DISH vs. DIRECTV

Is DISH or DIRECTV better?

DISH Network is the best satellite TV provider for the money, and the Hopper 3 DVR is bar none the best DVR out there. That said, DIRECTV offers more HD channels and is the best satellite TV service for sports fans. So which is better, DISH or DIRECTV? In our annual Editor’s Choice Awards, we named DISH TV service the best overall—as well as the best TV provider for families. We’ll explain why in this review.

DISH vs. DIRECTV pros and cons

Jump to:

• Deals and promotions
• Head-to-head comparison
• Packages and prices
• Channels
• Equipment and features

DISH vs. DIRECTV deals and promotions

Before you pick out a DISH or DIRECTV plan, have a look at the promotions each provider offers.

DISH deals and promotions

• $100 gift card: For a limited time, DISH will give you a $100 gift card with online orders.
• With DISH 55 (for seniors) and “Those Who Serve” (active military, first responders, nurses, teachers, and veterans), DISH offers various perks like extra channels, free movie rentals, six free months of equipment protection and upgraded identity theft protection.

DIRECTV deals and promotions

• Free premium channels: When you order the ENTERTAINMENT, CHOICE^TM, or ULTIMATE packages, you can get CINEMAX®, EPIX, HBO Max^TM, SHOWTIME®, and STARZ® free for three months.
• Free NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX: New customers get the current season of this awesome football package free with the CHOICE plan or higher.

And don’t forget to check our our dedicated DISH deals and DIRECTV deals pages.

Compare DISH vs. DIRECTV head to head

Data effective as of post date. Not all offers available in all areas. See full disclaimer regarding pricing and features for more information.
* Flex Pack and America’s Everything Pack are for existing customers only.

DISH’s strong points are its industry-leading Hopper 3 DVR and two-year price guarantee. But keep in mind that it has smaller channel lineups, which can make it difficult to get the exact channels you want. Oh, and did we mention that the Hopper 3 will cost you $10 extra per month?

DIRECTV has the best sports programming around, and every plan comes with an included Genie DVR. But the Genie isn’t as powerful as the Hopper 3, and DIRECTV prices increase drastically after the first year of your two-year contract.

Wanna know more before you sign up? We’ve dug into packages, features, and more, so you can find the right DISH or DIRECTV plan for you.

DISH vs. DIRECTV packages and pricing

With nine packages to choose from, things can get a little, um . . . confusing. But have no fear! We’ve made it easy to pick a plan by researching every DISH and DIRECTV package and listing up-to-date pricing, channel counts, and popular channels.

DISH packages and pricing

Data effective as of post date. Not all offers available in all areas. See full disclaimer regarding pricing and features for more information.
* Flex Pack and America’s Everything Pack are for existing customers only.

We recommend DISH America's Top 200 for true-blue TV fans because it includes more than 240 channels, like Disney HD and Investigation Discover, for the decent price of $94.99 per month.

For more insights into TV service from DISH, read our full review of DISH plans, channel lineups, and more.

DIRECTV packages and pricing

Data effective as of post date. Not all offers available in all areas. See full disclaimer regarding pricing and features for more information.

No doubt about it, DIRECTV has unbeatable deals and promotions. You can get NFL SUNDAY TICKET MAX and HBO Max free for a year when you sign up for its CHOICE All Included plan and above.

What’s more, all DIRECTV packages include the Genie DVR free of charge. DISH includes the Hopper Duo DVR with its plans, but it charges a $5.00 service fee and a $10.00 upgrade fee if you want the far superior Hopper 3 DVR instead.

But the main catch with DIRECTV is that ridiculous price hike after the first year of your two-year contract. For example, our recommended package, CHOICE All Included, jumps up from $79.99 a month to $129.00 a month after the first year—zoinks!

Still, if you gotta have all the sports, and you want a really solid DVR for free, go with DIRECTV.

To learn more about TV service from DIRECTV, read our comprehensive review of DIRECTV plans, channel lineups, and more.

