Best Alternatives to Cable TV

If cable TV isn’t available in your area, or the price tag is too high, there are several ways to get the channels you love without paying for cable. DIRECTV and DISH are satellite TV services that deliver sports, movies, news, and more to your home screen.

Satellite TV can be installed almost anywhere—even in rural areas without phone service or other utilities—but you’ll need space on your house or apartment to install a satellite dish.

Unlike video streaming, satellite TV doesn’t rely on internet service, so it’s a good option for people who have slow internet or data caps (such as satellite internet).

Just be aware that some DVRs use internet data for on-demand programming or cloud storage.

In this guide

• Best satellite TV providers
• Best streaming services
• Best live streaming TV services
• Best TV antennas
• FAQ

Each satellite TV provider offers several plans, with pricing dependent on the number of channels. Premium channel add-ons are also available with all satellite carriers. The best plan for you will depend on what your viewing habits are, so pick a provider and scroll through channel listings.

Remember, you don’t have to buy the biggest package to get premium channels—it’s sometimes cheaper to add premium channels to a smaller plan.

A favorite of sports fans, DIRECTV is home to more sports channels than DISH. It’s not all about sports though—you can get a wide variety of movies, drama, news, history, cartoons, and more. For the first year, DIRECTV pricing is comparable to DISH, but be aware that prices go up after the second year of service (and yes, you have to sign a 2-year contract to get service).

DISH may not lure as many mainstream sports fans as DIRECTV, but DISH gives you plenty of entertainment choices. This satellite TV provider has the best-rated DVR, national and regional sports channels, and pretty much everything else you could find on DIRECTV without the price hike.¹

Yup, you read that right. The best thing about DISH is that your price remains the same for the full contract period—instead of having your price nearly doubled in the second year (we’re looking at you, DIRECTV).

Most households find plenty to watch with America’s Top 120+, which includes 190 popular channels plus extra sports. If you don’t watch sports, get America’s Top 20 and save $15 per month.

Streaming is quickly becoming the most popular way to watch TV and movies.

If you have unlimited, high-speed internet, streaming services are easy to use. If your ISP has data caps, streaming is a little trickier. Check out our guide to Streaming with Satellite Internet for data-saving tips.

One of the reasons streaming is so popular is that it’s so cheap. Most streaming service memberships cost less than $10 per month, they’re contract-free, and they deliver a lot of content. 

Cord-cutters can pay for several streaming service memberships, which will still cost less than paying for cable TV. This means you can pare down your services when you are busy and aren’t watching much TV, then add a few extras when you’re spending more time at home.

Streaming services have evolved from the early Netflix days, becoming more specialized and compartmentalized.

They pour millions into developing original content—shows like Bridgerton, The Boys, WandaVision, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Stranger Things, and Umbrella Academy. Netflix is still the most popular streaming service and gets our vote for the most all-around crowd pleasing. But, there are several others worth checking out.

Hulu is our first choice for streaming TV shows (episodes are updated within a week of their air dates). Amazon Prime is great for movie rentals and original content, and Disney+ snags viewers with Marvel, Star Wars, and all the Disney originals we’ve grown up watching.

Realizing that one service can no longer deliver all the content we crave, some streaming services are starting to bundle together—like the ESPN, Disney+, and Hulu bundle for $69.99 to $89.99 per month, depending on whether or not you allow for ads on the services.

Several streaming services offer a subscription plan with commercials for a lower price, including Disney+, Peacock, and Hulu. You can also get discounts by paying by the year instead of by the month with many services (ESPN+, Disney+, and Amazon Prime).

If you are looking for a complete replacement for cable TV, check into livestreaming TV.

As long as you have unlimited high-speed internet, livestreaming TV can deliver many of the same channels as cable at a lower price. The most popular live streaming TV providers are YouTubeTV, fuboTV, Sling TV, DIRECTV, and Hulu + Live TV.

There are many live TV streaming services, but we like Hulu + Live TV best, which gives you all the advantages of continuous TV served up 24/7 with a good library of on-demand content as well. 

Other live streaming services to check out include fuboTV (which caters to sports fans), YouTube TV (with over 100 channels of live content), and Sling TV (which is the lowest priced option at $35 per month). Although pricier than individual streaming services, a live streaming TV service can better replicate the cable TV experience.

If you are interested in cutting the cord and the subscription services, the cheapest way to get TV stations is with a TV antenna. Although TV antennas don’t offer cable channels and deliver a limited number of channels, you can get local stations for free. The only cost is buying the antenna—no monthly subscription is required. 

You could get 10–20 channels for free every month with a TV antenna, depending on where you live, what stations are broadcasting in your area, and how far your antenna range is. The further you live from a big city with broadcasting stations, the more you’ll need to spend on a TV antenna. 

If you live in a rural area, the best alternative to cable TV is probably going to be satellite TV. If you have a fast internet connection at your home with unlimited data, your best choice might be streaming services. However, many rural areas have limited internet options and low data caps, making streaming impractical. Streaming services use a lot of internet data.

If you look at the full 2-year contract, DISH is cheaper than DIRECTV because DIRECTV increases prices after the second half of your contract. DIRECTV prices nearly double after the first 24 months, while DISH prices are locked in place for 3 years.

No, DISH does not offer NFL SUNDAY TICKET. However, DISH has many other sports channels, including NFL RedZone, ESPN, Regional Sports Network, and more. In fact, DISH has more college football coverage than DIRECTV. 

DIRECTV used to offer NFL SUNDAY TICKET, but in 2023, YouTube TV will provide the sports service instead.

Here are the cheapest alternatives to cable TV.

• Streaming with video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, ESPN+, or others.
• Renting DVDs and Blu-rays or signing up for DVD rental plan by mail.
• Downloading content while you’re on free internet in town (McDonalds, coffee shops, libraries, universities, etc.).
• Getting a TV antenna so you can get local TV stations for free.