Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue: What’s the Difference?
Blue has more channels, but Orange has some channels you might really want—let us guide you through Sling TV's color-coded options.
Is Sling Orange or Sling Blue better?
How do you choose between Sling TV’s same-priced, color-coded live TV streaming plans? It depends on what you’re looking for: Blue gives you more channels and streams, but Orange carries a handful of gotta-have networks like ESPN and Disney. And neither is great for local programming, FYI.
Thanks to a plethora of add-on packages, you can customize Sling’s TV lineups like an ice cream sundae. Also, Sling Orange and Sling Blue can be swirled into a combo package cleverly named—wait for it—Sling Orange + Blue.
Ultimately, to get the most out of Sling TV, we recommend the Orange + Blue package. But, if we had to choose between the two (which, for the purpose of this review, we do), we’d go with Blue for the channel count and multiple streams.
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue: Pros and cons
Sling Orange
✓ ESPN channels
✓ Disney and Freeform
✗ Only 1 stream allowed
Sling Blue
✓ 15+ more channels than Orange
✓ 3 simultaneous streams
✗ Limited local channels
How are Sling Orange and Sling Blue different?
The difference is in the channels (and number of streams)
| Features | Sling Orange | Sling Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $40/mo. | $40/mo. |
| Live channels | 30+ | 40+ |
| Cloud DVR | 50 hrs. (included) or 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) | 50 hrs. (included) or 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) |
| Compatible devices | 20+ | 20+ |
| Multiple streams | 1 | 3 |
| Free trial | None | None |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Apart from channel and stream counts, Sling Orange and Sling Blue are identical, right down to the price. At first glance, Blue looks like the better deal—but don’t sleep on Orange. There’s an argument or two about why it might work for some TV viewers.
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue prices and plans
| Plan | Price | Channels | Cloud DVR | Streams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sling Orange | $40/mo. | 30+ | 50 hrs. (included) or 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) | 1 |
| Sling Blue | $40/mo. | 40+ | 50 hrs. (included) or 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) | 3 |
| Sling Orange + Blue | $55/mo. | 50+ | 50 hrs. (included) or 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) | 4 |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Sling Orange and Sling Blue are like “skinny bundle” cable packages—neither probably has everything you want, but either gives you enough channels on the cheap to overlook it.
Sling Orange features fewer channels, but it does have non-Blue networks ESPN, Disney, and Freeform. Also, Orange carries zero local channels and only a couple of cable news channels (the latter of which could be a plus, depending on your taste for politics and talking-head shouting fests).
Sling Blue does slightly better on local channels, offering NBC and FOX stations in most areas—but no ABC, CBS, The CW, PBS, Telemundo, or Univision. Also, Blue’s array of entertainment, sports, and news channels is beefier, and the package gives you three streams to Orange’s one.
Neither Orange nor Blue alone stacks up against CableTV.com’s critical live TV streaming favorites, though. For a fuller live TV streaming experience, Sling Orange + Blue is the better contender.
If you’re a sports fan, go for Sling Orange + Blue. The combined package features 10 popular sports channels for under $60, and that can be bumped up to 25 channels with Sling’s Sports Extra add-on for another $15 a month.
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue fees and extra charges
| Fees | Price |
|---|---|
| Cloud DVR upgrade (200 hrs.) | $5/mo. |
Sling TV includes 50 hours of cloud DVR storage with plan subscriptions, regardless of which color, or combination of colors, it is. For an extra $5 a month, you can up that to 200 hours.
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue live channels
Here’s how Sling Orange’s and Sling Blue’s channel selections stack up against Sling Orange + Blue, which is only weird if you think about it too hard.
