Free cord-cutting services are multiplying, but that doesn't mean they're all worth your time. Many in fact create their own "channels"—TV shows that they have rights for and which they play on repeat.
The leading free live TV services are Pluto TV and to a lesser extent Xumo TV. In this list, we count the best free live TV services.
With titan subscription-based streaming services in the market, XumoTV reels streaming back to its roots –the audience, with its free ad-supported platform. It is steadily gaining momentum in the streaming landscape with its free live and on-demand content from over 190 channels on its roster. Access Xumo TV using Smart TVs, browse the web or download their app if you’re on the go. Take the hassle of monthly subscriptions and access Xumo TV even without signing up.
Price: free for 13 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, iOS, Panasonic, Roku, Samsung TV, Visio TV, webOS, Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: ABC News Live, AccuWeather Now, Bloomberg, CBC News, CBSN, Check with Xumo for the full channel lineup, Cheddar News, Fox Sports, NBC News Now, NBCLX, PGA Tour, Today, USA Today
Dubbed "The Free Netflix," Tubi is one of the best options for streaming quality movies and TV shows online. The completely free, ad-supported service has one of the most extensive title lineups, plus it's compatible with most devices, making it an extremely popular option for cord-cutters. Though it has been noted to have a less than stellar resolution, most viewers don't mind due to its easy interface, constantly updated library, and of course free titles. Parents will also be glad to know that the service has parental control features.
Price: free for 78 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Sony, TiVo, Vizio, Website, Xbox One
Channel lineup: 21 Jump Street, ABC Localish, ABC News, ACC Digital Network, AFV Family, All Real, Baywatch, Bein Sports XTRA, bein Sports Xtra en Espanol, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Quicktake, Brat TV, BUZZR, Caught in Providence, CBC News, Cheddar, CINEVAULT: 80's, CINEVAULT: Classics, CINEVAULT: Westerns, Circle, Comedy Dynamics, Cosmos, Deal or No Deal, Dove Channel, El Rey, Estrella News, EuroNews English, Fear Factor, FilmRise Classic TV, FilmRise Westerns, Forensic Files, FOX, Fox Deportes, FOX SOUL, Fox Sports, Fox Weather, fubo Sports Network, Game Show Central, Gordon Ramsay, Heartland, Johnny Carson TV, live now from Fox, Lone Star, Masked Singer Channel, MLB, Moviesphere Free, My Time Movie Network, Mystery Science Theater 3000, NBC News Now, Newsy, NFL Channel, NHRA TV, Nosey, Pac-12 Insider, Pattrn, People TV, Real Madrid TV, REELZ, So Real, Sports Wire, Stadium, Supermarket Sweep, The Biggest Loser, The Bob Ross Channel, The Carol Burnett Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Grio, the NFL Channel, The Only Way is Essex, TMZ, TODAY All Day, Tubi Originals, Unsolved Mysteries, USA Today, Vice, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Weather Nation, Wipeout Xtra
The Roku Channel can't replace Netflix or a cord-cutting service like Sling, but it's a nice added bonus if you already have a Roku device. The selection of live channels is limited, but there's something for everyone, including news, sports, and entertainment.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Website
Channel lineup: ABC News Live
Sun NXT is a streaming subscription service based in India. It offers 50,000 hours of live TV, movies, shows, and music videos in five Indian languages: Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Bengali. It's a comprehensive service not just for Indian audiences and immigrants, but for anyone wanting to get to know more about the country's booming entertainment industry. Sun NXT has two subscription plans: the basic one is free, although it only allows you to stream through one device, while the premium plan gives you unlimited access for ₹50 or just $0.63 a month.
Price: free for 1 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, Samsung Smart TV, Website
Channel lineup:
Squid TV is a content aggregator that broadcasts from around the world. It has a simple and straightforward design that categorizes both free and premium TV channels and leads you to their respective sites with ease. Carrying a hundred local channels in the US alone and more than 1,000 from around the world, Squid TV's coverage is extensive. Couple this breadth with its free access, and you have an indispensable streaming service that doubles as a guide.
