regional sports networks
- Three months of Max free
$114.99/month
DirecTV Stream Ultimate
Try 5 days free
- 140+ live channels
- Unlimited DVR space
- Includes regional sports networks
- Three months of Max free
$129.99/month
DirecTV Stream Premier
- Unlimited DVR space
- 150+ channels
- Includes Max Cinemax SHOWTIME and STARZ
- Includes regional sports networks
$169.99/month
Still, if you're in it for the channels and cutting the cord mostly to get away from long-term contracts, this is a potential option.
You can learn more about DirecTV Stream's pricing here.
DirecTV Stream channels
DirecTV Stream has every channel you can think of available through its priciest service package. But its introductory package offers some of the popular basics, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, and AMC. The two introductory packages also add HBO to the package, which is part of why the channel count is small, but the price is high.
You can learn more about DirecTV Stream's channels here.
YouTube TV: A good Philo alternative for families
Source: YouTube TV
YouTube TV is relatively new but is one of the fastest-growing services on the market. The service is more than twice the price of Philo but is a good option for those who want or need to share a live TV streaming account. Take a look at our full YouTube TV review for more information.
YouTube TV pricing and packages
YouTube TV comes with some nice features and 100+ channels. On occasion, you may find a limited-time discount on its plans for new users.
You can learn more about YouTube TV's pricing here.
YouTube TV channels
YouTube TV has a strong emphasis on sports and local channels. As a result, you'll get sports networks like ESPN, NBA TV, CBS Sports, and FOX Sports, as well as local networks like NBC, ABC, FOX, and CBS in many markets. You'll also get a growing selection of entertainment and news networks.
YouTube TV + Philo used to be a popular subscription pairing, but YouTube TV's price increases and its increase in offered channels make that a less-viable combination.
To learn more about YouTube TV's channels, check here.
The biggest problems with Philo – Explained
Source: Philo
Philo offers you quite a bit for your money. You get DVR with unlimited recordings for 30 days, and you can stream your content on up to 3 devices at once, making it better than comparable services like fuboTV and Sling TV (Orange) in this regard.
Philo Base
Try 7 days free
- Unlimited cloud DVR saved for 1 year
- Stream on three screens
- Shows movies and 70+ channels
- 7-day free trial
$28/month
But, given the low cost of Philo, there are few areas where the company has skimped a bit.
Extremely poor sports coverage
One of the main reasons behind Philo’s budget price is that it eschews sports coverage almost entirely. You will not find ESPN, NBC Sports, FOX Sports, or any other major sports networks on Philo – and you won’t be able to watch local FOX, ABC, or NBC channels, either. Sports coverage is relegated to the automotive-focused Velocity – which occasionally airs coverage of car races.
If you want sports coverage, Philo is absolutely not for you. However, even if you don’t care about sports coverage, Philo’s low price point means there are still some significant gaps in its channel lineup.
Lacks several major cable entertainment networks
With Philo, you can watch programming from several major cable networks like AMC, A&E, and BET, as well as IFC, Discovery, and Comedy Central.
However, there is no support for other major networks like TBS, TNT, and FX/FXX, Cartoon Network, SyFy, and quite a few other channels.
If you’re looking for a streaming service that can completely replace cable for you, Philo is not an ideal choice.
Limited device support
The final problem we have with Philo is its limited device support. The service is still relatively new, so it’s not surprising that support is limited – but it’s still disappointing in some respects.
When the service first launched, you could only stream Philo your web browser, iOS and Android (browser only), and Roku devices. Recently, though, Philo added support for the 4th gen and later Apple TV, as well as Amazon Fire TV and a dedicated Android app.
Still, Philo doesn't have gaming console apps and lacks apps for smart TVs.
No parental controls
This has been a bit of a contentious point for some Philo users. Although most of Philo's channels are overall family-friendly, its lack of parental controls means some R-rated content can slip through.
Our verdict – The best alternative to Philo
If you’re interested in a low-cost alternative to Philo, we’d recommend either Sling TV Orange or Blue. Both of these services have much better channel selections at a comparable cost to Philo, even though you have to pay extra for a DVR.
Our top overall pick
Our top overall pick for the best alternative to Philo is YouTube TV. Though it will cost you a bit more, it has reasonably good platform support, a fantastic DVR, and a 3-device simultaneous streaming policy.
Hulu + Live TV is also a viable choice if you are interested in a Hulu video-on-demand subscription as well as live TV, and its platform support is better than YouTube TV.
Outliers
Finally, Fubo is a good choice if you love sports – but beyond sports coverage, it’s hard to justify the higher price point of the service. And if you're only signed up for Philo to get Discovery's dozen or so networks (like me), Discovery+ may be a no-brainer alternative.
Other great streaming services
We've already covered Hulu + Live TV as a great alternative to Philo, especially for the local channels. But you might want to consider keeping Philo and adding in some supplemental services that can shore up its weaknesses.
Two great options: Disney+ and ESPN+. Disney+ offers a plethora of high-quality, exclusive Disney-owned content, such as Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, while ESPN+ is a great option for live sports like UFC.
Sam Cook • Author
Sam Cook is a full-time content strategist by day, a part-time freelance content writer since 2015. In another life, he was a high school English teacher for nearly a decade. Based in sunny New Orleans, he writes long-form educational content on technology, including Insurtech, Fintech, HRtech, and content streaming.
Davan Hamilton • Editor
Davan Hamilton is an editor and writer based in Jacksonville, FL. Holding a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, her writing spans a wide range, from essays on film criticism and analysis to surreal poetry. Now, she works for Flixed as an editor, continuing to ignore the list of passion projects she’s accumulated. When she’s not glued to her computer, you can find her building endless amounts of Lego sets, binge-reading manga, or playing with (fighting) her cat.
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