Jump to: Live sports | Local channels | Premium channels
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z
| Live channels | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Sling Orange + Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
|
A&E |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ABC | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| ACC Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| AMC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Animal Planet | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
BBC America |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| BBC World News | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| BET | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Big Ten Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Bloomberg TV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Boomerang | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Bravo | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
C-SPAN |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Cartoon Network / Adult Swim | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CBS | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CBS Sports Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Cheddar News | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CINEMAX® | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CMT | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CNBC | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CNN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Central | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| COMET | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| COZI TV | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| The CW | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Destination America |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Discovery Channel | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Discovery Family | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Disney Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Disney Junior | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Disney XD | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
E! |
✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| El Rey | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ESPNEWS | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| ESPNU | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Food Network |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FOX | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FOX Business Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| FOX News | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FOX Soccer Plus | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| FS1 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FS2 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Freeform | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fuse | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fusion | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| FX | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| FXM | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| FXX | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| fyi | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Galavisión |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Golf Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Hallmark Channel |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| HBO® | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| HGTV | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| HISTORY | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| HLN | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
IFC |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Investigation Discovery | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ION | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Lifetime |
✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lifetime Movie Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
MGM+™ |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MLB Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MOTOR TREND | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| MSNBC | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MTV | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MTV2 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MTV Classic | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Nat Geo Wild |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| National Geographic Channel | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NBA TV | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| NBC | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NBC UNIVERSO | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| NFL Network | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NFL RedZone | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| NHL Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Nick Jr. | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nickelodeon / Nick at Nite | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Nicktoons | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
OWN |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Oxygen | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
Pac-12 Network |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Paramount Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| PBS | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pop | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Science |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| SEC Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| SHOWTIME® | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Smithsonian Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Stadium | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| STARZ® | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| SundanceTV | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Syfy | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
TBS |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TCM | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| TeenNick | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Telemundo | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Tennis Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| TLC | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| TNT | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Travel Channel | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TruTV | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TV Land | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
|
Universal Kids |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Univision | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| USA Network | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
|
VH1 |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| VICE | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
|
WEtv |
✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Weather Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Obviously, the Sling Orange + Blue combo package compares better to other livestreaming services than Orange or Blue alone, channel-wise.
If you want more channels, go with Blue: the entertainment channel lineup is fuller, as is its corresponding Blue Sports Extra add-on package (yes, Orange and Blue have different Sport Extra lineups—more on that coming up).
Sports channels
| Sports channels | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Sling Orange + Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACC Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Big Ten Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CBS Sports Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| ESPN | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ESPN2 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| ESPNEWS | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| ESPNU | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| FS1 | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| FS2 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Golf Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MLB Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MLB Bases Loaded | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| NBA TV | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| NFL Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| NFL RedZone | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| NHL Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Outdoor TV | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pac-12 Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| SEC Network | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sportsman Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Stadium | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tennis Channel | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Again, if you want just one plan, we suggest Sling Blue because its Sports Extra add-on package includes NFL RedZone, where Orange’s doesn’t. Follow us here: Sling’s sports add-on packages differ slightly between Orange and Blue (both $11 a month).
Orange’s Sports Extra package includes NBA TV, SEC Network, SEC Network+, Pac-12, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, NHL Network, beIN SPORTS, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, Outside Television, Tennis Channel, and Motorsport.tv. Not bad, though a couple of these are filler sports channels at best (Goal Line and Bases Loaded probably aren’t anyone’s go-to ESPNs).
Meanwhile, Blue’s Sports Extra package gives you NFL RedZone, NBA TV, NHL Network, Golf Channel, beIN SPORTS, Pac-12, Stadium, Outside Television, Olympic Channel, Tennis Channel, and Motorsport.tv. That’s a nice variety of sports classes, and NFL RedZone puts it over the top easily.
The combined Orange + Blue Sports Extra package also goes for $11 a month, overlapping channels and all. It gives you a near-complete roundup of sports, with the notable exception of MLB channels—where’s the baseball, Sling?
Local channels
| Channel* | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Sling Orange + Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CBS | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| The CW | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| FOX | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| NBC | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PBS | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Telemundo | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
*Select markets only.
Sling TV keeps costs down by not paying for a lot of local TV channels—you get some FOX and NBC stations with Blue and Orange + Blue plans, but nada with Orange alone.
Unlike other live TV streaming services, Sling is big on pushing over-the-air antennas to give its customers free local station coverage, so neither it nor you have to pay to stream it. A rare instance of a TV provider actively trying to save you money, and we like it.
Premium channels
| Premium channels | Sling Orange | Orange Blue | Sling Orange + Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| HBO | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| CINEMAX | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| SHOWTIME | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| STARZ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| MGM+ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
In addition to seven add-on channel packages, Sling TV also offers a whopping 36 premium channel add-ons, including SHOWTIME, STARZ, and MGM+ (sorry, no HBO).
