Top 5 Live TV Streaming Services (2025), Tested and Reviewed
I won’t mince words: Sling TV is confusing. It has, by far, the most confusing array of plans and add-ons of any of the live TV services I’ve tested. There are a few basic plans, none of which include the range of Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, or DirecTV, plus about a half-dozen add-ons to bring the channel lineup up to par. This standardized approach is annoying when shopping, although it also means that you can save a significant amount of money by only buying what you need.
The Sling core is blue and orange. The Blue Plan focuses on news and entertainment, while the Orange Plan cuts news like MSNBC and CNN in favor of a host of ESPN channels. Sling clearly wants people to choose an Orange & Blue plan that combines these channel lineups. Bundling them together is about 30 percent cheaper than buying them separately (and about $30 cheaper than most other providers).
The Orange & Blue plan, which I recommend to most people, covers the main bases, but loses some of the secondary channels available elsewhere. For example, you get ESPN and Fox Sports 1, but not Fox Sports 2 or Big Ten Network. You’ll need an add-on for those.
Most Sling add-ons cost an additional $6 per month, minus the $15 Sports add-ons. Add-ons fill in the gaps depending on what matters most to you. The entertainment add-on includes Cartoon Network and MTV, for example, while the movie add-on comes with Grit, TCM, and FXX. You can get all the extras for $27 per month with Blue & Orange or $21 per month with other plans. However, even with the full package, Sling comes in at a few dollars less than YouTube TV and Hulu Live TV, and there are opportunities to get a lower monthly price by cutting some packages.
As for apps, Sling has pretty much everything you could want. Roku, Samsung, LG, Apple, and Google TV are all supported, as are boxes from Cox, Xfinity, and even TiVo Stream. Mobile apps are available, and there’s an app for Xbox (but not for PlayStation 5).
Although it’s not as responsive as YouTube TV, the app looked smooth on the TCL QM8K. You can create profiles and see upcoming games and favorite channels in the guide so they’re easy to find.