Spectrum vs. DIRECTV
DIRECTV’s pricey packages might be worth it for sports fans, but Spectrum offers affordability, flexibility, and simplicity.
Is DIRECTV or Spectrum better?
Spectrum offers cable TV and internet services to select regions across the US without a contract. Its TV plans are affordable, flexible, and simple, bundling well with Spectrum’s high-speed internet service.
DIRECTV satellite TV service is available almost anywhere in the U.S. and is the best TV provider for sports. Unfortunately, DIRECTV has high prices, limited bundling options, and a new $15 monthly fee for its Genie DVR. You’ll also have to sign a two-year contract, but DIRECTV promises your monthly payment won’t change for the duration of the agreement.
Spectrum vs. DIRECTV pros and cons
Spectrum
✓ Affordability
✓ No contract
✓ Spectrum TV app
✗ Limited availability
✗ DVR fees
DIRECTV
✓ Wide availability
✓ 2-yr. price guarantee
✓ Genie DVRs
✗ 2-year contract
✗ Expensive plans
✗ Hidden fees
Spectrum vs. DIRECTV
Before we compare Spectrum and DIRECTV packages and pricing, let’s see if either provider has any good deals or promotions.
Spectrum deals
Current deals for new Spectrum customers:
- Free Xumo Stream Box: Spectrum is offering new customers a free Xumo Stream Box for 12 months when you sign up for a Spectrum TV plan.
- Free Disney+ and ESPN+: Spectrum is offering a free Disney+ subscription with its TV Select and TV Select Plus plans. TV Select Plus subscribers also get free ESPN+.
Look for more special offers on our Spectrum deals page.
DIRECTV deals
These are some of DIRECTV’s current offers for new customers.
- Free premium channels: Order the ENTERTAINMENT All Included, CHOICE All Included, or ULTIMATE All Included packages and receive three free months of Max (formerly HBO Max), Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, STARZ®, CINEMAX®, and MGM+™. (Note: The PREMIER All Included package has all of these channels except MGM+, which you’ll still get free for three months.)
- Gift cards: Sign up for DIRECTV & get up to a $400 VISA® Reward Card.
For more money-saving offers, see our DIRECTV deals page.
Pro tip: Starting with the 2023–24 season, NFL SUNDAY TICKET will move from DIRECTV to YouTube TV.
DIRECTV vs. Spectrum head-to-head
| Service | Price | Channels | Simultaneous recordings | DVR | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spectrum | $69.99–$74.99/mo.* | 155–160+ | Unlimited | Varies |
View plan Read Spectrum review |
| DIRECTV | $69.99–$159.99/mo.** | 75–150+ | Up to 7 | Up to 450 hrs. |
View Plans for DIRECTV Read DIRECTV review |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* See full disclaimer.
** for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.
While Spectrum has fewer channels than DIRECTV and charges for its equipment and comparatively paltry cloud DVR service, it’s ultimately a more affordable, flexible, and simpler TV provider than DIRECTV.
But DIRECTV might be worth it if you’re willing to pay a premium to have the most sports channels, plus plenty of DVR storage for all of those sportsball events.
Pro tip: Don’t waste money on basic cable TV plans. You can get all the same channels with an over-the-air (OTA) antenna, which costs as little as $25–$60 (instead of $20–$60 a month).
Spectrum vs. DIRECTV
Spectrum plans and prices
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* See full disclaimer.
Spectrum’s original TV plan, TV Select, costs $69.99/mo. for 155+ channels. That’s a good deal. TV Select comes with all of the most popular channels and its low price leaves room for premium add-ons. Plus, its new TV Select Plus plan has all those same popular channels plus Regional Sports Networks (RSNs), which sports fans will love.
Spectrum’s Mi Plan Latino ($39.99 a month, 170+ channels including 75+ en Español) is one of the best TV plans we’ve encountered for Spanish speakers (but DishLATINO is better overall—check out our English DishLATINO review and Spanish DishLATINO review).
But note that Spectrum’s equipment and DVR fees will add $15–$20 monthly. That makes TV Select about more than DIRECTV’s ENTERTAINMENT All Included ($69.99 a month, 160+ channels) and about the same price as CHOICE™ All Included ($84.99 a month, 185+ channels). But don’t get too excited—that’s for the first two years only. After that, DIRECTV’s third-year price increase swoops in to ruin everything.
Pro tip: On average, standalone cable TV plans cost about $79.
