Cable programming has never been better with hit shows like Raised by Wolves by HBO or Yellowjackets on SHOWTIME. But is paying for a separate cable subscription still worth it?
With streaming services like Netflix and Max around, is there any place for cable? Sure, you won’t get to catch the latest shows when they air, but wait a month or two—and those shows might show up on your favorite streaming platform.
But what if we told you that you could get the best of both worlds with a single subscription? Services like Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+ give you access to on-demand content and live internet TV. You get to catch all your favorite shows live and you have a massive library of on-demand content to watch when you want.
With Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+ cable-cutting has never been an easier choice. But which platform is best for you?
In this article, we’ve done a head-to-head comparison of Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+ to see which platform will best suit your needs.
Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+ free trial
On the one hand, Hulu + Live TV currently doesn’t have a free trial period. On the other hand, Paramount+ has a generous 7-day free trial period. During the span of the trial, you can sample the platform’s services like its internet cable channels and its on-demand library.
If you’re satisfied with the Paramount+ platform, you don’t need to do anything else. Just keep enjoying the content you have access to and you’ll receive the bill in the following month. But, if you find Paramount+ lacking, you can cancel your subscription during the trial period and you won’t be charged a dime.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the specifics of the 2 streaming platforms.
Pricing
The first thing you should consider when buying into any of these services is its price. Are you getting a good deal for what you’re paying for? To answer that question, let’s compare the buy-in price for both platforms.
Hulu + Live TV subscription models
Currently, Hulu + Live TV has 4 different subscription models.
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
Hulu + Live TV offers a ton of options so you can customize your monthly subscription to fit your needs and budget.
Paramount+ subscription models
On Paramount+’s end, customers have 2 subscription models to choose from.
On the pricing end, Paramount+ has the upper hand over Hulu + Live TV when it comes to budgetary concerns. However, Hulu + Live TV has the added benefit of access to Hulu’s deep media library and having a lineup of premium channels from Disney+ and ESPN+.
Disney+ Basic
Get 3 HULU, DISNEY Plus, ESPN
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
- HD and 4K video quality
$7.99/month
Disney Bundle Duo Basic
- Includes Disney+ and Hulu
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
$9.99/month
Disney+ Premium
- No ads
- Stream on four screens
- HD and 4K video quality
- Offline viewing
$13.99/month
Disney Bundle Trio Basic
- Includes Disney+ Hulu and ESPN+
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
$14.99/month
Disney Bundle Duo Premium
- Includes Disney+ and Hulu
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
- Offline viewing
- No ads
$19.99/month
Disney Bundle Trio Premium
- Includes Disney+ Hulu and ESPN+
- No ads
- On demand content
- Stream on four screens
- Offline viewing
$24.99/month
Channels
When it comes to cable TV, the platform with the broadest channel line-up will come out on top of its competition. So, in comparing Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+, which service has the best selection of channels?
Hulu + Live TV channels
Hulu + Live TV has a diverse selection of channels, from news coverage to entertainment-focused programming. These includes channels like:
- ABC
- ABC News Live
- CBS
- CBS News
- Fox
- NBC
- ACCN ESPN
- Adult Swim
- A&E
- Animal Planet
- BET
- BTN
- Bloomberg Television
- Boomerang
- Bravo
- Cartoon Network
- CBS Sports Network
- Cheddar News
- CMT
- CNBC
- CNN
- CNN International
- Comedy Central
- Cozi TV
- Crime + Investigation
- The CW
- Dabl
- Discovery Channel
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- ESPN
And this is just a tiny sample of Hulu + Live TV’s channel lineup. Subscribers will have access to over 90 channels with their base subscriptions.
Hulu + Live TV also has additional add-ons that introduce premium content from channels like:
- Max
- Cinemax
- SHOWTIME
- STARZ
With Hulu + Live TV, you can customize your subscription to enjoy the content you want.
Paramount+ Channels
Unlike its contemporaries, Paramount+ doesn’t host traditional cable channels, but a unique brew of media exclusive to Paramount+. Each channel handpicks programming to fit the channel theme. A couple of channels available on Paramount+ include:
- 24/7 Laughs - A channel dedicated to comedy programming like Tosh.0.
- Adult Animation - Features adult-themed animated programming like Celebrity Deathmatch.
- Crime Justice - Shows curated for this channel include crime-themed shows like CSI.
- Star Trek - A channel dedicated to all things Star Trek. From new shows like Star Trek Discovery to oldies like the original Star Trek.
- Survivor - If you’re looking to watch the hit reality show Survivor all day, every day—this channel is for you.