DISH vs. DIRECTV channels

DIRECTV has 330+ channels, including more sports channels than any other provider, along with regional sports networks, and that juicy NFL SUNDAY TICKET add-on. That’s why it’s our best TV provider for sports. But that doesn’t mean DIRECTV doesn’t have a slew of popular cable channels in every category: entertainment, news, kids & family, premium channels, and more.

Check out our comprehensive DIRECTV channel lineup guide to see which packages have the channels you want. You’ll also be able to find channel numbers for each network except for your local broadcast affiliates (channel numbers for those vary by location).

DISH has 290+ channels, with more and better kids’ channels than DIRECTV, which is why DISH gets our Editor’s Choice award for as the best TV provider for families. (And have we mentioned that it’s our pick for best overall TV provider, too?) While you won’t find as many sports channels with DISH, there are more than enough to keep sportsball fans happy.

You can see exactly which sports, entertainment, family, and premium channels DISH carries in our DISH channel lineup guide.

DISH vs. DIRECTV sports

Data effective as of post date.
* Not all Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) are available everywhere.

As we’ve mentioned, we think DIRECTV is the best TV provider for sports—but DISH is no slouch in the sportsball department. Just look at that table (above). DISH beats DIRECTV in almost every sports category. But there are some details not captured in those numbers. Let’s break down some key differences between the satellite TV rivals’ sports content.

• DISH’s channel count includes 12 beIN Sports Connect and 5 TUDN Xtra channels, which isn’t the same as 17 different sports networks. But even without counting those channels, DISH still has 63 sports channels to DIRECTV’s 54.
• DISH doesn’t have Fox College Sports, GolTV, Next Level Sports, TyC Sports, and Univision Deportes.
• DIRECTV doesn’t have Lo Mejor de Liga MX, NFL RedZone, Outside TV, Pac-12 Network, Stadium, WILLOW, World Fishing Network, and Zona Fútbol.
• Not all Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) are available everywhere. The ones you get will depend on your zip code.
• Sports add-ons vary widely by price and content. Only DIRECTV has NFL SUNDAY TICKET (regularly $295.94), which is worth major bonus points.
• DIRECTV has both the FOX Soccer Plus and MLS Direct Kick add-ons—DISH has only FOX Soccer Plus.

We’ve also compiled a sports channels-only comparison table so you can see exactly which ones DISH and DIRECTV have. Fair warning: This is a long table. If you don’t need a channel-for-channel comparison, you can skip directly to our expert opinion on how the two satellite TV providers’ sports offerings compare.

DISH vs. DIRECTV sports channels

Data effective as of post date. Channel lineups may vary by location and are subject to change. Some channels may require an additional monthly fee.

To us, the DISH vs. DIRECTV sportsball battle comes down to available add-ons. NFL SUNDAY TICKET is just too good, with all of those out-of-market NFL games, and the current season is free to new subscribers. And soccer is huge right now, so DIRECTV having SUNDAY TICKET, FOX Soccer Plus, and MLS Direct Kick is huge.

Without the add-ons, each provider has a balanced lineup of sports channels—but DISH has more of them, not to mention more variety. So we wouldn’t dismiss DISH just because DIRECTV has those juicy add-ons. In fact, it just might be better than DIRECTV.

DISH vs. DIRECTV equipment and features

Although DISH and DIRECTV have similar channel counts and first-year pricing, the two satellite TV providers differ quite a bit in terms of equipment and features.

Read on to find out about everything from DVRs to bundling your TV service with internet.

DVRs

TBH, a DVR can make or break your TV experience.  Luckily, you can’t lose with the DISH Hopper 3 and DIRECTV Genie.

DISH Hopper 3 vs. DIRECTV Genie

DISH Hopper 3

While DISH has more than one DVR, we recommend the Hopper 3 if you want an amazing DVR experience. While the Hopper Duo comes included with most DISH packages, it’s basic af.

