Battle of the Streamers: Fubo vs. YouTube TV — Which One Wins?
The crown has oscillated between these two services, but YouTube TV currently reigns supreme.
Price: $32.99–$99.99/mo.
Channels: 65–260+
Cloud DVR: 250–1,000 hrs.
Price: $32.99–$99.99/mo.
Channels: 65–260+
Cloud DVR: 250–1,000 hrs.
Price: $72.99/mo.
Channels: 100+
Cloud DVR: Unlimited
Price: $72.99/mo.
Channels: 100+
Cloud DVR: Unlimited
Is Fubo or YouTube TV better?
YouTube TV is the most well-rounded live TV streaming service, and there’s no question why it’s a streamer’s favorite (including ours). Fubo doesn’t have everything YouTube TV has, like a handful of popular channels, but it’s a top pick for those who want loads of channels.
But we’ve used both for years and currently, YouTube TV takes the crown. Fubo’s recent changes to its channel lineup have dropped it down a level.
Let’s get into the details of these two streaming services to see which is best for you and the fam.
Deals and promotions
Fubo gives you a chance to try out any of its four plans for free. We like how this service always hooks you up with a seven-day free trial, which is rare in the live TV streaming world.
YouTube TV’s deals vary, especially during the start of a sports season, such as NFL and MLB. As of the publish date of this piece, here are today’s offerings from YouTube:
- Free trial
- $15 off your first three months of service ($57.99/mo.)
How are Fubo and YouTube TV different?
When it comes to choosing between Fubo and YouTube TV, the biggest differences boil down to the channel-to-dollar ratio and the availability of some popular networks and regional sports networks.
Fubo has been missing Warner Bros. channels for over a year, and the Warner-Discovery merger forced them to drop even more beloved channels that YouTube TV still carries. (Sigh.) As a result, Fubo no longer offers channels like CNN, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Investigation Discovery, TBS, and TNT.
However, Fubo boasts twice the number of channels as YouTube TV, including more sports channels, all for about the same price. Scroll down to compare the lineups and decide if you prefer quality or quantity.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV details
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
YouTube TV’s 100-channel lineup doesn’t contain any fluff. It’s great for NFL fans who want to watch their team on NFL Sunday Ticket, but it’s not for tennis fans who want to watch match replays on the Tennis Channel.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV plans and pricing
Fubo’s got the sweetest deal when it comes to bang for your buck among most live TV streaming services. Plus, you can score up to 260 channels—the most you’ll find on any streaming platform. But similar to cable and satellite providers, it comes with 50+ filler channels—in other words, channels you may never care to watch.
Fubo plans and pricing
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Fubo has most of the channels YouTube TV has in its lineup, but they’re not all in the entry-level plan. For example, you’ll need to upgrade to Fubo’s $90 plan to get Nicktoons, MLB Network, and NBA TV. (More on that below when you scroll down a little to the channels table.)
YouTube TV tops our streaming service list for a couple of standout reasons:
- Over 100 high-quality channels catering to sports fanatics, kids, news buffs, and reality TV junkies
- Exclusive home to NFL Sunday Ticket
YouTube TV plans and pricing
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV live channels
Fubo’s channel lineups boast a hefty 185–260+ channels, including a variety of niche offerings. On the flip side, YouTube TV’s 100-channel lineup is lean and mean, with minimal fluff.
Fubo’s Pro plan features 185+ channels, 14 popular sports channels, niche sports options, and plenty of family-friendly entertainment. For the best experience, we recommend the Elite plan with 255+ channels, which adds more lifestyle and news options and 15 popular sports channels. If you crave SHOWTIME® channels, go all-in with the top-tier Premier plan.
If you want to see a breakdown by packages for both services, we have that ready for you on our YouTube TV Review and Fubo Channel Lineup pages.
