If you are looking for ways to cut costs from your monthly budget, one of the spending items in your cross-hairs is your cable or satellite TV subscription. Assuming your cable isn’t bundled with internet, the average monthly cable bill was $100. That can be as much as you pay in car insurance or your monthly cell phone bills, two items you use on a consistent basis. If you want to cut the cord yet don’t know how, here are a few of the best live TV Streaming apps that still allow you to watch your favorite shows for a fraction of the cost.

These services due require high-speed internet to use. If you don’t have a fast connection, you will not be happy with these services. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s learn about the best TV streaming apps currently out there for you to use.

Sling TV

Sling allows you to live stream a variety of channels starting at $20 per month (very reasonable) and they have three different packages & the basic package allows you to watch ESPN sports broadcasts. Their other sports packages are also very reasonable. The one downside is they do not offer any content-on-demand.

You can take a moment to read our Sling TV review to help as well.

Pros: Cheapest way to stream ESPN & other cable-only sports channels. Add many additional packages for $5 per month.

Cons: No DVR capability and can only stream on one device at a time with the basic $20 plan.

Available Streaming Plans

• Orange Plan-$20 per month: Stream 30 channels including ESPN, Disney, HGTV, and CNN.
• Blue Plan- $25 per month: Stream 40+ channels including FX, NFL Network, FS1 and FS2. But, you do not get ESPN channels or Disney.
• Orange & Blue Plans- $40 month- You get the all channels from the Orange and Blue packages.

Add-On Packages

With any of the above plans, you can also choose an additional add-on packages for different viewing preferences and foreign languages range from $5 per month to $15 per month.

For $5 a month you can add a “Kids Extras” package that gives you access to Disney Junior or Boomerang plus a few other kid-oriented channels. The add-on “Sports Extras” for $10 a month gives you access to SEC & Pac-12 Networks along with NBA TV.

Stream on Multiple Devices at One Time

It is possible to stream on multiple devices at one-time if you have the Blue or Orange & Blue plans.

• Orange Plan ($20/month): 1 device only
• Blue Plan ($25/month): 3 devices simultaneously
• Orange & Blue Plan ($40/month): 4 devices simultaneously

You can stream sling on your computer, smartphone, or tablet, and, also on Roku, amazon firetv, and Xbox One.

DirecTV Now

Despite it’s name, you don’t need a DirecTV satellite subscription to go with this monthly plan. It has a higher initial cost than Sling TV, but, has a slightly more channel offerings. If you only want ESPN or Disney, Sling is still the cheaper option.

Pros: Can add HBO & Cinemax for $5 per month (other apps charge $15) & wide channel variety

Cons: No DVR, Can only stream 2 devices at once

Available Streaming Plans

Plans range from $35 to $70 allowing you to get anywhere from 60+ channels to 120+ channels.

• Live A Little ($35 per month): 60+ channels including ESPN & Disney

• Just Right ($50 per month): 80+ channels including NBC Sports, SEC Network & Longhorn Network

• Go Big ($60 per month): 100+ channels including NBA TV, NHL Network, and Sprout

• Gotta Have It ($70 per month): 120+ channels including Starz/Encore package & Univision Deportes

You can also add HBO and Cinemax to any package for $5 per month. It’s also possible to get local tv broadcasts for select major markets.

Stream on Multiple Devices at One Time

You can stream on 2 devices simultaneously with any plan and can stream on virtually any device.

Playstation Vue

Playstation Vue has become one of the more popular apps because its plans are competitively priced and it’s possible to stream on up to 5 devices simultaneously. It also has cloud-based DVR capability and can watch on-demand tv as well.

Pros: DVR capability & stream on 5 devices at once

Cons: No Viacom channels at the moment

Available Streaming Plans

There are four different subscription plans and the option to add premium standalone channels on Playstation Vue.

• Access Slim ($29.99 per month): 45+ channels including ESPN, Disney, FS1, FS2, CNN, Fox News, and Telemundo.
• Core Slim ($35.99 per month): 60+ including the regional sports networks like Big Ten & SEC networks.
• Elite Slim ($44.99 per month): 90 channels including the full Fox College Sports suite and movie channels like Epix and MGM HD.
• Ultra Slim ($64.99 per month) 90 channels plus HBO & Showtime

There are cheaper apps available if you want to get HBO & Showtime for a lower price. Playstation VUE is nice because it gives you the option to subscribe to select standalone channels & it has access to more local markets to stream your local CBS affiliate for example.

Stream on Multiple Devices at One Time

You can stream on up to 5 devices at one time, which is arguably the most generous streaming policy available. Although, you can only stream on one PS3 or PS4 device at one time.

YouTube TV

Pros: Ability to stream local programming, DVR capability, & stream on 3 devices simultaneously

Cons: Only one package with 40 channels might deter some viewers

This service is coming soon and only a few details have been released. At the moment you can only submit your e-mail address and zip code to be notified when they go live.

Available Streaming Plans

There will be one stream plan that costs $35 per month and has 40+ channels including the four local channels (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC). No official lineup has been released, but, it appears it will have ESPN but will not include CNN in its lineup.

You will also have the ability to add Showtime for an additional fee.

Stream on Multiple Devices at One Time

YouTube TV has said you can stream on up to three devices at one time & have six accounts per plan.

What is the Best Streaming Option?

All four tv streaming apps offer something different. Depending on your viewing needs here might be the best option for you:

Best for Budget Conscious: Sling TV
It doesn’t have DVR capability so you need to watch shows live, but, it’s $20 & $25 price tags are hard to beat.

Best for Premium Channels: DirecTV Now
Ability to add HBO & Cinemax is a nice option & you get 120+ channels for $70 a month. Still slightly cheaper than your current cable or satellite plan.

Best Overall: Playstation VUE
Playstation VUE is slightly more expensive on the low-end and doesn’t offer as many channels as Direct TV Now, but, having DVR capability and the ability to stream on 5 devices are great features.

Do You Also Want Local Channels?

Most online streaming apps and services don’t provide you with access to local channels. While DirecTV Now has a few depending on where you live (same with Sling TV), it’s nowhere close to what you might be able to get with an over-the-air antenna. It’s very possible to cut cable and get your local channels, plus ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX right over the air in full HD. We recommend checking out the Mohu Leaf or even one of the many on Amazon to help you decide.

The best part is you can try these antennas out to see if they work and if they don’t, then you can return them. It can’t hurt to see how many channels you can receive. Grayson has a Mohu Sky antenna in his attic that powers his entire house.

Have you tried any of these TV streaming services yet? If so, what is your favorite and what did you like about it?

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