Why I Chose YouTube TV Over Hulu + Live TV

There are tons of streaming services out there these days, for better or worse. If you're looking for an all-in-one option with live TV, your choices quickly come down to a few. Here's why I chose YouTube TV over Hulu + Live TV or Sling and why it's the best option for most.

Things I liked about Hulu + Live TV

I spent a lot of time with all the major TV streaming options available. For a while I had a basic Hulu package and Sling TV. Ultimately, I fully embraced Hulu + Live TV and enjoyed the content and frequent updates, but overall the user experience needs some improvement.

Despite the clunky and sometimes confusing TV app, Hulu + Live TV has an extensive content library full of TV shows and movies, local channels, and more, not to mention the addition of Disney+ and ESPN+ is a big bonus for sports fans. You can access over 95 live TV channels such as ABC, ESPN, Fox and CBS. Live TV packages include unlimited DVR and two simultaneous streams, but you can't share passwords.

The best thing about Hulu + Live TV is that it offers three streaming services in one. You get everything that Hulu Live, Disney Plus, and ESPN Plus offer, which is a pretty compelling package.

Overall, I have two main complaints: the interface/experience and the cost. If you want to choose between Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV, both are excellent, but Hulu is more expensive. After price increases in 2023, Hulu increased its prices again in August 2024, which is quickly becoming a significant expense.

This year, Hulu + Live TV has gone up from $76 to $83 per month, and if you don't want ads, it's $96 per month. Spending almost $100 a month on the frustrating interface eventually wore me out. I switched to YouTube TV and I love it.

What YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV have in common

Considering these are two of the best and most popular cable TV alternatives, it's no surprise that they have a lot in common. Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV offer all four major broadcast networks. Both offer ESPN for sports, popular news channels, simultaneous streams, and unlimited DVR recordings.

The channel lineup is also pretty similar. However, if you're looking for specifics, you may want to do further research to see if one of the options fits your needs. For example, Hulu offers the Lifetime channel while YouTube TV does not, but YouTube TV has AMC. While YouTube TV offers three simultaneous streams, Hulu + Live TV offers two, but both offer unlimited streaming for an additional fee if you have a larger family. Both offer additional add-on packages with Max, Showtime, Starz, etc. and optional 4K content.

Which streaming service is better depends on your budget and whether you prefer watching sports, movies or Disney content.

Here's what gives YouTube TV a big advantage

So what makes YouTube TV better and why did I choose it over Hulu + Live TV? Several reasons contributed to this decision, but YouTube TV is undoubtedly the best option if you are a sports fan; It has a better user interface and is more affordable.

YouTube TV currently costs $72.99 per month. Depending on your Hulu Live subscription, savings range from $10 to $23 per month, which adds up over the course of the year. YouTube TV offers over 100 channels, more features, cloud recording, streaming on more devices (at no additional cost), and a solid on-demand selection.

However, the main reason I chose YouTube TV over Hulu is sports. I'm a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and watch a ton of NFL, NCAAF, and NHL content. YouTube TV is now home to NFL Sunday Ticket and the multiview feature is great. With Multiview you can watch up to four games at the same time, even different sports, and easily switch between them.

Additionally, YouTube TV shows key plays and live score updates and programming includes Fox, FS1, TBS, TNT and others offering NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and numerous regional college sports.

When you combine all the TV shows and channels, movies, sports, features, NFL Sunday Ticket and an easy-to-use interface into one cheaper price, it's easy to see why YouTube TV is the winner.