The cost of the average cable bill has reached more than $100, so it’s no wonder that people are looking to cut the cord and instead rely on live TV services.
However, it can be hard to navigate the world of cord-cutting and understand how to save money—but still get your favorite channels. In this guide, we’ll discuss Fubo and Hulu + Live TV, two of the most popular live TV services available to cord-cutters. Let’s get started!
An overview of Fubo & Hulu + Live TV
Both Fubo and Hulu + Live TV are internet TV services. Unlike a traditional cable or satellite TV subscription, they deliver content from top channels like ESPN, Fox Sports, CNN and more – directly through an internet connection. You don’t need a cable box or any other equipment, just a reliable high-speed internet connection.
These services have a number of advantages compared to a traditional cable or satellite subscription. First, they require no installation of a physical cable, satellite dish, or antenna. You can watch anywhere in your home where you have a WiFi connection. These services are also quite inexpensive compared to cable.
In addition, internet TV services work on a month-by-month subscription. You won’t have to pay any cancellation fees or sign a long-term contract. That means you can try each one out and see which is best for you.
Fubo delivers great sports and local channels
Fubo was first founded in January 2015, and has quickly become a go-to internet TV service for cord-cutters who love sports.
Fubo Pro
5-day free trial
- 216+ channels
- Unlimited cloud DVR
- Stream on 10 screens at home
- Regional sports fee added at checkout ($13 to $17)
$88.99/month
Fubo Elite
5-day free trial
- 280+ channels
- Unlimited cloud DVR
- Stream on 10 screens at home
- 4K Plus included
- Regional sports fee included
$98.99/month
While it was founded with a specific emphasis on sports, Fubo has grown to include a number of cable news, entertainment, and reality TV channels in its subscription. These include FX, IFC, E!, The Food Network, CNBC, Fox News, and more. You can check out the full list of channels here.
Top features
Fubo has a few great features. First, they have a huge number of partnerships with local NBC, ABC, Fox, and CBS affiliates. That means that most people can get their local “Big 4 “ stations right through Fubo, without needing an OTA antenna.
Fubo also has the best sports coverage of any internet TV service if you like watching soccer, rugby, and other international sports. It even has ESPN, which it lacked for a number of years. You get a ton of exclusive networks like beIN sports and The Olympic Channel, as well as a ton of add-on options for additional sports coverage.
Finally, Fubo has pretty good device support, so you can watch your favorite channels just about anywhere, and it has a DVR that allows you to record your shows for later viewing.
It also has a feature called “look back,” which lets you view most shows and programs for up to 72 hours after they aired.
Downsides
Fubo is not perfect for all cord-cutters. First, there are some major gaps in its channel coverage.
Even though you get 216+ total channels, you don’t get quite as many non-sports channels as you would using Hulu + Live TV or another service. If you’re not into international sports, Fubo may not be right for you.
Fubo is also a bit expensive, compared to some other “skinny bundles.” It’s still cheap compared to cable, but some competitors like Philo and Sling TV are cheaper.
Hulu + Live TV offers an incredibly range of content
Hulu + Live TV launched in late 2017, and it’s quickly become one of the best deals in internet TV. It has a huge number of channels, reasonable features, and a relatively low price.
Hulu (With Ads)
- Stream on two screens
- Big movies
- Hit TV shows
- On demand content
$12.49/month
Hulu Premium (No Ads)
- No ads
- Stream on two screens
- Hit TV shows and movies
- Offline downloads
$21.49/month
Hulu Live TV Only
- 95+ live channels
- Unlimited DVR
- Stream on two screens
$98.99/month
Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN Select
$49.99 for the first month (ends Oct 26, 2026)
- 95+ live channels
- Disney+ and ESPN Select included
- Unlimited DVR
- Stream on two screens
$99.99/month
Hulu Premium + Live TV, Disney+ Premium and ESPN Select
- 95+ live channels
- No ads on on-demand content
- Disney+ Premium and ESPN Select included
- Stream on two screens
$109.99/month
For your money, you get live TV from about 95+ channels, including Disney+ and ESPN Select (formerly ESPN+). It’s more expensive than some competitors like Sling TV and Philo, but has a more well-rounded package of channels and features.
