So, you’re ready to cut the cord? Lots of loyal TV watchers want to get their fix without paying for a cable box and a bunch of mystery fees. Switching over to live TV streaming options gives you a full channel lineup without the hassle so often associated with cable. Two popular options, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, have risen to the top of the platform pyramid — and for good reason. These options are some of the most versatile and feature-rich on the market, giving viewers some of the highest value-for-dollar ratios to date.
Digging further, we found that Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV have a lot in common. They both feature a similar number of channels, including staples like ESPN, CNN, and Bravo, along with many local networks. The two platforms also ring in right around the same price point, offer unlimited DVR storage, and allow you to create up to six user profiles.
With all of these similarities, it can be challenging to figure out which service is right for you. We get it — which is why we’ve done the heavy lifting and research for you. Read through our service summaries down below to determine if YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV is best for you.
Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV compared
| Hulu + Live TV Only | YouTube TV | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting monthly price | $82.99 | $72.99 |
| DVR | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Simultaneous streams | 2 | 3 |
| Number of live channels | 95+ | 100+ |
| On-demand library | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | ✓ | ✓ |
Hulu + Live TV vs. YouTube TV content
Hulu + Live TV are pretty comparable when it comes to channel lists. In addition to carrying local content on NBC, ABC, Fox, and CBS, both platforms have a lot of the same cable networks. Additionally, both carry sports channels like Fox Sports 1 (FS1), ACCN, and NFL Network. You can also get CNN, CNBC, and ABC News on both Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV.
Additionally, both Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV have add-ons that allow you to customize your content lineup. Hulu + Live TV, for example, has a Sports Add-on, Entertainment Add-on, and a Spanish Add-on.
Hulu + Live TV vs. YouTube TV DVR
Live streaming platforms don’t have a hard-drive-based DVR like a cable box does. Instead, viewers can expect to see cloud DVR storage offered.
Both Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV have unlimited DVR storage included in their standard service. This means that viewers will have no limit on the number of programs they can record and save to your account.
The one downside to these two services offering unlimited DVR is that there is typically a finite period for saving recordings. For example, both YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV allow you to keep a recording for up to nine months. After that, the content will automatically be deleted from your cloud DVR.
Hulu + Live TV vs. YouTube TV personalization and user experience
As in the content department, there are similarities and differences between the user experience for YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV. An example of this lies in the respective simultaneous streaming options between services.
YouTube TV offers three simultaneous streams to Hulu + Live TV’s two streams, making YouTube TV a better option for large families who like to retreat to their own corners and devices when it’s time to stream. Despite this difference, both services let you create up to six unique user profiles per household, allowing each person on the account to have their own saved content and algorithm.
We do want to note user experience gaps that we’ve observed across both services. One useful feature that YouTube TV has Hulu + Live TV lacks, for example, is the ability to customize the order of your channel guide. However, you can put your favorites at the top of the list with YouTube TV.
While Hulu + Live TV lacks custom guide functionality, the service does let you save channels to a “My Stuff” list — adding those selected options to your Favorites tab in the live guide.
Hulu + Live TV vs YouTube TV for sports fans
Both options have a pretty big menu of sports networks, such as ESPN and the CBS Sports Network, which may be enough to satisfy most avid sports fans.
However, in terms of sports channel add-ons, YouTube TV may win out for a lot of people over Hulu + Live TV. Its Sports Extra comes with over 10 additional channels in the add-on, while Hulu + Live TV has less than 10 extra channels in its own add-on.
Both platforms offer NFL Redzone as a part of their sports extras, but Hulu + Live TV also has MLB Strike Zone for more baseball content. Hulu + Live TV also gives all customers a free ESPN Plus subscription.
Which service is best for you?
Given their similar price points and channel lineups, the right streaming service for you may come down to extras and user experience. Hulu + Live TV comes with the on-demand Hulu library, so if you already pay for Hulu, it might make more sense to just add live service to your account. On the other hand, YouTube is the exclusive home of the NFL Sunday Ticket subscription — and if you already find yourself on YouTube frequently, you may find it simpler to make the upgrade rather than sign on with a new service.
FAQ
Which is better: YouTube TV or Hulu + Live?
YouTube TV is slightly more affordable than Hulu + Live TV and has more channels. However, Hulu + Live TV has a more impressive on-demand library by most people’s standards and offers a Disney Plus and ESPN Plus account as part of its bundle.
What channels are missing from YouTube TV?
Notable channels missing from the YouTube TV channel lineup include Lifetime, History, and A&E.
What is the downside to Hulu + Live TV?
Hulu + Live TV limits simultaneous streaming to two streams at a time, which is not ideal for big families.
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