Cable Alternatives: 21 Ways To Watch Your Favorite Shows for Less

Cable is dying.

Customers are fed up with paying hundreds of dollars a month for fifty channels with nothing on. With so many cheaper, better alternatives, there’s no reason to. 

I ditched cable years ago and haven’t looked back. 

But that doesn’t mean I stopped watching television. Instead, I pay less per month for better content with fewer ads.

Are you ready to end your relationship with cable TV? These alternatives to cable offer everything you need for a seamless viewing experience. 

The Best Alternatives to Cable

Traditionally, people would say that the best alternative to cable is satellite TV. Satellite providers like Direct TV and Dish Network offer the same services as basic cable. The problem is that satellite TV has become just as expensive as regular cable. In fact, for many people, the two are now nearly synonymous.

Nowadays, the best cable alternatives are streaming services. 

Streaming services allow you to watch shows and movies on demand with a high-speed internet connection. 

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The Best All-Around Streaming Services      

A handful of streaming services could replace cable television on their own. They’re the most mainstream and well-known, with good reason. 

All four services feature tons of content, both original and old favorites, and offer reasonable prices. 

Please note that the prices we reported were accurate as of publication. However, prices are subject to change at any time. Please check the service for the most up-to-date pricing. 

Netflix

Netflix is the grandfather of all streaming services. Though it began as a way to rent DVDs online, it changed with the times and is now one of the most popular and well-known streaming services available.

Netflix features an extensive library of movies and television shows. You can watch old network favorites like Seinfeld and Supernatural or explore the service’s wide range of award-winning original content, like Stanger Things or Squid Game. 

Netflix has three pricing options, all of which are cheaper than traditional cable. The lowest-priced package costs only $6.99 per month, but it includes ads. If you want ad-free viewing, you’ll pay $15.49 for the standard plan. 

The streaming service made waves a few years ago when it cracked down on sharing outside the household. It now offers a premium plan for $22.99 per month, which allows you to add two members who don’t live with you. 

Hulu

Hulu is my favorite streaming service, and not just because they have Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

Okay, that’s a big reason. But it also has a wide variety of other shows and movies.

Hulu also offers original content, such as the award-winning “A Handmaid’s Tale,” and critically acclaimed shows like “Pen15” and “Ramy.”

Hulu’s streaming plans are a little more expensive than Netflix’s, starting at $9.99 with ads and $18.99 with only pre-roll ads.

Hulu also boasts a live television option, which makes it a much more attractive alternative to those who want to see a show as it’s broadcast. The Live TV plans offer over 75 live and on-demand channels, including sports and news. 

Unfortunately, the Live TV plans are nearly as expensive as traditional cable plans. They start at $81.99 per month. You can bundle everything together with ads for $82.99 a month or without (for only the Hulu streaming portion) for $95.99. 

Disney+

Disney+ used to be a niche alternative to cable, but as the company expanded to offer more content, it’s now one of the top four all-inclusive services. 

Not only does Disney have its own massive library, but it also owns the Marvel cinematic universe and Star Wars. With these fan-favorite titles, Disney produces a wide range of content any audience will enjoy. 

Disney+ plans start at $9.99 for ad-supported and $15.99 for ad-free viewing. 

But wait – there’s more! 

Disney+ partners with Hulu and ESPN. The duo (Disney+ and Hulu) costs $10.99 with ads or $19.99 without, or the trio for $16.99 or $26.99. 

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime has its hands in everything. For only $14.99 a month, you get free and fast shipping, one free Twitch subscription, and on-demand access to thousands of movies and TV shows. 

If you don’t want all the shopping bonuses, you can get Amazon Prime video a la carte for only nine dollars a month.

Amazon Prime features fantastic original content, including shows like The Fabulous Mrs. Maisel and Good Omens. 

The downside is that Amazon Prime Video is that it only offers a handful of your old favorite television shows. You can watch shows like House, Fraiser, or Desperate Housewives, but Amazon Prime has fewer options than Hulu or Netflix. 

However, Amazon Prime shines with its fresh, new content. Everyone wants to watch The Boys, Rings of Power, and Tulsa King.      

Amazon also has a vast library of paid content. If there’s an old movie or show you can’t find anywhere else, you might be able to rent it (for a small fee) on Amazon Prime.                

All-Access Plans

Many major television channels and studios are getting into streaming services. Many have realized that people would rather pay for only the channels they want rather than hundreds of channels they never watch. This new normal in accessing television gives consumers more of a choice in what they have access to and reduces their costs.

Numerous all-access offerings have appeared and then been consolidated in the past few years. Here’s what’s remaining. 

MAX

HBO started the phenomenon with HBO on the Go, 

When HBO and Cinemax combined, HBO on the Go morphed into Max. You can still find all the iconic HBO content you love, like Last Week Tonight and House of the Dragon, but the streaming service also features a wide range of popular prime-time sitcoms, including Friends and The Big Bang Theory. 

Max’s plans start at $9.99 with ads and $16.99 without. 

