So your cable bill is out of control and you’re looking to cut the cord by streaming video over the internet. It’s an exciting feeling, no?
Problem is, once you finally settle on a streaming TV service, it’s not uncommon to see your new bill creep up toward cable bill territory.
Case in point: My YouTube TV bill is somehow $96 a month!
Don’t be a sucker like me. There are a handful of cheap and free services that’ll scratch your live TV itch. Here’s a look at some worth considering.
Philo: $25 per month for 60+ channels
If you’re looking to closely replicate your cable package and you don’t really care about sports, Philo is a great place to start.
For $25 per month, you get a decent if unspectacular mix of news and entertainment, plus unlimited DVR recording space (shows can be kept for up to a year) and the ability to stream on up to three devices at once. Those are both nice extras for the price.
Frndly TV: $7+ per month for 40+ channels
As its name suggests, Frndly is a wallet-friendly package of streaming TV channels, although you’ll want to bump up to the $9 Classic or $11 Premium package to get the best experience.
All packages carry the same channels, but the $7 Basic package only shows content in standard definition and allows for only one stream at a time.
The $9 Classic package bumps the quality up to HD, allows for two streams at a time, and features unlimited recording space with recordings kept for three months.
The $11 Premium package enables streaming on up to four devices at once and allows you to keep unlimited recordings for up to nine months.
The channel lineup is similar to Philo’s, albeit with fewer channels and very little news aside from the Weather Channel and LocalNow. There’s also a seven-day free trial.
Xumo TV: Free (with ads) for 14+ channels
If you’re just looking for something to put on in the background and you’re something of a news junkie, then Xumo TV might be right up your alley.
The live part of the service leans heavily on news programs from the big networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, and others), but there’s also a pretty extensive collection of on-demand movies and shows.
This other content is mixed in with the live channels and feels live when you click over to it. Movies start somewhere in the middle, for instance, but you have the option to restart them from the beginning.
For a free service, it’s got a nice, familiar interface and you don’t even need to sign up for an account to begin watching.
Pluto TV: Free (with ads) for . . . well, it’s complicated
Okay, so on the surface Pluto TV is similar to Xumo TV in that it has a handful of live news channels but with a less well-defined interface and a whole bunch of special-interest “live” channels that need some explaining.
For instance: How would you like a channel that shows nonstop episodes of Family Ties? Or Forensic Files? Or Cops? Or Unsolved Mysteries?
All of these channels exist, and there are hundreds more. I binged the Unsolved Mysteries channel for a good week before realizing I had all the same episodes without ads available on the streaming services I pay for.
So if you’ve ever been hooked on a show, there’s a better-than-average chance it has its own Pluto channel. Binge away!
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