Price: free for 45 channels available
Device availability: Android, Chromecast, iOS, Website
Channel lineup: ABC News Live, BabyFirst, BizTV, Bloomberg Quicktake, Bloomberg TV, CBN, CBS News, CGTN America, Cheddar, CNBC, CNN, Court TV, DC Kids, Democracy Now!, Disney Junior, Ditty TV, EarthxTV, FOX SOUL, Free Speech TV, LiveNOW from FOX, Mixible, MSNBC, NASA TV, NBC News Now, New York Times, Newsmax TV, NewsNet, PAW Patrol, PeopleTV, Real America’s Voice, Scripps News, Sesame Street, StockCharts TV, Tastemade, tastytrade, The First, TODAY All Day, Toon Goggles, TWiT.tv, UN Web TV, USA Today, Very Local, Voice of America, WB Kids, White House
In response to the growing popularity of free streaming services like Tubi, Xumo, and Pluto, Sling TV has come up with Sling TV Freestream, an ad-supported version of its live TV and on-demand streaming service. Compared to its paid tier, Freestream has fewer channels and premium titles, but with more than 200 live channels and on-demand content to boot, it's certainly worth giving a try—you don't even need to sign up for an account to start watching.
Notable channels in Freestream include AMC+, Comedy Central, Discovery, TBS, Cartoon Network & Adult Swim, and major news broadcasters like CBS and ABC.
Sling TV has been at the forefront of live TV for years, but it breaks new ground with Freestream, a platform designed to both entertain and entice users to upgrade to their meatier packages.
Price: free for 84 channels available
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Cox, Google TV, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung Smart TV, Samsung TV, TiVo, Vizio, Website, Xbox, Xfinity Flex
Channel lineup: A&E, ABC News Live, Adult Swim, AMC, AMC Presents, AMC Rush, Barstool Sports, beIN Sports Extra, BET, Big World, Bloomberg Quicktake, Bon Appétit, BUZZR, Cartoon Network, CBSN, Choppertown, CMT, Comedy Central, CONtv, Country Network Plus, Curiosity Stream, Danger TV, Discovery, DogTV, Dove Channel, Draft Kings Basketball, ducktv, DUST, ESPN OnDemand, eSports Network, ESTV, Favesome, Filmrise, FlixFling, FlixFling Now, FS TV, Glewed TV, Gravitas Movies, Grokker, Grvty, GustoTV, Hallmark Movies Now, HereTV, Hi-yah!, History, Hollywire, Hopster, IFC, IFC Films Picks, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kabillion, Kartoon Channel, Latido Music, Law & Crime Rewind, Lifetime, Lion Mountain TV, Live X Live, Lone Star, Magnolia Pictures, Maverick Black Cinema, NBA OnDemand, Outside TV Features, Outside TV+, Pac Films, Players TV, Pocket Watc, Ryan & Friends, Shout! Factory TV, Sling Central, So Yummy!, Sports Grid, Stingray Karaoke, Tastemade, TBS, TD Ameritrade Network, The Archive, The Design Network, The Film Detective, TNT, Tru TV, True Royalty, UP Faith & Family, WEtv, Zone TV
Sling TV is a paid cord-cutting service usually costing anywhere between $35 and $50/month. However, they also have a free tier, which allows you to watch live channels like CBS News and on-demand movies and shows for free.
Price: free for 8 channels available
Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox
Channel lineup: ABC News Live, AMC Presents, AMC Rush, CBSN, IFC, Tastemade, The Design Network, WEtv
Like most ad-supported streaming services, SelectTV offers hundreds of live channels and thousands of movies and TV shows for free. But more than just providing content, which is a good mix of recent and classic releases, SelectTV also manages all your existing subscriptions so that you can access everything—from its free titles to services like Netflix and HBO Max—in one convenient place. Everything is categorized and searchable through its unified search engine. If you're looking to unlock even more features, SelectTV also has a premium offering; for a one-time payment of $30, you can organize your payments on various subscriptions as well.
