Not So FAST: MyFree DIRECTV Review 2025
The new FAST streaming service from DIRECTV has only a tiny fraction of what you get from Tubi and Pluto TV—learn more in my in-depth review.
Is there a free version of DIRECTV?
I’ve just finished a week of testing MyFree DIRECTV by DIRECTV. I expected the MyFree DIRECTV experience to be like the other free ad-supported TV (FAST) services I enjoy (Tubi, Pluto TV, the Roku Channel), with hundreds of live TV channels and a deep on-demand library. To my surprise, MyFree DIRECTV falls far short of that, with only 90+ FAST channels and a shallow, underwhelming, and confusing on-demand library.
Let’s look deeper into this gift horse’s mouth. If you want to follow along, it’s quick and easy to sign up for MyFree DIRECTV.
MyFree DIRECTV: Pay nothing for very little
| Plan | Price | Live channels | On-demand library | Ad load (per hour) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyFree DIRECTV | Free | 90+ | 173 movies, 66 shows | 15–18 min. | View Plan |
Data effective as of post date.
After completing the speedy MyFree DIRECTV sign-up process, I fired up the DIRECTV app (yup, the same one used for DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM) and started browsing the live channel guide and on-demand content. It wasn’t long before I could tell the service had poor bang for my “alternative” buck.
Ads on MyFree DIRECTV
“Free is free … ” “It’s better than nothing … ” “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth … ” Whatever, dude. Although I didn’t pay for MyFree DIRECTV, there was still a cost: the time I spent watching ads.
FAST services average around six minutes of ads per hour of content. MyFree DIRECTV advertises an ad load comparable to those of broadcast TV networks, which run 15–18 minutes per hour. That’s astoundingly high—just like DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM prices. So, kudos for staying on-brand, I guess.
MyFree DIRECTV vs. other top FAST streaming services
| Plan | Live channels | On-demand library | Resolution | Ad load (per hour) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyFree DIRECTV | 90+ | 173 movies, 66 shows | Up to 4K | 15–18 min. | View Plan |
|
Plex Most channels |
600+ | 50,000 movies and shows | Up to 4K | 5–7 min. | — |
|
Pluto TV Most ads |
425+ | 100,000 hrs. | Up to 4K | 8–10 min. | View Plan |
| The Roku Channel | 350+ | 21,000+ movies and shows | Up to 4K | 6–8 min. | — |
| Sling Freestream | 500+ | 40,000+ movies and shows | 720p | 6 min. | View Plan |
|
Tubi Best overall |
260+ | 52,000+ movies and shows | 720p | 4–6 min. | View Plan |
Data effective as of post date.
MyFree DIRECTV has more than 90+ live TV channels—but other services have them too
DIRECTV has 340+ channels, DIRECTV STREAM has 185+, and the major free streaming services have 260–600+ FAST channels. So I expected to find a lot more than 90+ channels on MyFree DIRECTV—and I did. I counted every channel in the live guide and came up with 102, roughly 12% more than advertised. However, I’m still shocked that MyFreeDIRECTV has 60–83% fewer channels than other FAST services.
Quality-wise, I have better news. The MyFree DIRECTV channel lineup ain’t too bad. I added 20 channels to my favorites list, and while that was a stretch, I’m actually excited to watch axe-throwing and ultimate frisbee on ESPN 8 (The Ocho), scary movies on HORROR by ALTER, and binge-watch Three Stooges episodes. The thing is, I can find all of those channels on the more robust free streaming services I already use (Tubi, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV).
Note: FAST channels are live 24/7 looping channels focused on a particular show or type of show. They’re usually found on FAST services, but some on-demand streaming services (Paramount+, Peacock) have them.
Entertainment channels on MyFree DIRECTV
- Alien Nation
- Always Funny
- Always Funny Pranks & Fails
- America’s Test Kitchen
- Anger Management Channel
- Are We There Yet?