Top features
Hulu + Live TV has some good features that have made it quite popular. First, one of the biggest benefits is a free subscription to the main Hulu on-demand video service. You can watch the entire library of Hulu content, including hit originals like Handmaid’s Tale, for no extra charge if you subscribe to Hulu + Live TV.
The service also has a really good channel lineup, with few coverage gaps. You can get quite a few local “Big 4” stations in most areas. You can use this tool to check your lineup of local stations.
Hulu + Live TV also offers entertainment networks like FX, TBS, and TNT, as well as sports coverage from USA Network (which took over NBCSN’s sports), Fox Sports, and a number of ESPN channels. The service even provides cable news like CNN and MSNBC.
You also get an unlimited DVR, so you can record your shows and watch them later, on your own terms. And even if you forget to record a show, chances are you can watch it on Hulu the day after it airs.
Downsides
Hulu + Live TV only lets you stream on 2 devices by default, which may be limiting if you’re part of a larger family. You can upgrade to unlimited devices, but it will cost you an additional fee.
Its DVR could be better, too. (Update: since April 2022, Hulu + Live TV includes unlimited DVR at no extra cost.)
Fubo & Hulu + Live TV both have Spanish-language packages available
If you are a Spanish-speaking person, and you need international coverage, Fubo is a great choice for you, thanks to the Latino Plus package. With this package, you’ll get 50+ channels of Spanish and Portuguese content, with 100+ sporting events airing every year. It also includes an unlimited DVR, and lets you stream on up to 3 screens at once.
Hulu + Live TV also offers a Spanish language add-on in the “Español Add-On,” for a monthly fee, and comes with top Spanish channels like ESPN Deportes, NBC Universo and Discovery Familia.
Both Hulu + Live TV and Fubo let you upgrade your DVR and simultaneous streams
If you want to stream on more devices or upgrade your DVR, you have the option to do so with both Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.
Fubo now includes unlimited DVR on all plans. You can also stream on up to 10 devices with the paid Unlimited Screens add-on. Higher-tier Pro and Elite Fubo packages also include both of these features for no extra cost.
Hulu + Live TV offers similar upgrades. Its cloud DVR is now unlimited by default.
If you want to stream on more devices, you can upgrade with the “Unlimited Screens” package for a monthly price. This lets you stream on 3 devices at once outside your WiFi network, and on unlimited devices when using your home WiFi network.
You have the option of combining these two add-ons for a monthly cost.
Fubo has great sports coverage and recently added ESPN
Fubo has more than 2 dozen sports channels, and you can choose to add even more sports coverage with a number of add-on channel packages. It also added ESPN in 2020, which was one of the only sports channels it was missing, bringing it up to par with Hulu + Live TV.
Fubo has a lot more add-ons than Hulu + Live TV
If you want to customize your channel subscription, Fubo gives you many more options for additional channels. You can pick from more than 17 different add-ons, including:
- Fubo Cycling
- International Sports Plus
- Sports Plus
- Adventure Plus
- SHOWTIME
- Portuguese Plus
- Mundo Plus
- fubo Latino
- Kids Plus
There are many options for getting more of your favorite channels, especially if you are looking for Spanish-language content.
In contrast, Hulu + Live TV has only a few premium channels you can add, such as Showtime, HBO Max and Starz, as well as the Entertainment and Español Add-Ons. If you want to customize your subscription or watch obscure or internationally-popular channels, you're more likely to find them on Fubo.
Hulu + Live TV has a much better on-demand video library
While Fubo lets you rewind to watch previously-aired content for up to 72 hours, it is quite limited when it comes to on-demand content.