Price: free for 89 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG, Mi Box, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, TCL
Channel lineup: AfroLandTV, Alternative, AMGTV, Awe Plus, AXS TV NOW, BatteryPOP, BizTV, Bloody Disgusting, BNC Go, BUZZR, C3, CBSN, Channel Fight, Choppertown, CINE REAL, CJC, Classic Reels TV, Classic Reruns TV, Classic Rock, Comedy Dynamics, Comfy TV, CONtv, CONtv Anime, Court TV, Cowboy Theater, Crackle, Crackle Classics, Dark Corners, Defiance Media, Dimensions, Ditty TV, Docurama, Dove Channel, ElectricNOW, Escapes, ESTV, Faith USA, Fantawild, Funnybone, Gem Network, Hi-yah!, Hillsong, Hit List, Horror Machine, Horrorfy, Hot Country, HSN, Humor Mill, Impact! Wresting, Jetset Network, Kaloopy, Kartoon Circus, Kid Central, Law & Crime, Level Up, Living Modern, Mythos, Mytime Movie Network, Nashville Country TV, Newsmax, NewsNet, Newsy, NHRA TV, Outdoor America, Outside TV+, Party Time Karaoke, Pop Adult, Popcornflix, Positiv TV, Prime Time Drama, PTL Network, Quietude, QVC, Ready Set Action, Real America’s Voice, Real Family TV, Remember the 80s, So Yummy!, So…Real, Social Club TV, Switch, The Bob Ross Channel, The First, The Grid, The Syndicate, Toon Ogles, Top Cine, True History, Yahoo! Finance
All Samsung Smart TVs come with a free Samsung TV Plus app, the company's own streaming service that offers more than 200 live TV channels and on-demand content to users around the globe. There's no need to subscribe or even sign up for an account to access the app.
Aside from its TVs (specifically those released from 2016 onwards), Samsung makes its streaming platform available to all Galaxy Devices, mobile and tablet, as long as their operating systems are updated to Android 8.0 or higher. It's a worthy option for cord-cutters, especially if you want a fuss-free and cost-efficient way to watch your favorite channels.
Price: free for 216 channels available
Device availability: Android, Samsung Smart TV
Channel lineup: 21 Jump Street, 80s Flashback, 90s Throwback, ABC News Live, ACC Digital Network, ALL ACTION, All Reality WE TV, All Weddings WE TV, All-Out Reality, ALTER, Always Funny Videos, America's Test Kitchen, Anime All day, Antiques Roadshow, Are We There Yet?, Asian Crush, Backstage, BBC Food, BBC Hom, Bein Sports XTRA, Bloomberg Quicktake, Bon Appétit, Bounce XL, Brat TV, BUZZR, Canela.TV, Cars, CBS News, Cheddar News, Chicken Soup for the Soul, CHIVE TV, Cine Romántico, CINEVAULT: 80's, CINEVAULT: Classics, CINEVAULT: Westerns, Circle, CJ ENM, Clarity 4K, Classic Doctor Who, CNN Replay, CNN RESUMEN, Comedy All Day, Comedy Dynamics, Court TV, Crime 360, Crime Zone, Dallas Cowboys Cheer, Danger TV, Deal or No Deal, Degrassi, Documentary+, Dove Channel, Dr. G: Medical Examiner, Drama Life, Dry Bar Comedy, DUST, EDGEsport, ElectricNOW, Estrella News, Estrella TV, ET Live, Fail Army, Family Ties, Fear Factor, FilmRise Action, FilmRise Free Movies, FilmRise Western, Forensic Files, FOX SOUL, FTF, fubo Sports Network, FUEL TV, Game Show Central, GOLFPASS, Gravitas Movies, Grit Xtra, Gusto TV, Hallmark Movies & More, Halloween Movies, Heartland, Hell’s Kitchen, Hollywire, Home Refresh, Home.Made.Nation, HSN, Hungry, IGN, IMPACT Wrestling, INSIGHT TV, InWonder, ION, ION Mystery, ION Plus, Journy, Kidoodle.TV, Kitchen Nightmares, Law & Crime, LiveNOW from FOX, Loupe 4K, Love & Hip Hop, Love Nature 4K, Lucky Dog, Magellan TV Now, Maverick Black Cinema, MAVTV Select, MHz Now, Midnight Pulp, Midsomer Murders, Million Dollar Listing, MinecrafTV, Moonbug Kids, MOTORVISION.TV, MovieSphere, MTV Pluto TV, NBC News Now, NBCLX, NEW KMOVIES, NEW KPOP, Newsmax, Newsy, NHRA TV, Nick Pluto TV, Nosey, Operation Repo, Origin Sports, Outdoor America, Outside, Pac-12 Insider, Paramount Movie Channel, PBS Digital Studios, PBS Kids, People Are Awesome, People TV, Plated, Pluto TV Fantastic, Pluto