However, Max joined forces with Hulu and Disney+, so you can bundle all three for $16.99 with ads or $29.99 without. 

Paramount+

Paramount Studios saw Disney’s streaming success and wanted in! They pulled their major title, Star Trek, from all the other streaming services and used it to catapult their new platform. Paramount+, to success. 

Paramount+ then bought out CBP All Access and Showtime, so customers have access to everything that was available on those platforms. The service now includes CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV programming, and all the original offerings from Paramount Studios. 

Starz

Starz doesn’t have the branding of the other top streaming platforms, but it makes up for that by offering a low-cost alternative. Starz costs $10.99 per month, but the platform constantly runs offers enticing users to try it out for much less. 

Starz doesn’t have as many television shows as its competitors, but it features a wide range of movies, from classics like Back to the Future and Ghostbusters to newer releases. 

Movies constantly enter and leave the platform, so there’s always something new to watch. 

YouTube

YouTube is a bit different in that you won’t find traditional television shows on the platform (though you may find clips and compilations).

However, that difference makes it stand out. You can find so much more on YouTube. The platform features millions of hours of original content you’ll never find anywhere else. 

The best thing about YouTube is that you are supporting the little guy rather than major corporations when you watch. Many of the channels are run by small creators (I even have my own channel) just trying to make a small name for themselves. 

Google owns the platform, so of course, a giant company is going to get its cut, but it is one of the only options here where you can support individual content creators making unique videos you wouldn’t find anywhere else. 

Though you can get most of the content on YouTube for free, you can upgrade to the premium plan to enjoy ad-free viewing. 

Which Streaming Service is Best for Live TV?

If you can’t live without live television, cable seems like the only option. 

But it’s not. 

A few streaming services offer live TV options, but the “best” one depends on your needs. Traditionally, live TV refers to sporting events, awards shows, news, and other programs that you watch live as they are recorded. 

However, with the advent of streaming, live TV can also refer to catching a show the first time it airs. Sometimes, we really want to catch our favorite programs the day they drop to avoid internet spoilers. 

It’s difficult to say which streaming service is best because that greatly depends on what you want to catch live. If you’re only worried about catching the latest episodes of your favorite show, you probably want whichever service hosts that show.  But if you want live sports, ESPN+ might be a better option.

A handful of cable alternatives offer a plethora of channels for your viewing pleasure, where you can watch your favorite shows and sporting events live as they happen. 

Here are the best ones.

Sling TV

Sling TV offers a wide range of basic cable channels for $40 a month. They offer two plans: the Orange Plan and the Blue Plan. The Blue Plan has a few more channels and allows you to stream on up to three devices, but the Orange Plan includes sports and Disney channels. 

I love that Sling TV offers two plans with two channel sets—it feels like you can choose what you want to watch. If you want both, you can get a $5 per month discount.  

 

A disadvantage of Sling TV is that it doesn’t seem to include the normal network channels. Fox and NBC seem to be available in select markets with the Blue plan, but I didn’t see ABC or CBS on either plan.

However, both plans feature some of the most well-known and watched cable channels, like TBS, Comedy Central, and Cartoon Network. 

FUBO TV

Fubo TV is an excellent alternative to cable in that it is very similar to cable. The basic plan is only $79.99 a month, offering over 200 channels and streaming on up to ten devices. The deluxe plan is $109.99 a month but offers over 300 channels, including live sports. 

The most significant advantage of Fubo TV over cable is that there is no obligation. Most cable providers offer similar deals (XFINITY offers a cable and internet bundle with over 100 channels for only $100 a month), but they get you with a year-long contract and raise the price significantly after the first year. 

Fubo TV doesn’t have any contracts, so you can cancel at any time with no penalty. They even offer a free trial on their basic plan, so you can see if you like it. 

Philo

Philo is one of the best alternatives to cable you can find. The platform offers access to over 70 channels for as low as $28 a month! 

Channels include some of the most popular cable networks, like AMC, A&E, Animal Planet, HGTV, and the History Channel. If that’s not enough, you can also bundle with a variety of add-ons, including Starz and Sony Movies. 

The downside to Philo is that you won’t find the major network channels, like ABC or TBS. However, they do make up for that with a variety of niche channels that offer one genre (like true crime) really well. 

Philo also beats cable because there’s no contract. You can cancel at any time. 

Crackle

Crackle is the service for you if you love B-movies, independent series, and classic movies from before the turn of the century. It features loads of movie titles you’ve never seen before, including straight-to-DVD horror and action flicks and a wide range of documentaries. 

Crackle also offers live streaming of older classics, like the original Father Knows Best and Showtime at the Apollo, making it ideal for those looking for nostalgic television.   

The best thing about Crackle is the price. It’s absolutely free. 

You get to take this walk down memory lane and watch all these old classics without paying a thing. All you need is a broadband internet connection and a device.

It’s the best value on the list.  