DIRECTV plans and prices
| Plan | Price** | Channels | Simultaneous recordings | DVR | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENTERTAINMENT All Included | $69.99/mo. | 165+ | Up to 7 | Up to 450 hrs. | View plans |
|
CHOICE™ All Included Our pick |
$84.99/mo. | 200+ | Up to 7 | Up to 450 hrs. | View plans |
| ULTIMATE All Included | $114.99/mo. | 270+ | Up to 7 | Up to 450 hrs. | View plans |
| PREMIER All Included | $159.99/mo. | 340+ | Up to 7 | Up to 450 hrs. | View plans |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
** for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.
Even with the new two-year price guarantee, DIRECTV’s prices are on the higher end versus most providers. Compared to Spectrum, DIRECTV has exceptionally high prices—but also way more channels (especially sports channels) and a better DVR.
Pro tip: Live TV streaming services have no contracts, lower prices, smaller (but more streamlined) channel lineups—and no hidden fees.
We recommend DIRECTV’s CHOICE All Included package ($84.99 a month) for most people thanks to its solid channel lineup and relatively decent price. Movie lovers that can afford a high monthly bill should look at PREMIER All Included ($159.99 monthly), which has 340+ channels, including almost every premium movie channel except MGM+ (formerly EPIX). But don’t worry—you can still get MGM+ free for three months when you sign up.
Spectrum vs. DIRECTV fees and extra charges
Spectrum fees and extra charges
| Fees | Amount |
|---|---|
| Broadcast TV fee | Up to $21.00/mo. |
| Professional installation | $59.99 |
| Self-installation activation | $24.99 |
| HD TV box | $9.99/mo. each |
| Apple TV 4K (rent-to-own) | Starting at $9.99/mo.** |
| Apple TV 4K (purchase) | $180.00** |
| Cloud DVR (record up to 50 shows) | $4.99/mo. |
| Cloud DVR Plus (record up to 100 shows)* | $9.99/mo.* |
| Late payment fee | $8.95 |
| Reconnection fee | $4.99 |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* Requires Apple TV 4K.
** Limit one Apple TV 4K per account.
Virtually all cable and satellite TV providers have hidden fees. Spectrum and DIRECTV are no exception. Watch out for Spectrum’s broadcast TV fee (up to $21 a month), which is one of the highest we’ve encountered.
Also, the “self-installation activation fee” is kinda gross. We don’t like the idea of paying Spectrum to do the installation ourselves (sure, it’s easy—but come on).
We have more to say about these charges in our guide to The Hidden Costs of Spectrum.
DIRECTV fees and extra charges
| Fees | Amount |
|---|---|
| TV access fee (per receiver) | $12.00/mo. |
| Advanced Receiver Service Fee | $15.00/mo. |
| Regional sports fee | Up to $13.99/mo. (depends on location) |
| Returned check/electronic funds transfer (EFT) | Up to $30.00 (as permitted by law) |
| Phone payment fee | Up to $5.00 per payment |
| Order assistance fee | Up to $5.00 per payment |
| Late payment fee | Up to $6.25 |
| Payment extension | $15.00 |
| Duplicate statement fee | Up to $1.75 |
| Ledger request | Up to $2.75 |
| Minimum service fee | Up to $9.99/mo. |
| Early termination fee | $20.00/mo. per remaining month |
| Restoral fee | Up to $20 per restoral |
| Dispatch fee | $99.00 |
| Leased equipment fees (due at signup) | $0.00–$50.00 depending on the device |
| Bridge fee (for wireless setup with Genie 2 and Genie Mini Wireless) | $99.00 due at signup |
| Activation fee (main service) | $19.95 |
| Activation fee (Genie Mini) | $49.00 per device over 4 |
| Activation fee (Genie Mini Wireless) | $49.00 per device over 4 |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
DIRECTV calls its broadcast TV free a “TV access fee” and it’s 75% lower than Spectrum’s maximum fee. But the $13.99-a-month regional sports fee more than makes up for that. DIRECTV also has more b.s. activation and “payment assistance” fees.
Note: Be sure to sign up for AutoPay so you can get the advertised pricing—and get out of payment assistance fees.
See our guide, Hidden Costs of DIRECTV, for more information on these fees.
Spectrum vs. DIRECTV channels
Does channel lineup size matter? Yes and no. A huge channel count is only superficially impressive. Eventually, you’ll realize that you’re paying for a bunch of channels you’ll never watch—and the provider stashes some of your most-wanted channels in the more expensive packages.