This is just a small sample size of Paramount+’s channels. Subscribers can also opt in to add SHOWTIME into their channel lineup for an additional $5/month.
Simultaneous streaming
An important feature to consider when choosing an internet TV streaming platform is simultaneous streams. Most of the time, family members want to watch different shows—and you can’t do that without simultaneous streaming.
So, let's dive into Hulu + Live TV’s and Paramount+’s simultaneous streaming features.
Hulu + Live TV simultaneous streaming
Hulu + Live TV only allows for 2 devices to stream the service simultaneously for their base subscriptions. Fortunately, Hulu offers an add-on feature that enables unlimited streaming across multiple devices. For just an additional $9.99/month, you won’t be shackled to a device limit.
Paramount+ simultaneous streaming
Paramount+ has the edge over Hulu + Live TV in the realm of simultaneous streaming. Paramount+ features simultaneous streaming across 3 devices. But, unlike Hulu + LiveTV, Paramount+ doesn’t offer an upgrade option. Currently, subscribers to Paramount+ are limited to just a 3 device streaming limit.
DVR
These days, being able to record your favorite shows is an important feature that shouldn’t be overlooked. After all, it’s easy to miss the latest debuting shows, so recording season premiers is an important feature. Here is a comparison of their DVR functionality.
Hulu + Live TV DVR
At its base subscription, Hulu + Live TV offers 50 hours of cloud DVR storage. This limit is on the small side compared to competitors like YouTubeTV, where unlimited Cloud DVR is standard. Fortunately, Hulu + Live TV has an Enhanced DVR addon that upgrades your DVR storage to hold up to 200 hours of programming.
For just an additional $9.99/month, all subscribers will have access to 200 hours of DVR storage.
Paramount+ DVR
Neither the Essential plan nor the Premium plan includes DVR storage. However, Premium plan subscribers can download on-demand content to their heart’s content. This feature enables you to watch on-demand content without needing an internet connection.
As such, Paramount+ is perfect for long plane rides or extended road trips.
Device support
It would be pointless to subscribe to a service if your devices are unsupported. So, it’s important to identify which devices can access the streaming service. Let’s take a look at what devices are supported on both Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+.
Hulu + Live TV device support
Hulu + Live TV is accessible across a multitude of devices, including:
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- Smart TVs - Select Samsung, LG, Android TV, and Vizio models
- Streaming Devices - Amazon Fire and Roku devices
- Game Consoles - Xbox consoles, PS4 and PS5, and Nintendo Switch
With Hulu + Live TV, you’ll get support across a wide range of devices.
Paramount+ device support
Paramount+ is no slouch when it comes to device support. You can expect most devices to have Paramount+ app support. Some devices that have access to Paramount+ include:
- iOS Devices - iPhone, iPad, Apple TV
- Smart TVs - Select Samsung, LG, Vizio, and Xfinity models.
- Game Consoles - Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PS4, and PS5
- Streaming Devices Amazon Fire and Roku devices
- Chromecast
With their broad device support, you can’t go wrong with either Hulu + Live TV or Paramount+.
On-demand content
A huge deciding factor between different live TV platforms is their library of on-demand content. Being able to watch your favorite movies and shows whenever you want is a great incentive for everyone. Here’s how each platform stacks up.
Hulu + Live TV on-demand content
Hulu is one of the industry leaders when it comes to on-demand content. So, you can expect to enjoy a vast selection of content you can’t find on any other platform. For example, you can only catch How I Met Your Father on Hulu’s streaming platform.
If you pick Hulu + Live TV, you’ll never have a shortage of content to consume.
Paramount+ on-demand content
Despite being a relative newcomer compared to Hulu, Paramount+ is no slouch. You can catch a ton of Paramount Originals on the streaming platform like Star Trek Picard and Halo. When you subscribe to Paramount+, you can expect to find a mountain of new content to consume. Plus, you get new shows added on the regular.
Catch your favorite content on Hulu + Live TV and Paramount+
With either of these platforms, you won’t ever need cable again. Thanks to their broad selection of channels and wide breadth of on-demand content, you’ll never be bored when you subscribe to either Hulu + Live TV or Paramount+.
Lisa Holden • Editor
Lisa Holden is an editor and creative based in Houston, TX. Lisa holds a BA in African-American Studies from Temple University and has spent her career working in news publications and magazines, even founding a magazine herself. She began working as an editor for Flixed in 2023. When she’s not editing or working on one of her many creative endeavors (whenever that is), she enjoys traveling to new places and biking on sunny days.
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