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There could be hundreds of channels on TV and yet we can never find anything we want to watch. It seems the options are endless these days when it comes to OTT content, but what if there were a way to customize your content so you’re guaranteed to find something to keep you entertained? Enter: Sling TV,still one of thebest cable TV alternatives we’ve found.
The first step to understanding Sling TV is knowing when it’s time to cut the cord. Cable TV offers a decent amount of channels, but it’s all tied to your TV — and a bulky cable box. As is the case for many of us, I haven’t had cable in quite a number of years. But not only do you miss out on live entertainment (including sport matches) when you’re juggling multiple streaming services, the costs of trying to stay on top of everything airing right now can rack up fast.
After a few weeks of living with Sling TV as my primary live TV service, I believe that if you’re looking for an affordable, flexible way to cut the cord, Sling TV still stands out in 2025. Unlike traditional cable, Sling TV lets you pick and choose channel packages and customize with add‑ons (not to mention avoiding the long‑term contracts usually associated with cable, too). Despite its relatively affordable price, it strikes a great balance between customization and feature sets that matter (like 4K content on select channels, DVR and sports) — but you’ll want to know exactly what you’re getting into before making the switch.
So, should you subscribe to Sling TV? Below we’ll go over pricing, features, and how it measures up to the competition to see if this is the right cable TV alternative for you.
Sling TV: Pricing and Availability
Sling TV
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Pros: Affordable base price, flexible channels and add-on customization, unlimited DVR is an option, no locked-in contracts, 4K streaming included
Cons: Local channel offerings inconsistent, extra fees add up fast, streaming limits might be frustrating depending on the size of your household
At its core, Sling TV remains one of the most cost-effective options for live TV streaming, especially if you’re careful about which plan and add-ons you choose. Unlike the “all-inclusive” approach of YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV splits its service into two main packages: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Each offers a distinct lineup of channels and comes with its own streaming limitations.
Sling Orange starts at $45.99 per month and leans heavily on sports and family content, featuring ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, and Freeform. However, it restricts you to just one simultaneous stream — which can be frustrating if you live in a multi-person household. Sling Blue, also starting at $45.99 monthly (though prices can rise to $50.99 depending on your region), focuses more on news and entertainment with channels like FOX News, MSNBC, Bravo, and FX. Blue lets you stream on up to three devices at once, which made it far more practical for my household of four. If you want everything Sling TV offers, the Orange + Blue bundle combines the two starting at $65.99 per month, or slightly higher if you live in a market where they provide local ABC, NBC, or FOX affiliates.
I opted for the Orange + Blue package during my trial. That gave me access to the most channels and four simultaneous streams, which comfortably covered my household. I appreciated Sling TV’s upfront pricing, and canceling is as easy as clicking a button. Right now, they’re still running their classic “50% off your first month” promo with a free month of AMC+, bringing the price down to $23/month for Sling Orange, $25.50/month for Sling Blue, and $33/month for Sling Orange + Blue for your first billing cycle.
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Sling TV: Add-Ons, Customization, and DVR
When it comes to channels, the best cable alternatives can offer you dozens (if not hundreds) of channels. But just because you have a huge number of channel options, that doesn’t mean that there’s anything actually worth watching on them, or anything you would want to watch.
One of Sling TV’s biggest selling points is its flexibility — beyond the base packages (which aren’t that customizable), there are over 70 premium add-ons available to fine-tune your lineup, like Sports Extra, Kids Extra, News Extra, Hollywood Extra, and several others (these range from $5.99 to $10.99 per month each). You can even bundle a Max subscription with your plan and save $5 per month on the cost of Max. Unfortunately, Sling TV does miss out on a number popular channels (including most channels owned by Paramount, like CBS, MTV, etc.), though there are some exceptions (Sling TV does include Paramount-owned Comedy Central).
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I didn’t add on any additional packages during my trial, but I found that this is where Sling TV’s “affordable” reputation can slip a bit if you’re not paying attention. These add-ons give Sling TV flexibility its competitors lack, but your base Orange + Blue package can quickly balloon from $65.99 to nearly $95 per month after a few targeted add-ons and the $5 monthly upgrade to unlimited DVR storage.