To simplify the comparison, we highlighted Fubo’s starter package ($79.99/mo.) and YouTube TV’s base plan ($72.99/mo.) in the table below.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV channels
| Channel | Fubo Pro | YouTube TV Base Plan |
|---|---|---|
|
A |
||
| A&E | — | — |
| ABC* | ✔ | ✔ |
| ABC Localish | ✔ | ✔ |
| ABC News Live | ✔ | ✔ |
| ACC Network (ACCN) | — | ✔ |
| AccuWeather | ✔ | — |
| ACL Cornhole TV | ✔ | — |
| Adult Swim | — | ✔ |
| All Reality WE tv | — | ✔ |
| Altitude Sports | ✔ | — |
| Altitude Sports 2 | ✔ | — |
| AMC | — | ✔ |
| Animal Planet | — | ✔ |
| AXS TV | ✔ | — |
|
B |
||
| Bally Sports | ✔ | — |
| BBC America | — | ✔ |
| BBC News | — | ✔ |
| BeIN SPORTS | ✔ | — |
| BeIN SPORTS 4–8 | ✔ | — |
| BeIN Sports en Español | ✔ | — |
| BeIN SPORTS XTRA | ✔ | — |
| BET | ✔ | ✔ |
| BET Her | — | ✔ |
| The Big Dish | ✔ | — |
| Big Ten Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| BikeMag | ✔ | — |
| Billiard TV | ✔ | — |
| Bleav Football | ✔ | — |
| Bloomberg TV | ✔ | — |
| The Bob Ross Channel | ✔ | — |
| Bounce | ✔ | ✔ |
| Boxing TV | ✔ | — |
| Bravo | ✔ | ✔ |
|
C |
||
| C-SPAN | — | — |
| Cartoon Network | — | — |
| CBS* | ✔ | ✔ |
| CBS News | ✔ | — |
| CBS Sports Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| CHARGE! | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cheddar | — | ✔ |
| Cheddar News | — | — |
| CLEO TV | ✔ | — |
| CMT | ✔ | ✔ |
| CNBC | ✔ | ✔ |
| CNBC News | — | ✔ |
| CNN | — | ✔ |
| Comedy Central | ✔ | ✔ |
| Comedy Dynamics | ✔ | — |
| Comedy.tv | — | ✔ |
| COMET | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cooking Channel | — | — |
| Court TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Court TV Legendary Trials | ✔ | — |
| COZI TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Crackle | ✔ | — |
| Curiosity Channel | ✔ | — |
| The CW | ✔ | — |
|
D |
||
| Dabl | ✔ | ✔ |
| Dark Matter TV | ✔ | — |
| The Design Network | ✔ | — |
| Destination America | — | — |
| Discovery Channel | — | ✔ |
| Disney Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| Disney Junior | ✔ | ✔ |
| Disney XD | ✔ | ✔ |
| Docurama | — | ✔ |
| Dove Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
|
E |
||
| E! | ✔ | ✔ |
| EarthxTV | ✔ | — |
| ESPN | ✔ | ✔ |
| ESPN2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| ESPNews | — | ✔ |
| ESPNU | — | ✔ |
| Estrella TV | ✔ | — |
|
F |
||
| Fail Army | ✔ | — |
| FamilyTime | ✔ | — |
| FilmRise Forensic Files | ✔ | — |
| FilmRise Unsolved Mysteries | ✔ | — |
| The First | ✔ | — |
| Food Network | — | ✔ |
| FOX* | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fox Business | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fox News | ✔ | ✔ |
| FOX SOUL | ✔ | ✔ |
| FOX Sports (FS1) | ✔ | ✔ |
| FS2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fox Weather | ✔ | ✔ |
| FS2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Freeform | ✔ | ✔ |
| Free Movies | ✔ | — |
| Fubo Movie Network | ✔ | — |
| Fubo Radio 1–10 | ✔ | — |
| Fubo Sports 1–6 | ✔ | — |
| Fuse | — | — |
| FX | ✔ | ✔ |
| FXM | — | ✔ |
| FXX | ✔ | ✔ |
| FYI | — | — |
|
G |
||
| Galavisión | ✔ | ✔ |
| Game Show Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| getTV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Glory | ✔ | — |
| Golf Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| Great American Family | ✔ | — |
| Grit | ✔ | — |
| Gusto TV | ✔ | — |
|
H |
||
| Hallmark Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hallmark Drama | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hallmark Movies & Mysteries | ✔ | ✔ |
| HGTV | — | ✔ |
| HISTORY | — | — |
| HLN | — | ✔ |
| HSN | — | ✔ |
|
I |
||
| IFC | — | ✔ |
| INFAST | ✔ | — |
| Investigation Discovery (ID) | — | ✔ |