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue specs and features
Fortunately, Sling Orange and Sling Blue look and perform exactly the same. We don’t think we could psychologically take any more glaring discrepancies between the two.
Cloud DVR
| Service | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Sling Orange + Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage included | 50 hrs. | 50 hrs. | 50 hrs. |
| Upgrades | 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) | 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) | 200 hrs. ($5/mo.) |
For an extra $5 a month, you can upgrade any Sling TV package to 200 hours of cloud DVR space.
Multiple streams
| Service | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Sling Orange + Blue | Hulu + Live TV | Philo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streams included | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Upgrades | None | None | None | Unlimited screens ($9.99/mo.) | None |
With Sling Orange, you can stream to only one device at a time, where Sling Blue allows for three streams, another point in the Blue column.
The combined Sling Orange + Blue package gives you four simultaneous streams, which makes more mathematical sense for larger households.
Compatible devices
| Device | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Sling Orange + Blue |
|---|---|---|---|
| AirTV Player | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Fire Cube, Stick, TV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android phones, tablets | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV (4th gen.) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromecast built-in TVs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Echo Show | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Hisense TVs | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| iPhone, iPad | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| LG TVs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nintendo Switch | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PC, Mac web browsers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PlayStation 3, 4, 5 | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Roku Ultra, Express, Premiere, Stick, TV | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Samsung TVs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| VIZIO TVs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wii | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Xbox 360 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Xfinity Flex, X1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Sling TV will work with almost every streaming device and smart TV out there, with the exceptions of PlayStation and Nintendo consoles.
If you want to integrate local over-the-air channels into Sling TV’s lineup, its AirTV devices can feed them seamlessly to the interface (have we mentioned that Sling TV really wants you to get an antenna?).
Video and audio quality
Sling TV streams at 720p HD resolution, the same as satellite, cable, and every other livestreaming TV service.
For comparison, on-demand services like Netflix and Prime Video can stream at 1080p and up to 4K. Livestreaming isn’t quite there yet—not that you’ll probably notice the difference between 720p and 1080p when watching Suicide Squad on its fifth TNT airing of the day.
Also, like other livestreaming services, Sling TV’s audio is standard 2.0 stereo.
Channel guide
Sling TV’s screen interface is an easy-to-navigate mix of horizontal lists and vertical channel guides, nothing drastically different from a cable or satellite setup.
You can also group your go-to channels under the “My TV” tab, which also contains DVR recordings and your designated favorite shows. The pink hearts indicating favorite channels are a nice touch.
Commercials
There’s no getting away from commercials in livestreaming, unfortunately. But Sling TV does allow you to skip ads in 30-second increments on recorded shows or fast-forward through the entire program (complete with a helpful preview frame).
Final take: Is Sling Orange or Sling Blue worth it?
Sling Orange and Sling Blue are both decent live TV streaming packages for the money, but we prefer Blue for its larger channel selection and three simultaneous streams.
Then again, if you’re a single streamer who just wants their ESPN and Disney, Orange is the obvious pick.
We really like them together: In CableTV.com’s Best Live TV Streaming Services rundown, Sling Orange + Blue is one of our top picks. With it, you get a wider choice of channels, and its sports add-on package gives you access to all of the athletic action you can get through streaming.
If you can spring for the extra $15, we definitely recommend Sling Orange + Blue. Otherwise, Sling Blue is a worthwhile budget choice.
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue FAQ
What’s the difference between Sling Orange and Sling Blue?
Orange is the skinniest of Sling TV’s skinny packages, carrying about 30 channels that include ESPN, Disney, and Freeform (and no local or FOX cable channels). Sling Blue features around 45 channels, including FOX entertainment and sports channels, and NBC and FOX local broadcast channels in some areas.
Orange and Blue are identical in price ($40 a month) and can be combined as the Sling Orange + Blue plan with a 50-channel lineup for $55 a month.
Can I switch from Sling Blue to Sling Orange?
Sling TV subscriptions run monthly with no contracts, so it’s easy to switch between packages, or combine them into Sling Orange + Blue, at the end of a billing cycle.
How many streams do Sling Orange and Sling Blue offer?
Sling Blue will let you stream on three devices simultaneously, while Sling Orange will allow for only one. Sling Orange + Blue features four simultaneous device streams, which is one more than most live streaming TV services.