By default, Sling TV includes 50 hours of DVR cloud storage with every plan, but the $5 upgrade to unlimited is well worth it. Not only did it give me more breathing room, but it also allowed me to skip ads on recordings — a simple feature, but one that felt like a significant quality-of-life improvement. Sling TV’s DVR is broken up into four sections: Recordings, Auto Recorded, Scheduled and Trash. Most of these are self-explanatory, but the Trash section is a neat feature to have. You can find any deleted recordings here and restore them to your DVR library for 48 hours after you deleted them, in case you made a mistake.
Beyond DVR, Sling TV also offers 4K streaming on select ESPN and FOX sports broadcasts at no extra cost, a perk many competitors still hide behind premium tiers.
Sling TV Streaming Experience
Using Sling TV day-to-day felt familiar, almost like cable but with a leaner, app-based interface. I tested it across multiple devices, from my apartment’s Samsung Frame TV, to an iPad and on my three-year-old MacBook Pro. The app is intuitive, and the guide is streamlined and easy to navigate. Streaming quality was consistently reliable in HD, and I never experienced outages or significant buffering during my time with it. Live channels loaded quickly, and the picture remained crisp across all my devices.
However, Sling TV’s Achilles’ heel — and it’s a big one for many households — is its handling of local channels. CBS is simply not available, period. ABC, NBC, and FOX are only offered in certain markets and often come with a surcharge. To fill the gap, Sling TV offers an AirTV device that, when connected to an OTA antenna, integrates local channels into your Sling TV guide, providing a seamless viewing experience. You can currently get an AirTV Mini for free when you prepay for two months of Sling TV (which is admittedly a good deal), but overall it feels a little outdated compared to competitors offering full local channel lineups by default.
This approach makes sense from a cost-cutting perspective (Sling TV gets to keep its base price low by not paying for nationwide local carriage) — but it imparts that friction onto the viewer. If you’re hoping for a one-stop-shop streaming solution, Sling TV maybe won’t satisfy you on its own, but if affordability is your biggest concern, then it’s still a solid option.
Sling TV vs. Other Live TV Streaming Services
Here’s how Sling TV stacks up against other big names in the live TV streaming game:
While YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV come loaded with local channels and more simultaneous streams by default, they cost significantly more, typically between $82.99 and $95.99 per month. Fubo TV offers expansive sports coverage (including regional sports networks) but is even pricier. Philo remains the budget leader at just $28, but it lacks live news, sports, and locals altogether.
Sling TV really shines in this unique middle ground. It’s a solid option for people who want to customize their lineup and keep costs relatively low — assuming they can live without a few key channels or supplement with free antenna broadcasts. It’s also worth noting again that Sling TV includes 4K streaming for certain ESPN and FOX sports broadcasts at no extra charge, something its competitors either don’t offer or hide behind higher-priced tiers.
Final Verdict: Is Sling TV Worth It?
If you prioritize the flexibility of customizing your live TV, and want a budget-friendly way to do so, Sling TV is still one of the best deals in live TV streaming. It’s perfect if you want to cherry-pick channel packs seasonally and prefer no contracts with clear, upfront pricing. You just want sports? Get Sling Orange. Just tuning in for some entertainment channels and maybe the local news? Get Sling Blue. Want it all? Sign up for Sling Orange and Blue. Want to spend $0? Yeah, you can even do that too — Sling TV offers a Freestream option will give you access to over 600 channels as well as on-demand content.
After a few weeks, I settled into a rhythm with Sling TV that worked for me. I used the Orange + Blue bundle with unlimited DVR, and this setup gave me what I needed for around $75 monthly — significantly less than I’d pay for cable or Hulu’s live bundle, but admittedly more work to piece together. In the end, I’d recommend Sling TV to anyone who values customization and isn’t afraid of using multiple streamers to fill some gaps. It’s not perfect, but it delivers on what it promises: a cheaper, more flexible way to stream live TV.
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