I’m sorry to bear bad news, but Sling TV does not offer a free trial. Instead, the service offers Sling Freestream, a FAST service with 600+ live channels and 5,000+ on-demand movies and shows, plus a 10-hour Cloud DVR.
The idea is that Sling Freestream already gives us a sense of how the Sling TV app works; a channel package like Sling Orange or Sling Blue is just more to watch.
That sounds logical, but for one thing: If you’re gonna let customers test drive the service, why not let ‘em use the actual product they’re thinking of buying? It’s like if Baskin-Robbins offered you a taste of vanilla ice cream when you’re really interested in chocolate chip: You can’t imagine the chips—and the flavor you want is in the next tub over, anyway.
(Having said that, Sling Freestream does have a ton of content—see our Sling Freestream review for more details.)
Getting started with Sling TV
There are, however, some advantages to Sling TV not offering a free trial. You don’t have to give up your credit card number to try Sling Freestream, which also means we don’t have to worry about getting charged if (or, if we’re being honest, when) we forget to cancel.
If you’re dead set on trying exactly the Sling TV channel package you’re checking out, Sling frequently offers half off your first month of service. That’s far from a free trial, but you’ll get to try the Sling TV app and channel package at a deep discount.
What live TV streaming services have free trials?
Are you a stickler? Do you require an honest-to-goodness free trial before subscribing to a live TV streaming service? The good news is that Sling TV is the only one that doesn’t have a free trial.
Here’s a quick look at what free trials other live TV streaming services offer.
Data effective as of post date.
For an in-depth breakdown of these free trials, check out our guide to Streaming Services That Offer Free Trials.
Why you should trust our Sling TV free trial guide
Our TV experts have spent hundreds of hours using Sling TV and competing live TV streaming services. With hands-on experience and rigorous research, we’ve evaluated Sling TV’s free trial substitute, Sling Freestream, and its channels, on-demand content, and features. All recommendations and insights come from our firsthand experience and testing, which we 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.
