Short answer: if nobody in the house watches live sports or local news, Philo wins on price by about $20 a month and it isn't close. The moment you want ESPN, an NFL game or your local NBC, Philo simply can't help, and Sling becomes the cheaper of the two realistic options. The catch most comparisons skip: Sling Orange allows just one stream at a time, so a two-TV household that picks Orange for ESPN can end up paying for Orange & Blue anyway.
At a glance
Sling TV vs Philo, September 2026
| Cheapest entry | Sling Select/Essentials $19.99 vs Philo $25 |
| Sports | Sling: yes. Philo: essentially none |
| Local channels | Sling Blue in some markets. Philo: none |
| DVR | Sling 50 hours. Philo unlimited, kept a year |
| Pick | Philo for entertainment only; Sling for anything live |
The one question that decides it
Do you need anything live that isn't entertainment? That's it. Everything else is detail.
Philo was built as a deliberately sports-free, news-light bundle. It's where AMC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, Hallmark and the like live for cheap. It has no ESPN, no Fox Sports, no local ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox, and no CNN or Fox News. That's not an oversight you can fix with an add-on. It's the product.
Sling is a more traditional cable replacement cut into pieces. It carries ESPN (Orange), Fox and NBC in selected markets (Blue), plus news, FX, USA, TNT and TBS. It costs more because sports and news rights cost more.
So if your list is "Food Network, HGTV, and whatever my partner watches on TLC", stop reading and get Philo. If your list includes a single football game, keep going.
Prices side by side
List prices as published in September 2026. Both services run first-month promotions often, and Sling has historically offered 50% off the first month, so use these as the ongoing cost, not what you'll pay on day one.
| Plan | Monthly price | Streams | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philo Essential | $25 | 3 | Lifestyle and reality TV |
| Philo Bundle+ | $33 | 3 | Adds HBO Max Basic (ads), AMC+, discovery+ |
| Sling Select | $19.99 | check at signup | Fox News, FS1, NFL Network, FX, Nat Geo |
| Sling Essentials | $19.99 | check at signup | ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, Freeform |
| Sling Orange | $45.99 | 1 | ESPN and Disney channels |
| Sling Blue | $45.99 (some trackers list $50.99) | 3 | Fox/NBC locals in some markets, news, Bravo, USA |
| Sling Orange & Blue | about $61 to $66 | up to 4 | Both lineups |
Two things jump out. First, Philo Bundle+ at $33 is a strange bargain: HBO Max Basic with ads alone is a sizeable part of that price, so if you already pay for HBO Max separately, moving it into Philo can make the live channels close to free. Second, Sling's cheap tiers are genuinely cheap but tiny, around ten to fifteen channels each. They're a sports patch, not a cable replacement.
Sling also sells passes: roughly $4.99 for a day, $9.99 for a weekend and $14.99 for a week, per Sling's own pages in 2026. For someone who wants one big game a month, that's cheaper than any subscription.
What each one actually carries
Channel counts are marketing. Here's the overlap and the gaps that matter.
On both: AMC, A&E, Food Network, HGTV, Discovery, History, Lifetime, Comedy Central, BET. If these are the core of your viewing, you're paying Sling extra for things you won't use.
Only on Philo: Hallmark Channel and its sister networks (a big draw), plus the Bundle+ streaming apps. Philo is one of the cheapest legitimate ways to get Hallmark live.
Only on Sling: ESPN and ESPN2, TNT and TBS, CNN, Fox News, FX, USA, Bravo, Syfy, NFL Network, FS1, and on Blue, Fox and NBC in a limited set of markets. Sling doesn't carry ABC or CBS locally anywhere, so pair it with an antenna. Our antenna guide covers how to check reception at your address.
Neither service carries regional sports networks, so neither is a solution for watching your local NBA, NHL or MLB team.
Streams and DVR: the hidden differences
This is where people get caught.
Sling Orange is one stream. One. If someone is watching ESPN in the living room, nobody else in the house can use Orange at the same time. Blue gives three. Orange & Blue together gives four. Families often discover this in week one and upgrade, which erases most of Sling's price advantage.
Philo gives three streams on every plan, plus up to ten profiles. For a family that watches different lifestyle shows in different rooms, that's generous for $25.