TV Westerns, pocket.watch, Portlandia, PowerNation, PrendeTV Lo mejor de Liga MX, PrendeTV Novelas de Oro, PrendeTV Novelas de romance, PrendeTV Novelas en familia, Project Runway, Pursuit UP, QVC, Real America’s Voice, REELZ Famous & Infamous, Revry, Ride or Drive, RiffTrax, Rock On, Rotten Tomatoes, Shades of Black, Shout! Factory, Skills + Thrills, Sony Canal Comedias, Sony Canal Competencias, Sony Canal Novelas, SportsGrid, Stadium, Stingray Naturescape, Stories by AMC, SURF NOW TV, T2, Tastemade, Tastemade Travel, TED, Telemundo Al Día, TG Junior, That Girl, The Asylum, The Bob Ross Channel, The Challenge, The Design Network, The Hotel Inspector, The Jack Hanna Channel, The LEGO Channel, The Movie Hub, The New Detectives, The Pet Collective, The Preview Channel, The Walking Dead Universe, This Old House, This Old House Makers, Tiny House Nation, TODAY All Day, Toon Goggles, Top Gear, Tu Cine, TV Land Drama, TV Land Sitcoms, TYT Network, Unsolved Mysteries, USA Today, Vevo 2K, Vevo Country, Vevo Hip-Hop, Vevo Latino, Vevo Pop, Vevo R&B, Vice, ViX Grandes Parejas, ViX JaJaJa, ViX Villanos de Novela, Waypoint TV, WeatherNation, WeatherSpy, Whistle TV, Wild 'N Out, Wipeout Xtra, World Poker Tour, XITE Just Chill, Xplore, Yahoo! Finance, ZooMoo
"Watch more, search less," is Rlaxx TV's official motto, dedicated as it is to making streaming as easy and relaxed as possible. The free, ad-supported streaming service offers up diverse titles for viewing, which are all easily accessible in its clean and simple interface. It also has functions such as restart and watch later, making it familiar to those subscribed to other major streamers like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Aside from movies and series, Rlaxx TV also features lifestyle, entertainment, news, sports, music, documentary, food, and comedy content, among others. Currently, the service is only available in most of Europe and some parts of South America and Oceania, but the company says it is expanding its coverage.
Price: free for 92 channels available
Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Hisense, iOS, LG, Panasonic, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Sharp, Telefunken, Website, Xbox
Channel lineup: A-Z Amplify, Ace TV, Afroland TV, American Theatre Wing, B! Channel, Backstage, Bespoke TV, Bizarro Movies, Channel Fight, Charlie, Cinema Segreto, Classic Rock, Comedy Dynamics, ConexionSurfing, Dark Corners, Deluxe Lounge HD, DW Selection, Emotion’ L, Film&C0, Filmrise, Filmzie, Garage TV, Gasoline Alley, Goldstar TV, GRJNGO, GustoTV, Horizon Sports, Humanity, Ice Pilots, Investment Channel, La Media Ingress, Life on the Edge, Masters of Food, MBC, Motorracing, MOTORVISION.TV, Nesting TV, New K-pop, New KFood, Nollywood Capital TV, Nosey, NYX Channel, One World Channel, Only Good TV, Out, PeopleTV, Play Ibiza, Popstar!TV, Power Nation, Revry, rlaxx Classicos, rlaxx Documentales, rlaxx Dokus, rlaxx Estilo, rlaxx Film, rlaxx Filme, rlaxx Motor, rlaxx Naturaleza, rlaxx Películas, rlaxx Rewind, rlaxx SERIEN, rlaxx Series, rlaxx True Crime, SBS K-drama, Skwad, Slow Channel, Sonicentric, Spiegel TV, Sproutoutdoor.tv, Stuff TV, The Archive, The Boat Show, Thrill One, Tidpix, Todo Crimen, Todo Life, Twisted Mirror TV, Vevo Latino, Vevo Pop, Viajar TV, VODMania, Wness TV, WNN+, World Billiards TV, World Poker Tour, wrld Comedy, wrld DOCU, wrld DRAMA, Wu Tang Collection, Xtrem, YG TV, Young Hollywood
Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 12 cheapest Live TV streaming services for cord-cutting.
The streaming services on this page were chosen by our editors. If you choose to subscribe to a streaming service we recommend as a result of our research, analysis, and curation, our work is sometimes (but not always) supported by an affiliate commission from the streaming service when you make a purchase.