Sports

If you only have cable for sports programming, a variety of cheaper options will get you the content you want without all the bells and whistles of cable. 

These three platforms are excellent alternatives to cable if you are mostly interested in watching sports. 

DAZN

DAZN (pronounced Da Zone) is the ultimate streaming platform for boxing. It livestreams all the big fights, and you can pause and rewind as needed. 

DAZN offers far more than boxing. You can watch niche sports like pool, powerboat racing, paddle boarding, and American football, which is an alternative to the NFL. 

DAZN offers two sign-up options. You can join for the year and pay $19.99 per month or a little more the flexibility to cancel anytime. 

NFL Network

A few years ago, I paid over a hundred dollars a month for DirectTV specifically so I could get NFL Sunday Ticket and watch my beloved Chicago Bears play. Although watching the games live while they happen is still only available on DirectTV, NFL Game Pass has the second-best viewing option.

With this program, you get to watch every NFL game commercial-free! The only problem is that you have to wait until after it originally aired. However, if you don’t mind avoiding spoilers or wouldn’t be able to watch the live game anyway, this is a great way to watch them. And, at only $99 a season, it’s only about twenty bucks a month (if you include preseason – which you can watch live in some markets).

Another great thing about NFL Game Pass is that you can catch the live audio feed of a game. So, if you can’t watch it, you can still listen to your local radio channel’s broadcast, letting you keep up with your favorite team on the go!

ESPN+

If you are interested in sports outside of football and boxing, ESPN+ is the cable alternative for you. 

ESPN+ offers live streaming of thousands of live events from major sports organizations, including Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and more.

You also get access to ESPN’s original programming, like 30 for 30, and all of the other sports talk shows that ESPN created. At only six bucks a month, it’s an excellent option for anyone into sports.

As a bonus, Hulu offers an amazing package that includes ESPN + and Disney. You can access all three for only $16.99 a month, which is sure to please everyone in the family.

Movies

As Redbox closed its doors in 2024, there’s only one option left If you’re more interested in movies than television shows. 

Vudu

Vudu offers movie rentals on demand. However, since they don’t have any physical locations, everything is on demand. You can rent some movies before they even leave the theater!

Of course, when you rent the new releases, you will pay a hefty price for each film. However, Vudu also features hundreds of older films you can watch for free, as long as you don’t mind ad interruptions. 

Specialty Streaming

Curiosity Stream

If you love documentaries, you need to check out Curiosity Stream.  The streaming platform offers thousands of documentaries on topics ranging from science to lifestyle. And, at less than twenty dollars a year, it’s an excellent option for folks who only watch TV to learn interesting things about our world.

Crunchy Roll

If you are into anime, check out Crunchy Roll, the streaming service dedicated to anime content. Plans start as low as eight dollars a month, and you can watch new content as soon as an hour after the original air time.

Be mindful that this is premium anime content, so it’s likely that most of the shows will be in Japanese with English subtitles. Some may offer English voice dubbing, but if you want to watch mostly English-language shows, this may not be the service for you.

Twitch

Twitch isn’t exactly an alternative to cable. You won’t get the programs you are used to watching, but you will get something vastly different and often better: Live, interactive shows. 

Twitch started out as a gaming network, and although the majority of its content is still live-streaming video games, it has also branched out. 

Streamers host cooking, workout, travel, and opinion shows. Some simply chat with their audiences, making the livestream an interactive experience. The real-time interactions provide something that no other cable alternative can: a human connection. 

What Device Can Replace Cable TV?

Are you thinking of a fire stick? You plug them into your TV’s HDMI port to gain access to various channels and streaming services. 

However, a common misconception is that all these services will be free, and that’s not the case. Although you can access a few channels for free, you will still need a paid subscription for streaming services like Netflix or Hulu. 

Another misconception is that everyone needs a Firestick. However, that’s not the case. A Firestick is a solution for people with older television sets. Most modern smart TVs already come equipped with everything you need to access the platforms you want. 

If you need a firestick, you can get one on Amazon. 

What is the Cheapest Way to Watch TV Without Cable?

The cheapest alternatives to cable are actually free. You can watch TV for free in two ways, though you might be limited in your programming choices.

Local Channels

An antenna allows you to access most basic network channels. Since most smart TVs no longer come with antennas, you’ll need to grab one on Amazon.

The downside of antenna TV is that it’s not on your schedule. Programs are on at a specific time, and if you aren’t available at that time, you will miss out. 

If you haven’t been spoiled by on-demand or just want to catch the news or a rerun every now and again, this is a great option.

The Library

When was the last time you visited your local library? 

Most have more than books. Libraries also have a wide selection of movies and television shows available for rental. 

The best thing about the library is that you can get access to all these great resources for free! All you need is a library card.

Cable May Be Dying, but TV is Thriving!

If we’ve learned anything from this list, there are many ways to watch your favorite television shows and check out new content. 

Cable may be dying, but shows and movies are constantly being created. The only thing that’s evolving is how we watch them. 

What’s your favorite new way to watch television?