You’ll be able to watch on-demand shows from most channels, including recently-aired episodes, some past seasons, and a few movies. But your on-demand are relatively limited, and rotate frequently.
In contrast, Hulu + Live TV provides users with full access to the entire Hulu library. You can watch most episodes of major network shows like Family Guy and Brooklyn Nine-Nine the day after they’re aired on TV.
You also get access to tens of thousands of hours of archived content. If you’re looking for a single service that includes both on-demand content and live coverage of sports, entertainment, and more, Hulu With Live TV delivers.
Hulu + Live TV and Fubo have similar device support
Hulu + Live TV and Fubo support the same devices, for the most part. You can watch Fubo and Hulu + Live TV on:
- Roku
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- Amazon Fire TV
- iOS and Android
- Web browsers
Fubo also supports Android TV devices like the NVIDIA SHIELD natively. Hulu + Live TV has slightly better support though. Notably, it's the only live TV streaming service that supports the Nintendo Switch.
You can get premium channels on both services
With Fubo, you can get a pretty good lineup of premium networks. This includes Showtime, Starz, MGM+, and Pantaya. You can also combine Showtime, Starz, and MGM+, which is a great option for cinephiles and TV lovers alike.
Hulu + Live TV also has a lot of premium networks, too, which you can't get with Fubo. This includes Cinemax, HBO Max, Showtime, and Starz. If premium networks are important to you, Hulu + Live TV is likely to be a better overall choice, but Fubo is pretty competitive, too.
Only Fubo offers a free trial
Fubo wins in this category since it gives users a 5-day free trial to try out the platform. You can learn more about Fubo’s free trial here.
Hulu + Live TV used to offer a free trial but has since discontinued it. Hulu also ended the free trial for its VOD plan in June 2026.
Fubo vs. Hulu + Live TV: Which is better?
The answer to this question is not very clear-cut. It all depends on what you’re looking for from an internet TV service. If you’re still not sure what service might be right for you, here are some questions to ask yourself when thinking about which one to choose.
Do you need foreign-language programming and international sports coverage?
Hulu + Live TV offered NBCSN and The Olympic Channel (both since shut down), but beyond that, international sports coverage is pretty limited. Even with the Español Add-on, you won't get much coverage of international sports. Fubo is definitely a better option if you need a lot of foreign-language program and international sports coverage.
Do you have a large family?
Fubo may be a better option if you have a large family. It includes 216+ channels gives you 10 screens at home and unlimited DVR space by default. In contrast, Hulu + Live TV costs a little extra for 95+ channels, and by default, you only get 2 streams (DVR is unlimited on both). To upgrade your streams, you need to pay more for Unlimited Screens.
Do you need a lot of on-demand content?
If you want to watch a lot of on-demand content, Fubo may not be the best choice for you. The 72-hour “rewind” feature of Fubo is nice, but it’s not great for “binge-watching” shows on-demand, since its library is pretty limited.
In contrast, you can get a mind-boggling number of shows on-demand with Hulu With Live TV, including Hulu Originals like The Handmaid's Tale. You even have the option of adding HBO Max to your subscription for even more on-demand content.
Eric Liston • Author
Eric Liston is a content writer based in Columbus, Ohio. Since 2015, he’s been writing about technology, cord-cutting, and helping everyday people save money. He also has expertise writing about medicine, dentistry, insurance, and a variety of other industries. No matter what he’s writing, his focus is always on simplifying complex concepts and making them approachable for everyone. When he’s not slamming away on his keyboard at his home office, you’ll find Eric reading sci-fi novels, improving his disc golf game (he just hit his first 400-foot drive) and playing video games on his gaming PC.
Kelsey Reynolds • Editor
Kelsey is a content strategist based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Minnesota. Kelsey was drawn to working at Flixed because the team was so open, motivated, and curious. She most enjoys thinking about how to blend programmatic and editorial content to answer readers’ questions as completely and efficiently as possible. When she’s not at her computer, Kelsey can usually be found working in her garden or walking her two dogs in the park.
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