In this article, that’s only a DIRECTV problem.
Popular channels
Spectrum’s TV Select and Select Plus contain all of the top 35 most-watched channels of 2022, according to Variety’s annual rankings.1
DIRECTV carries all but two of these channels (The CW and MeTV). But to get all 33 popular channels in one DIRECTV package, you’ll need to select CHOICE™ All Included ($84.99 a month, 185+ channels) or higher.
Variety’s Top 35 most-watched channels of 20221
- NBC
- CBS
- ABC
- FOX
- FOX News Channel
- ESPN
- Univision‡
- MSNBC
- HGTV
- Hallmark Channel
- ION
- TLC
- TNT
- Telemundo¶
- TBS
- HISTORY*
- Discovery Channel
- Food Network
- INSP
- USA Network
- CNN
- MeTV†
- Bravo
- Lifetime*
- The CW†‡
- Investigation Discovery
- TV Land
- A&E*
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- Paramount Network‡
- UniMás§
- AMC
- FX
- Grit
- WE TV
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* Not included in DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT package
§ Add-on only for DIRECTV ENTERTAINMENT package
¶ Add-on only for DIRECTV
† Not carried by DIRECTV
Now let’s see how Spectrum and DIRECTV equipment compares.
DIRECTV vs. Spectrum equipment, specs, and features
Spectrum equipment and cloud DVR
| Device | Price | Additional devices | DVR storage | Simultaneous recordings or streams | Supported TVs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD TV Box | $9.99/mo. | $9.99/mo. | N/A | Unlimited | 4 |
| Apple TV 4K (rent-to-own) | $9.99/mo. | N/A* | N/A | Unlimited | 1 |
| Apple TV 4K (purchase) | $180.00 | N/A* | N/A | Unlimited | 1 |
| Cloud DVR | $4.99/mo. | N/A | Up to 50 shows | Unlimited | N/A |
| Cloud DVR Plus** | $9.99/mo. | N/A | Up to 100 shows | Unlimited | N/A |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* Limit one per account.
** Requires Apple TV 4K.
Spectrum offers two device choices. If you’d like to use something like the physical receiver/DVR unit, you can choose the HD TV Box ($9.99 a month each) for up to four TVs. Note, though, that this does not include DVR storage. You’ll have to pay for that separately.
Cloud DVR ($4.99 a month) allows you to record up to 50 shows, but this DVR plan works only with the HD TV Box. Cloud DVR Plus ($9.99 a month) doubles your storage allowance to 100 shows. Note, however, that Cloud DVR Plus is available only if you choose the Apple TV 4K ($9.99 a month) streaming device as your Spectrum TV box.
By the way, choosing the Apple TV 4K has other advantages: it’s a rent-to-own deal, so the device is yours once you’ve made all 20 monthly payments. Or you can buy it outright for $180.
DIRECTV equipment and DVR
| Device | Price | DVR storage | Simultaneous recordings/streams | Supported TVs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genie DVR | $15.00/mo. | 200 hrs. | 5 recordings | N/A |
| Genie 2 DVR | $15.00/mo.* | 450 hrs. | 7 recordings | N/A |
| Genie Mini | $7.00/mo. each | N/A | N/A | Up to 6 |
| Genie Mini Wireless | $7.00/mo. each | N/A | N/A | Up to 8 |
| DIRECTV app | Free | N/A | 5 streams | N/A |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
* $99 bridge free due at signup.
DIRECTV’s Genie and Genie 2 DVRs, which use physical instead of cloud storage, are quite powerful—and both come included with your TV plan (but there is a $99 bridge fee to set up Wi-Fi for the Genie 2).
The Genie’s 200 hours of storage is about the same as Spectrum’s Cloud DVR Plus (if all of your Spectrum recordings were two-hour movies). The Genie 2 has 450 hours of storage, which is way better than the standard Genie or Spectrum’s options.
