YouTube TV vs Hulu Live TV: Why I Switched After This Free Trial

YouTube TV vs Hulu Live TV: Why I Switched After This Free Trial

These days it seems like EVERYONE has a streaming service offering live TV at a “discount.”

With so many to choose from, it can be impossible to figure out which company has the best service and offers the best value for your money.

Luckily, YouTube TV is offering a free trial and 3-month plan discount, allowing you to test their service and see if it’s right for you.

Having signed up myself, I believe they are one of the best services out there.

I’ll  explain why, as well as give you a rundown of how it works, what they offer, and a full  comparison to Hulu live TV (which I was a subscriber of until I found YouTube TV).

YouTube TV Line Up & Free Trial

Currently, you can sign-up for a 7-day free trial to get YouTube TV’s base plan.

If you keep it, you will get the first 3 months for $54.99; after the 3 months it goes to the regular price of $64.99.

The base plan includes:

  • 85+ channels(depending on your region) which I will list at the end of the article
  • NO annual contract, no installation fee, no equipment
  • free unlimited DVR cloud storage, with fast-forward, rewind and pausing of live TV
  • 6 accounts and 3 streams per household
  • NFL, NBA, and MLB networks are included in base plan
  • PBS, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon are included in base plan

They are also offering free trials of their add-on channels; I included the full list at the end of this article.

Now, I must mention there are 3 things to be aware of before you sign-up:

  1. You need a Google account to join; if you don’t have a Google account, you can get one for free.
  2. You need a Smart TV. Since there is no equipment, you need a Smart TV or Apple TV to stream the service. A Google Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV (4th gen & 4K)  or Amazon Fire Stick (2nd gen, 3rd gen, 4K, and Lite) or Fire Cube media player will do as well.
  3. You do need to put in a credit card when you sign-up- for after the free-trial ends, but you can just cancel before the 7-day trial is over if you don’t like, so no worrying about getting charged.

To get the free trial, simply go to the YouTubeTV website and click the try it free button. You will enter your information (Google account and zip code) and it will take you through the steps.

Once you’re done, you can use the service immediately.

YouTube TV VS Hulu Live TV

Having used both services, I would recommend YouTube TV for several reasons.

To start, YouTube TV is cheaper.

Even after the 3-month discount goes away, YouTube TV is $15 cheaper ($64.99 w/free DVR vs Hulu Live TV for $79.99 (with DVR added on).

Speaking of DVR, Hulu charges $9.99 for 200 hours of DVR w/fast-forward; YouTube TV gives unlimited DVR storage with fast-forward, rewind and pause for free.

As one user, Lorraine, from Brooklyn told me” I paused a show in the morning and when I came back in the afternoon I was able to see the end of it!” The ability to pause or rewind a live show is without a doubt the coolest part of using YouTube TV.

Plus, unlimited DVR is priceless, especially if you have multiple users in you household; no more worrying about needing to delete shows and free-up space.

Another drawback is Hulu Live TV has no sports league networks and no PBS.

The sports package as part of the base plan is a big plus, as many other companies only offer them as add-ons, which gets quite expensive.

And finally, Hulu offers 65+ channels for their base plan, 20 less than YouTube.

Now, that’s not to say YouTube TV is perfect.  Like all the other streaming services, you do have to pay for extras like HBO Max ($14.99) or Sports Plus ($10.99), which really adds up.

But with so many channels included that is manageable. Or, you can do some of the add-ons separately for less.

I had the HBO Max and Starz apps already, and it costs less than adding them to YouTube, so I kept them separate.

Overall, YouTube TV gives you more for your money and is the better choice, but you can try  it out and decide for yourself.

YouTube TV Channels

These are some of the channels included with your base plan:

ABC
AMC
BET, BET Her
Cartoon Network
CBS
Cheddar News
CNN
Comedy Central
Disney Channel
Disney Jr
Disney XD
E!
ESPN
ESPN2
ESPNU
Food Network
Fox
FS1
FX
FXX
Galavision
Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
HGTV
MLB Network
MTV, MTV 2, MTV Classic
Nat Geo
NBA TV
Nickelodeon
Nick Jr.
Nicktoons
Olympic Channel
Oxygen
Paramount Network
Smithsonian Channel
SyFy
TBS
TeenNick
TLC
TNT
Tru TV
TV Land
Universal Kids
USA Network
VH1

YouTube Add-Ons

Acorn TV – free for 14 days
ALLBLK – free for 14 days
AMC Plus – free for 7 days
Cinemax – free for 7 days
Comedy Dynamics – free for 7 days
CONtv – free for 7 days
Docurama – free for 7 days
Dove – free for 7 days
Fandor – free for 7 days
FOX Nation – free for 7 days
HBO Max – free for 7 days
Hallmark Movies Now – free for 7 days
IFC Films Unlimited – free for 7 days
Law & Crime – free for 7 days
NBA League Pass monthly – free for 7 days
Outside TV Features – free for 7 days
Pantaya – free for 7 days
Screambox – free for 7 days
ScreenPix – free for 7 days
Sports Plus (Includes NFL RedZone, beIN SPORTS, FOX Soccer Plus, VSiN, Outside TV+, PokerGO+, MAVTV, TVG, Stadium, GOLTV, Billiard TV, SportsGrid, PlayersTV) – free for 7 days
UP Faith & Family – free for 7 days
CuriosityStream – free for 5 days
Epix – free for 5 days
Showtime – free for 5 days
Shudder – free for 5 days
Starz – free for 5 days
Sundance Now – free for 5 days

4K Plus – free for 30 days
VSiN – free for 30 days

Are you going to try YouTube TV?

If you do let me know your thoughts!


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Author Profile: Consumer Expert Tracy Ortiz

I am a mom to 2 little boys: a 10 year- old and an 8 year-old and they are the only things I love more than writing. I am an avid reader, a big sports fan and love a good deal. Most of all, I love keeping up on the latest consumer news and sharing my findings with all of you. When I'm not writing I'm painting- check out my latest in my shop: etsy.com/shop/paintmeapicstudios

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