For those who want to cut the cord and keep costs low, there are many inexpensive streaming services offering quality content with low prices. Today, we’re comparing four of those options: AT&T Watch TV, Frndly TV, Philo, and Spectrum TV Essentials. (Read about Spectrum TV Essentials HERE.)
Cost Comparison
Here’s how much you’ll pay for each of these services.
- AT&T Watch TV: $15/month (free for those with an AT&T Unlimited phone plan)
- Frndly TV: $5.99/month
- Philo: $20/month
- Spectrum TV Essentials: $14.99/month (only available to Spectrum internet customers)
Channel Comparison
These are the channels you’ll get with each of these affordable streaming services
| AT&T Watch TV | Frndly TV | Philo | Spectrum TV Essentials | |
| A&E | x | x | x | |
| AMC | x | x | x | |
| American Heroes | x | x | ||
| Animal Planet | x | x | x | |
| Aspire | x | |||
| Audience | x | |||
| AXS TV | x | x | ||
| Babyfirst | x | |||
| BBC America | x | x | x | |
| BBC World News | x | x | x | |
| BET | x | x | x | |
| BET Her | x | x | ||
| BET Jams | x | |||
| BET Soul | x | |||
| Bloomberg | x | |||
| Boomerang | x | |||
| Cartoon Network | x | |||
| Cheddar Business | x | |||
| Cheddar News | x | x | ||
| CLEO TV | x | x | ||
| CMT | x | x | ||
| CMT Music | x | |||
| CNN | x | |||
| Comedy Central | x | x | x | |
| Cooking Channel | x | x | ||
| Destination America | x | x | ||
| Discovery | x | x | x | |
| Discovery Family | x | x | ||
| Discovery Life | x | x | ||
| DIY | x | x | ||
| Food Network | x | x | x | |
| FYI | x | x | x | |
| Game Show Network | x | x | x | |
| Hallmark Channel | x | x | x | x |
| Hallmark Drama | x | x | x | |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | x | x | x | x |
| HDNet Movies | x | |||
| HGTV | x | x | x | |
| History | x | x | x | |
| HLN | x | |||
| IFC | x | x | x | |
| Investigation Discovery | x | x | x | |
| Law & Crime | x | |||
| Lifetime | x | x | x | |
| Lifetime Movies | x | x | x | |
| Light TV | x | |||
| Logo | x | x | ||
| Motor Trend | x | x | x | |
| MTV | x | x | x | |
| MTV Classics | x | x | ||
| MTV Live | x | x | ||
| MTV 2 | x | x | x | |
| MTV U | x | |||
| Newsmax TV | x | |||
| Newsy | x | |||
| Nick Jr. | x | x | ||
| Nickelodeon | x | x | x | |
| Nick Music | x | |||
| Nick Toons | x | x | x | |
| Outdoor Channel | x | x | ||
| OWN | x | x | x | |
| Paramount | x | x | ||
| People TV | x | |||
| Pixl | x | |||
| QVC | x | |||
| REVOLT | x | x | ||
| Sci | x | x | ||
| Spectrum News | some markets | |||
| Sportsman Channel | x | |||
| Sundance TV | x | x | x | |
| Tastemade | x | |||
| TBS | x | |||
| TCM | x | |||
| Teen Nick | x | x | x | |
| TLC | x | x | x | |
| TNT | x | |||
| Travel | x | x | ||
| Tru TV | x | |||
| TV Land | x | x | x | |
| UP TV | x | |||
| VH1 | x | x | x | |
| Viceland | x | x | x | |
| WE TV | x | x | x | |
| Weather Channel | x | x | ||
| World Fishing Network | x |
Compatible Devices
Be sure that the service you choose works with your favorite streaming device.
| AT&T Watch TV | Frndly TV | Philo | Spectrum TV Essentials | |
| Roku | x | x | x | |
| Fire TV | x | x | x | Kindle Fire only |
| Apple TV | x | x | x | |
| Chromecast | x | x | ||
| iOS | x | x | x | x |
| Android Devices | x | x | x | x |
| Android TV | x | |||
| Xbox One | x | |||
| PlayStation 4 |
DVR Comparison
Can you record content on these services? Here’s how the Cloud DVR features compare.
- AT&T Watch TV: no DVR available
- Frndly TV: unlimited recording, content saved for 30 or 90 days (depending on plan)
- Philo: unlimited recording, content saved for 30 days
- Spectrum TV Essentials: no DVR yet, but it is reportedly coming
Simultaneous Streams Comparison
How many screens can you watch on at once with these services?
- AT&T Watch TV: 1 screen at once
- Frndly TV: up to 4 screens (depending on plan)
- Philo: up to 3 screens
- Spectrum TV Essentials: 1 screen at once
Which Should You Pick?
There are a couple of factors that might help you choose. For those with an AT&T Unlimited & More phone plan, AT&T Watch TV is free, making it a great option for watching 35+ channels. For those with Spectrum internet, the inexpensive Spectrum TV Essentials service might make sense. Unfortunately, there is not yet a website for Spectrum TV Essentials. Spectrum is only offering it by phone or in direct mailings at this time.
Hopefully the information above has helped you make your decision about which of these services is right for you. We encourage you to look at each and decide which offers the channels and features at the price you want to pay.
Are you using one of these streaming services to save money while watching TV? Let us know in the comments.
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