DVR: Sling includes 50 hours of cloud recording, with unlimited DVR as a paid extra. Philo includes unlimited recording, with each recording kept for up to a year. Some reviews say Philo's DVR terms have shifted for new signups, so read the plan page before you pay. For how cloud DVR generally works across services, see our recording explainer.
Picture quality: Philo streams most live channels at 720p. Sling is mostly 720p too. Neither is a reason to choose.
Who should pick which
Pick Philo if your household watches cooking, home, reality, Hallmark and true crime; you'd use HBO Max anyway (then go straight to Bundle+); and you have an antenna or a free app for local news.
Pick Sling Orange if you're one person who wants ESPN and a bit of cable. It's the cheapest full-size way to get ESPN live. That said, ESPN's own streaming service now exists, so compare it against ESPN's direct plans before choosing.
Pick Sling Blue if you live in a market where it carries Fox and NBC, you want NFL Network, and you need multiple screens.
Pick a Sling pass if you only watch a handful of events. Buying five day passes across a season is still cheaper than two months of Orange.
Pick neither if you want every local channel plus sports plus your regional team. You're shopping in the $80 to $100 tier: YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo or DirecTV. Our cheapest way to watch live TV guide walks through the full ladder.
What a year actually costs
Monthly prices hide how quickly the gap compounds. Here's a rough twelve-month total at list price, before taxes and ignoring first-month promos:
| Setup | Approx. 12 months | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Philo Essential | $300 | 70+ entertainment channels, 3 screens |
| Philo Bundle+ | $396 | Same, plus HBO Max Basic, AMC+, discovery+ |
| Sling Orange | $552 | ESPN plus cable basics, 1 screen |
| Sling Orange & Blue | about $730 to $790 | Both lineups, 4 screens |
| Philo + 6 Sling day passes | about $330 | Entertainment all year, sport on demand |
That last row is the one worth thinking about. A lot of households watch sport a few times a season, not every week. Philo for everyday viewing plus a Sling pass on the Saturdays that matter costs a fraction of a full sports tier, and you never pay for ESPN in July. It takes a little planning, but it's the cheapest legitimate way to cover both.
If you already have a streaming device, both apps run on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV and most smart TVs, so hardware shouldn't swing the decision. If yours is struggling, a current $30 to $50 streaming stick is usually the cheapest fix.
What to avoid
Don't buy Sling for local channels without checking your ZIP code. Blue's Fox and NBC coverage is limited to certain markets, and outside them you get nothing local.
Don't pay for both. Philo plus Sling Orange runs about $71 a month. At that point a single full service with locals and DVR is usually better value.
Don't sign an annual plan to save a few dollars unless you're certain. Both are month-to-month; that flexibility is worth more than a small discount. The same logic applies to any 12-month TV plan.
Don't chase "all channels for $10" offers. If a seller claims Philo's and Sling's channels together for less than either one costs, it isn't licensed. Sling and Philo are both legitimate, named companies with apps in official stores, and that's the standard to hold any service to. Here's how to spot the others.
Quick answers
Is Philo cheaper than Sling? Philo's $25 plan is cheaper than Sling Orange or Blue at $45.99, but Sling's small Select and Essentials tiers cost $19.99. Channel for channel on entertainment, Philo is cheaper.
Does Philo have ESPN? No. Philo carries no ESPN, no Fox Sports and no local broadcast channels.
Does Sling have local channels? Sling Blue carries Fox and NBC in selected markets only. It doesn't carry ABC or CBS. An antenna fills the gap.
How many screens can I use? Philo allows three at once. Sling Orange allows one, Blue three, and Orange & Blue four.
Which has the better DVR? Philo, with unlimited recordings kept up to a year. Sling includes 50 hours and charges for more.
Can I get HBO Max through Philo? Yes. Philo Bundle+ at $33 includes HBO Max Basic with ads, AMC+ and discovery+.
Is there a free option? Sling Freestream offers free ad-supported channels without a subscription, and Philo offers a 7-day trial.
Prices and channel lineups are from the services' own pages and published trackers and change often, especially around sports seasons. Confirm at signup for your ZIP code. Checked September 2026.