Every year, more and more people are cutting the cord and saving a few bucks by subscribing to a streaming service instead. But with so many options to choose from, how do you decide which one to go with?
In this guide, we’ll do an in-depth comparison of YoutubeTV and Peacock to help you decide which is the better option for you.
Quick Overview YouTube TV vs Peacock
YouTube TV, from Google, combines unlimited DVR with great features and a solid lineup of channels across entertainment, news, live sports and more. A fan-favourite, YouTube TV gives you the option to customize your package with add-ons like HBO Max, Showtime or Epix, or even the 4k Plus add-on, which enables 4k quality video streaming, offline recording and unlimited streams.
Peacock, on the other hand, is a relatively new streaming service owned and operated by NBCUniversal. It came in hot on the market in 2020, giving other streaming services a run for their money due to its affordability and ability to offer a ton of hit shows, movies, and even live sporting events.
How do you choose between the two? We’ve made it super easy for you. Below, you’ll find a complete breakdown of how the two compare in terms of content, features and price.
Without further ado, let’s start with the basics:
| YouTube TV | Peacock | |
| Pricing | $64.99/month | Basic: Free
Premium: $4.99/month Premium Plus: $9.99/month |
| Free Trial Length | 7 days | 7 days |
| Number of Channels | 85+ | 50+ |
| DVR Capacity | Unlimited (keeps recordings for up to 9 months) | None |
| Device Support | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, and more | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, and more |
| Simultaneous Streams | 3 | 3 |
Best Pricing: YouTube TV vs Peacock
When it comes to price, nothing beats free, which is exactly what Peacock has to offer. However, if you’re looking for more channels and more features, YouTube TV could be the better choice for you.
Of its three service offerings, the first is a free, ad-supported plan that provides access to a limited amount of content. The second is the Peacock Premium plan that, while still ad-supported, unlocks all of Peacock’s content for $5 per month. Finally, the Peacock Premium+ plan removes most advertising for an extra $5 monthly fee. At a maximum monthly cost of $9.99, it still way cheaper than YouTube TV.
YouTube TV offers one plan only at $64.99 per month, but you save $10 each month on your first 3 months. The price different is justified through an additional 35+ channels, unlimited DVR and other special features.
Best Free Trial: YouTube TV vs Peacock
YouTube TV and Peacock both offer 7-day free trials.
Best Channels and Add-ons: YouTube TV vs Peacock
When it comes to channel lineup and add-ons, YouTube TV takes the cake. The streaming service offers 35+ more channels than Peacock, and gives you the option to customize your package with add-ons like HBO Max, Showtime or Epix, or even the 4k Plus add-on, which enables 4k quality video streaming, offline recording and unlimited streams.
Peacock Plus still comes with plenty of channels, but it doesn’t compare to YouTube TV’s customizability.
What to Watch on YouTube TV
YouTube TV offers 85+ channels across all genres.
YouTube TV allows you to add on a few extra channels (mostly premium networks) for an additional monthly fee. Here are some of your options:
- AMC Premiere – $5/month
- CuriosityStream – $3/month
- Fox Soccer Plus – $15/month
- NBA League Pass – $40/month
- Showtime – $11/month
- Shudder – $5/month
- STARZ – $9/month
- Epix – $6/month
- Sundance Now – $7/month
- Sports Plus – $11/month
- HBO Max – $15/month
YouTube TV also offers tons of local channels, including ABC, NBC, PBS (select regions), FOX, The CW, MyNetworkTV, Telemundo, Univision, Unimas.
Not sure what channels, shows, and events are airing on YouTube TV? Flixed is here to help with the Flixed YouTube TV Channel List.
What to Watch on Peacock
With more than sixty years of broadcast history and a dozen cable channels, Peacock has a strong lineup of classic and modern TV shows, a few sports channels, and tons of channels for entertainment and kids. It offers over 20,000 hours of on-demand content, but doesn’t have any premium add-ons beyond its Premium Plus package.
Peacock draws on NBCUniversal’s library of hit shows like Friends and The Office as well as recently-aired episodes from programs like Saturday Night Live and New Amsterdam. You’ll also find classic TV shows from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s like Murder, She Wrote and 21 Jump Street.
NBCUniversal’s movie archives include franchises like How to Train Your Dragon, Jason Bourne and Fast and Furious. It also includes classics like The Sting and Abbott & Costello.
Not sure what channels, shows, and events are airing on Peacock? Flixed is here to help with the Flixed Peacock Channel List.
Best DVR and Offline Viewing: YouTube TV vs Peacock
With the YouTube TV DVR, you can store as many episodes and hours of content as you want for up to 9 months. After 9 months, your oldest recordings will begin to be deleted. This makes the YouTube TV DVR the best in the internet TV market by a wide margin.
And with YouTube TV’s 4K Plus $19.99/month add-on, you get 4K viewing on available content, unlimited streams at home and the ability to watch DVR recordings offline.
For more information on YouTube TV’s DVR, click here.
Peacock doesn’t offer DVR, but it does offer most of its content on-demand. It doesn’t offer any upgrades beyond Premium Plus. However, one great feature is that you can download Peacock’s on-demand content for later offline viewing without paying an additional fee.
For more information on Peacock’s DVR, click here.
Best Device Support: YouTube TV vs Peacock
YouTube TV and Peacock both have pretty great device support – you shouldn’t have trouble finding ways to watch either one. However, YouTube TV prevails as the winner in this category because Peacock’s device support lineup lacks the Amazon’s Fire TV platform. If this is an important one for you, we’d recommend going for YouTube TV.
To check out the full device support for each streaming service, check out our complete YouTube TV and Peacock supported devices lists.
Best Simultaneous Streaming: YouTube TV vs Peacock
Both YouTube TV and Peacock offer 3 simultaneous steams. However, YouTube TV does give you the option to create 6 profiles so you can keep your content organized, and the 4K Plus add-on gives you unlimited streams at home for an additional $19.99/month. Peacock doesn’t offer any options for more streams.
Which is Better: YouTube TV vs. Peacock in 2022?
Our overall winner is YouTube TV. With more channels, more features and more add-ons, YouTube TV allows you to customize the service into your own personal TV paradise. Every year, it keeps improving by listening to what its customers want. We expect YouTube TV to just keep on getting better.
However, you can’t go wrong with Peacock. It’s free and comes with some great content. Seriously, NBC has a sixty-year track record when it comes to producing high-quality TV content. Peacock combines that with NBC’s sports and news operations as well as the NBCUniversal cable channels like E! The Universal side of the house has been around for more than a century. You still get a great lineup of over 50 channels with Premium Plus, and over 20,000 hours of popular on-demand content. If you’re on a tight budget, Peacock’s your best pick.
Tara Khudairi is a freelance content writer and copywriter based in Toronto. Since 2014, she has contributed to brands and blogs alike to tackle popular topics relating to technology, personal finance, entertainment, travel and lifestyle. Whether it’s the latest streaming service or cryptocurrency, she’s passionate about making the complex simple. When she’s not busy typing away, you’ll find Tara watching Netflix’s latest true crime doc or a classic 90’s horror flick.
