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Fubo vs Sling TV: Which is the best option for you in 2024?
Sling TV and Fubo are two of the most popular options for live TV streaming. The two services differ significantly, with Sling targeting budget streamers and Fubo aiming for sports fans.
Choosing between these two platforms comes down to what you want out of your streaming experience. Do you prefer a massive channel lineup with plenty of live sports? Or a customizable, streamlined cable TV lineup? Your answers will likely make it pretty easy to decide between these two options.
Read on to get all the details on Sling TV and Fubo so you can find out which is right for you.
Fubo and Sling TV compared
|
Fubo |
Sling TV |
|
|
Starting monthly price |
$79.99 |
$40 |
|
DVR |
1,000 hours |
50 hours |
|
Simultaneous streams |
10 at home 3 outside home |
1–3 |
|
Number of live channels |
260+ |
46+ |
|
On-demand library |
Yes |
Yes |
Fubo vs Sling TV content
Fubo offers an absolute smorgasbord of live TV content. Its basic Pro plan features over 180 channels, including more than 30 sports networks. It has all your local TV networks, regional sports networks (RSNs) and a wide range of popular and lesser-known cable channels. It also offers two top-tier plans and a variety of add-ons to expand your plan to more than 260 channels. It’s worth noting that you’ll pay a regional sports fee that’s not included in the advertised price — and this adds up to $14.99 a month to your total cost.
Sling TV takes the opposite approach, paring its main packages down to the most popular cable networks to keep costs down for subscribers. Plans start more than $40 cheaper than Fubo’s, and you’ll get anywhere from 32–46 channels, depending on which option you choose. Sling offers quite a few add-on packages to expand your coverage with more news, entertainment, or sports, but it doesn’t include RSNs and only offers a few local channels in select markets,
In terms of the total content package, Fubo wins out in most categories. However, Sling does have a few key channels that are missing from Fubo’s lineup, including TBS, TNT, TruTV, ESPN3, CNN and BBC America. Both services offer on-demand content from the networks included in your plan.
Fubo vs Sling TV DVR
Fubo is a clear winner when it comes to cloud DVR storage. All three of its main plans include 1,000 hours, so you can store a lot of your favorite episodes or sporting events to watch later. Sling only comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR. Although you can upgrade to 200 hours for $5 a month, that’s still far less than Fubo’s DVR offering.
Beyond capacity, the two services are relatively similar in this category. Both allow you to store your recordings indefinitely as long as you maintain your subscription. Likewise, both platforms make it relatively easy to set up individual recordings or program your favorite shows or teams to record automatically.
Fubo vs Sling TV personalization and user experience
The best live TV streaming services make it easy to create unique profiles and preferences for multiple users in the same household, and Fubo and Sling both do a good job in this area. Sling allows you to create up to four user profiles, while you can create up to six on Fubo. Within each profile on both services, you can select your favorite channels, teams or shows to access them easily from your home screen. Fubo even allows you to build a customized channel guide featuring your favorite networks.
The two services diverge from there, though. Since Sling limits you to only one concurrent stream with Sling Orange or three concurrent streams with Sling Blue, larger households may run into trouble if multiple users want to watch on different devices at the same time. This isn’t typically an issue with Fubo, where you can stream on up to 10 devices at once.
Meanwhile, for parental controls, Sling is the clear winner because it actually has them! You can blog specific types of content or rating levels with a simple PIN. On Fubo, there are no parental controls whatsoever — a big downside for families.
Fubo vs Sling TV for sports fans
At first glance, the sports category might seem like a slam dunk for Fubo in this contest. And there’s no arguing that it offers more sports content than Sling TV, by quite a lot. However, a closer look reveals a more complicated picture.
Fubo offers more than 60 sports networks across its different plans, including over 30 in its basic plan. It’s also one of only two live TV streaming services to feature most RSNs, so you can keep up with your local teams with ease. This service was originally built for sports fans, and it shows. Still, Fubo is missing some key sports channels. Without TBS, TNT and TruTV, you lose a lot of NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA basketball coverage, and that’s a big hit for some fans.
Sling, meanwhile, has all of those channels in its basic plans but offers a much smaller lineup of sports offerings in its basic plans. Sling Orange only includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and MotorTrend, while Sling Blue has NFL Network and Fox Sports 1 (FS1). You can get all these channels in Sling Orange & Blue, and that may be all you need to fulfill your sports streaming needs. If not, Sling still has options — the Sports Extra add-on offers between 10 and 17 extra sports channels for between $11 and $15 a month, depending on your plan. That includes major networks like MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, ACCN, ESPNEWS and ESPNU for a fairly complete lineup of the most popular sports networks.
All told it’s possible to build a strong sports package with Sling TV. You won’t have the same breadth of options as you’ll find on Fubo — and no RSNs — but you can build a lineup that matches your interest without breaking the bank. The choice really comes down to your sports-streaming preferences.
Which service is best for you?
Overall, Sling TV and Fubo could hardly be more different. These two platforms were clearly built with different types of cord-cutters in mind, and most people will find the choice fairly easy. If you want maximum live sports and a huge channel lineup with plenty of DVR space, opt for Fubo. If you’d rather have a budget-friendly, pared-down channel lineup that you can build how you see fit — and you don’t need RSNs in your main live TV package — check out Sling TV.
Not sure which one to go with? Fubo offers a free trial of up to seven days, and Sling usually offers half off your first month.
FAQ
Is Fubo better than Sling?
The two services have very different strengths, and each will appeal to different kinds of streamers. Sling targets budget-conscious viewers who want a simple, customizable channel lineup, while Fubo aims for sports lovers and those who want a channel lineup that’s more like cable.
Does Fubo have a free trial?
Yes, Fubo offers a free trial of up to seven days.
Can I watch sports on Sling?
Yes, Sling offers quite a few sports channels. You can choose from just a few in the basic plans or add more with the Sports Extra add-on. Across these different options, Sling offers most of the popular national sports networks.