Spectrum vs. DIRECTV mobile apps
|
Spectrum TV app Android, Apple |
DIRECTV on the Go Android, Apple |
|
|---|---|---|
| Price | Included | Included |
| Apple Store rating | 4.7 / 5.0 | 4.7 / 5.0 |
| Google Play Store rating | 4.7 / 5.0 | 3.5 / 5.0 |
| Watch live channels | ✔ | ✔ |
| Watch on-demand content | ✔ | ✔ |
| Watch DVR recordings | ✔ | ✔ |
| Downloading for offline viewing | ✔ | ✔ |
| Watch pay-per-view, rental, and purchased content | ✔ | ✔ |
| Set and manage DVR recordings and timers | ✔ | ✔ |
| Set and manage parental controls | ✔ | ✔ |
| In-home streams | Unlimited | 3 |
| On-the-go streams | 2 | 3 |
| Use phone as remote | ✔ | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Like most TV providers today, Spectrum and DIRECTV have free mobile apps so you can stream your TV package, on-demand titles, DVR recordings, and more while you’re on the go. These apps add a ton of value to your cable or satellite TV subscription.
Pro tip: DIRECTV is different from the DIRECTV STREAM live TV streaming service, which has 140+ channels, cloud DVR, and no contracts. But the prices are still pretty high.
Is Spectrum or DIRECTV better?
In case it’s not obvious, we think DIRECTV’s pricing is too high—and lacks transparency. So we recommend DIRECTV only to sports fans who are okay with paying a little more to get the live sports they crave. But if you really want satellite TV, you’ll find transparent, slightly cheaper pricing and a better overall experience if you choose DISH over DIRECTV
Spectrum is much cheaper with more transparent pricing, and it’s best if you’re looking for an affordable TV and internet bundle.
Spectrum vs. DIRECTV FAQ
Which is better, Spectrum or DIRECTV?
Spectrum is a more affordable, flexible, and simple TV service than DIRECTV. DIRECTV has a two-year contract and high prices, but far more channels, more robust sports offerings, a better DVR, and broader availability. If you’re looking for a simple TV plan, go with Spectrum. If you want the best TV provider or sports—and you can afford it—get DIRECTV.
What are some advantages of Spectrum TV over satellite?
With Spectrum, a cable TV and internet provider, you don’t need to mount a satellite dish to your roof. And, if you choose the Apple TV 4K streaming device as your Spectrum TV box, you won’t have to drill holes into your house like with standard cable TV service.
Is Spectrum TV and internet any good?
Spectrum TV and internet are pretty good. The provider offers TV plans with 155–160+, but it’s reasonably priced—and Spectrum offers another 80+ channels in affordable add-on packs. Spectrum’s high-speed cable internet is fast, with speeds up to 1 Gbps, but a little more expensive than other internet providers.
Learn more in our Spectrum TV review and Spectrum internet review.
Why are Spectrum prices so high?
Whenever cable or satellite TV prices go up, TV providers like Spectrum blame their own rising operating costs, which they pass on to the consumer. But we think Spectrum’s prices are pretty low.
Is DIRECTV better than cable?
The main advantage DIRECTV, a satellite TV service, has over cable TV services is wider availability. But DIRECTV and rival satellite TV provider DISH do tend to have higher channel counts than cable TV providers.
How can I get Spectrum to lower my bill?
If you’re a current Spectrum customer willing to switch providers to get a better rate, contact Spectrum’s customer service department and ask for customer retention. You might be able to get a loyalty discount for sticking around.
Why you should trust us
The experts at CableTV.com have thousands of hours researching and testing cable and satellite TV providers like Spectrum and DIRECTV. For this guide, we compared each provider’s plans and bundles to each other as well as nine other competing TV providers. We then analyzed the data and turned it into helpful recommendations for our readers. To learn more about our process, check out our How We Rank page.
Endnotes
- Michael Schneider, Variety, “Most-Watched Television Networks—Ranking 2021’s Winners and Losers,” December 29, 2022. Accessed February 23, 2023.
Disclaimer
*Spectrum TV Select Signature: Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum TV Select Signature promotion price is $59.99/mo; standard rates apply after yr 1. Taxes, fees, and surcharges (broadcast surcharge up to $23.20/mo) extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra. General Terms: TV: TV equipment required; charges may apply. Channel and HD programming availability based on level of service and location. Account credentials may be required to stream some TV content online. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. Enter your address to determine availability.
Mi Plan Latino: Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum Mi Plan Latino: Price is $39.99/mo for yr 1; standard rates apply after yr 1. Taxes, fees and surcharges (broadcast surcharge up to $23.20/mo) extra and subject to change during and after the term; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra. General Terms: TV: TV equipment required, charges may apply. Channel and HD programming availability based on level of service and location. Account credentials may be required to stream some TV content online. Services subject to all applicable service terms and conditions, subject to change. Services not available in all areas. Restrictions apply. Enter your address to determine availability.