- At Home with Family Handyman
- AxMen by HISTORY
- The Bob Ross Channel
- BUZZR
- Cold Case Files by A&E
- Comedy Dynamics
- Confess by Nosey
- COURT TV
- Crime 360 by A&E
- Curiosity Now
- Dance Moms by Lifetime
- Danger TV
- Deal Zone by HISTORY
- Declassified
- Documentary+
- Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan
- DOVE
- Drool
- Duck Dynasty
- Earth Touch TV
- Ebony TV by Lionsgate
- El Rey Rebel
- FAILARMY
- Family Feud
- FOX Soul
- GoTraveler
- Great American Adventures
- Her Sphere by Lionsgate
- History & Warfare Now
- Horror by Alter
- Ice Road Truckers by HISTORY
- INFAST
- INWONDER
- The Jamie Oliver Channel
- Joel Osteen Network
- Let’s Make a Deal
- Love Nature
- Magellan TV Now
- MeatEater
- Military Heroes by HISTORY
- Modern Marvels by HISTORY
- Movie Favorites by Lifetime
- MovieSphere by Lionsgate
- Nosey
- OZtv
- The Pet Collective
- Power Nation
- RIG TV
- RVTV
- Somos Novelas
- Space Science Now
- SV
- Supermarket Sweep
- Tastemade Food & More
- Tastemeade Home
- Tastemade Travel
- The Design Network
- The Price is Right
- The Price is Right – Barker Era
- The First
- The Three Stooges
- Tiny House Nation
- Torque by HISTORY
- Total Crime
- True Crime Now
- Unexplained Zone by HISTORY
- Waypoint
- Yahoo! Finance
- Yu-Gi-Oh!
News channels on MyFree DIRECTV
- ABC 20/20
- ABC Local-ish
- ABC News Live
- AccuWeather
- Cheddar News
- FOX Weather Now
- Scripps News
Sports channels on MyFree DIRECTV
- ACC Digital Network (ACCDN)
- bein Sports Extra
- DraftKings Network
- ESPN8 “The Ocho”
- Fight Network
- Origin Sports
- Pickleball TV (PBTV)
- Players TV
- Poker Go
- Racing America
- ROME (The Jim Rome Show)
- SkateSurfSnow
- Sports Grid Live
- Stadium
- SURFER
- Swerve Combat
- T2 Live Tennis
- TNA
- Women’s Sports Network
- XII Studios
MyFree DIRECTV has, like, 173 movies and 66 shows
Now that I’ve complained about MyFree DIRECTV’s low channel count, I’m gonna gripe about the on-demand selection. It’s slim, and the quality is “meh.”
How slim? About 99.5–99.9% lighter than other free streaming services. No joke, no typo. By my count, MyFree DIRECTV has 173 movies and 66 shows.
For context, The Roku Channel has 21,000 movies on the low end, while Tubi is tops with 52,000.
Regular DIRECTV and DIRECTV STREAM plans advertise 40,000–90,000 on-demand titles. I know licensing content is expensive, but come on.
How “meh?” First of all, every movie comes from Cineverse. A single source of on-demand films isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s confusing since DIRECTV, as a company, must have other sources of content.
I’m not saying Cineverse is a bad source of content; the company owns fantastic streaming services like the horror-fan mecca Screambox (home of the Terrifier trilogy) and arthouse/cult-movie outlet Fandor. And Cineverse, itself, is a streaming service, albeit one I’ve yet to test. However, a quick scan of the Cineverse library reveals several great movies but many more iffy indie films. Unfortunately, the latter is what’s on MyFree DIRECTV.
As for MyFree DIRECTV’s on-demand TV shows, there’s only one fictional series—Baywatch—and it’s only the first 50 episodes (of 243). Everything else is reality TV (mostly food, home, and travel) and game shows.
Bottom line: You might find a few on-demand movies to watch—I found 15 that I might enjoy. Baywatch, The Price is Right, and reality TV fans win with MyFree DIRECTV’s on-demand TV shows.
Pro tip: If you decide to use MyFree DIRECTV, you can create the illusion of a larger, more quality-rich movie selection by linking the DIRECTV app to your Movies Anywhere account (if you have one).