On the other hand, the Hopper 3 is the best DVR out there, with sixteen simultaneous recordings and 500 hours of HD storage capacity. If DVRs are your thing, you should probably go with DISH.

DIRECTV Genie

The Genie DVR ain’t too shabby, either. With five simultaneous recordings and 200 hours of HD storage, it’ll get the job done for most people.

It’s especially nice if you’ve got NFL SUNDAY TICKET because you can program a Mix Channel that allows you to watch up to eight live games at once.

To learn more about DIRECTV’s DVRs, read our Genie review.

Installation

When you sign up for DISH, your service includes the cost of standard installation from a professional.

To make installation even smoother, you can view your technician’s photo, monitor their location, and review your scheduled time with the appointment feature in the MyDISH app. In this user-friendly world, it’s a feature we appreciate and think more TV providers should implement.

While DIRECTV charges a $20 activation fee to start your service, it doesn’t technically charge anything for installation. Still, 20 bucks is 20 bucks, amirite?

It would be nice if DIRECTV got a technician-tracker tool like DISH. There are a few complaints online that make us concerned about technicians arriving late or rescheduling last minute.

In the end, we think DISH is the clear winner when it comes to installation.

Streaming apps

The DISH Anywhere app and DIRECTV app are on-the-go streaming apps that turn your phone or tablet into a tiny mobile TV.

DISH Anywhere app

The DIRECTV app has features similar to those of the DISH Anywhere app. You can stream live channels and on-demand content from your DIRECTV package, and watch/set/manage DVR recordings. And the app even acts as a voice remote so you can avoid sticking your hand between the couch cushions (eeeeewwwww) if you misplace your Genie clicker again.

And just like with DISH Anywhere, you can setting and manage parental controls from the DIRECTV App. But DIRECTV’s parental controls aren’t quite as good as DISH’s, which the company created in a partnership with Common Sense Media.

So we say the DISH Anywhere is superior, with a more intuitive user experience. Plus, as we keep pointing out, DISH is a better satellite TV provider than DIRECTV.

Internet bundles

You can bundle Frontier internet with DISH and CenturyLink internet with DIRECTV. Bundling DISH with Frontier internet will net you a $10 per month savings on your overall bill, but there’s no bundling discount when you bundle CenturyLink internet with DIRECTV.

Other than the Frontier discount, there’s not much benefit to bundling your satellite TV service with an internet plan. Rather than restricting yourself to these providers, we recommend you choose the best internet service provider in your area on its own merits.

Not sure which ISPs are in your area? Enter your zip code below to see internet providers in your neighborhood.

Final take: Is DISH or DIRECTV better?

While both premium TV providers have unique strengths, for most folks, DISH Network is the way to go. DIRECTV is best for sports fans with NFL SUNDAY TICKET and a slew of sports channels. But DISH is cheaper, has a two-year price guarantee, boasts the industry-leading Hopper 3 DVR, industry-leading parental controls, and has plenty of sports channels in its own right—but no NFL SUNDAY TICKET.

Methodology

Our experts have logged hundreds of hours of hands-on testing and research on both DIRECTV and DISH Network. For this piece, we compare DISH and DIRECTV, rating the satellite TV providers on bang for your buck, reliability, features, and customer satisfaction so our readers can make informed buying decisions. For more information on our process, check out our How We Rank page.

DISH vs. DIRECTV FAQ

Disclaimers:

* DISH: for 24. months. New customers only. All offers require 2-year commitment with early termination fee and eAutopay. Price includes Hopper Duo for qualifying customers.

** DIRECTV: for 12 mos. plus taxes and Regional Sports Fee w/24-mo. agmt. Autopay & Paperless bill req’d. Prices higher in 2nd year.  Regional Sports Fee up to $9.99/mo. is extra & applies.

† DISH Hopper 3 DVR costs $10/mo. for 500 HD hours of storage & 16 tuners.