MyFree DIRECTV specs and features
Like all free streaming services, MyFree DIRECTV’s main attraction is its content library (oof). As for other features, no free streaming service has Cloud DVR or offline downloading because they want you to see the ads.
Extra streams are also pointless since anyone can have their own account. Still, each MyFree DIRECTV account includes unlimited streams and the ability to create up to five user profiles.
Other features include parental controls and the popular DIRECTV Sports Central feature.
Sports on MyFree DIRECTV
Sports fans might appreciate that DIRECTV STREAM’s popular Sports Central feature works with MyFree DIRECTV via Roku devices (but not via Chrome or on my phone).
The Sports Central page gathers content from MyFree DIRECTV’s 20 sports channels in one place. It doesn’t seem to have live sports, but you’ll find some older college games, sports talk shows, and documentaries.
Since the DIRECTV app has an option to see onscreen game scores, I tried it with MyFree DIRECTV. Using Sports Central, I marked a bunch of March Madness teams with games in progress. I’ve been watching MyFree DIRECTV on two devices (laptop, Roku Ultra) for about two hours now. So far, I haven’t seen a score update, so the Game Scores feature does not appear to work with MyFree DIRECTV.
Is MyFree DIRECTV easy to use?
I tested MyFree DIRECTV a few different ways: First, on my office’s Wi-Fi network on a Windows laptop (Chrome browser), a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 smartphone, and a Bolva TV with an older Apple TV 4K device. At home, I tested the app on a Samsung TV via the Roku Ultra on a Google Fiber connection.
MyFree DIRECTV was easy to use in all cases except the Bolva/Apple TV 4K configuration, which didn’t work at all. I uninstalled/reinstalled the app twice, but I believe it didn’t work because of a likely app compatibility issue with our older Apple TV 4K unit.
MyFree DIRECTV supported devices
MyFree DIRECTV uses the DIRECTV/DIRECTV STREAM app, which supports Android/iOS, Amazon, Apple, Chromecast, NVIDIA, Peloton, and Roku devices. It also works with all major internet browsers and select smart TVs (Google/Android, Roku, and Samsung).
Sorry, gamers—no console support. The app does, however, work on Apple Vision Pro virtual reality devices. And Peloton riders can use the app on the Bike, Bike+, Tread, Tread+, and Row models.
For deeper details, like device model numbers and operating system requirements, see the DIRECTV device compatibility page.
MyFree DIRECTV user interface
Aside from the obvious screen-size difference, the user interface on the laptop and smartphone are similar to the standard playback controls.
I found the app’s visual design unappealing—there’s so much white space, and it feels hospital-sterile. But that’s what full-screen mode is for, right?
My favorite way to use MyFree DIRECTV is the Samsung TV/Roku Ultra setup. The app has a sleeker, darker look on Roku, plus the Sports Central feature.
MyFree DIRECTV video and audio quality
On my laptop and phone, I encountered some buffering and saw the resolution change frequently—probably because of traffic on my office’s Wi-Fi network and the stability of my T-Mobile data connection. On the Roku Ultra, I experienced no lag or resolution issues, which is attributable to the more stable Google Fiber connection.
While the DIRECTV app supports resolution up to 4K UHD, I didn’t see any 4K content on MyFree DIRECTV.
You can adjust video quality settings to Good, Better, or Best, which is handy for conserving mobile data. To adjust video quality on MyFree DIRECTV:
- Go to “Account” (the icon at upper right in this screenshot).
- Select “Preferences.”
- Select desired video quality and exit the menu.
MyFree DIRECTV review FAQ
Is MyFree DIRECTV really free?
Yeah, MyFree DIRECTV is really free. All you need to do is sign up with your email address—no credit card required.
Why you should trust our MyFree DIRECTV review
I’ve spent more than five years covering DIRECTV, DIRECTV STREAM and competing TV providers and live TV streaming services. For this MyFree DIRECTV review, I spent a week with the app, doing hands-on testing and rigorous research. I evaluated MyFree DIRECTV’s sign-up, process, channel lineup, features, and performance. All recommendations and insights come from my first-hand experience and testing, which I cross-referenced with CableTV.com’s existing live TV streaming service coverage.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