| ION | ✔ | ✔ |
| ION Mystery | ✔ | — |
| ION Plus | ✔ | — |
|
J |
||
| JTV (Jewelry Television®) | ✔ | — |
| Justice Central TV | — | ✔ |
|
J |
||
| Kitchen Nightmares | ✔ | — |
|
L |
||
| Law & Crime | ✔ | ✔ |
| Lifetime | — | — |
| Lifetime Movie Network | — | — |
| LiveNOW from FOX | ✔ | ✔ |
| Local Now | ✔ | ✔ |
| LSN (Lacrosse TV) | ✔ | — |
| LX News | ✔ | — |
|
M |
||
| Magnolia Network | — | ✔ |
| Marquee Sports Network | ✔ | — |
| Maximum Effort Channel | ✔ | — |
| MLB Network | — | — |
| MOTOR TREND | — | ✔ |
| MotoAmrerica TV | ✔ | — |
| MSNBC | — | ✔ |
| MTV | ✔ | ✔ |
| MTV2 | — | ✔ |
| MTV Classic | — | ✔ |
| MyNetworkTV | — | ✔ |
|
N |
||
| Nat Geo WILD | — | ✔ |
| National Geographic Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| NBA TV | — | ✔ |
| NBC* | ✔ | ✔ |
| NBC LX | — | ✔ |
| NBC News NOW | ✔ | ✔ |
| NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) | ✔ | ✔ |
| NBC Universo | ✔ | ✔ |
| The Nest | ✔ | — |
| NewsMax TV | ✔ | — |
| NEWSNATION | ✔ | ✔ |
| NFL Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| NHL Network | — | — |
| Nick Jr. | ✔ | ✔ |
| Nickelodeon / Nick at Nite | ✔ | ✔ |
| Nicktoons | — | ✔ |
|
O |
||
| Origin Sports Network | ✔ | — |
| OWN | — | — |
| Oxygen | — | ✔ |
| Oxygen True Crime | — | ✔ |
|
P |
||
| Paramount Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| PBS* | — | ✔ |
| PBS Kids | — | ✔ |
| PBTV | ✔ | — |
| PCMag.com Channel | — | ✔ |
| PerfectGame.tv | ✔ | — |
| The Pet Collective | ✔ | — |
| PFL | ✔ | — |
| Pocket.watch | ✔ | — |
| Pop | ✔ | ✔ |
| Popcornflix | ✔ | — |
| Powder | ✔ | — |
|
Q |
||
| QVC | ✔ | ✔ |
|
R |
||
| Real Madrid TV | ✔ | — |
| Recipe.tv | — | ✔ |
| Ryan and Friends | ✔ | — |
|
S |
||
| Scripps News | ✔ | ✔ |
| SEC Network | — | ✔ |
| Smithsonian Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| Speedvision | ✔ | — |
| Sports News Highlights | ✔ | — |
| SportStak | ✔ | — |
| Start TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Stories by AMC | — | ✔ |
| SundanceTV | — | ✔ |
| Swerve Combat | ✔ | — |
| Syfy | ✔ | ✔ |
|
T |
||
| T2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tastemade | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tastemade Home | ✔ | — |
| Tastemade Travel | ✔ | — |
| TBD Movie Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| TBS | — | ✔ |
| TCM (Turner Classic Movies) | — | ✔ |
| TeenNick | — | ✔ |
| TeleHit | — | ✔ |
| Telemundo* | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tennis Channel | — | — |
| The CW | — | ✔ |
| The Great Courses | — | ✔ |
| TLC | — | ✔ |
| TNT | — | ✔ |
| Travel Channel | — | ✔ |
| True Crime | ✔ | — |
| truTV | — | ✔ |
| TUDN | ✔ | — |
| TUDNxtra 1–11 | ✔ | — |
| TV Land | ✔ | ✔ |
| TYT | — | ✔ |
|
U |
||
| Unimás* | ✔ | ✔ |
| Universal Kids | ✔ | ✔ |
| Univision* | ✔ | ✔ |
| USA Network | ✔ | ✔ |
|
V |
||
| VH1 | ✔ | ✔ |
| VICE | — | — |
|
W |
||
| The Walking Dead Universe | — | ✔ |
| WE tv | — | ✔ |
| Weather Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| Women’s Sports Network | ✔ | — |
Availability varies by area. Data effective as of post date.
In addition to Fubo’s 30+ sports channels, each plan comes with your regional sports networks. Here’s the caveat: Depending on how many RSNs are available where you live, you’ll have to budget for the $12–$15 fee.
For YouTube TV, if you’d like to add 15 more sports channels to your plan, like NFL RedZone and Tennis Channel, you can tack on the Sports Plus add-on for $12 per month.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV sports channels
| Channel | Fubo Pro | YouTube TV Base Plan |
|---|---|---|
| ACC Network (ACCN) | — | ✔ |
| ACL Cornhole TV | ✔ | — |
| Altitude Sports | ✔ | — |
| Altitude Sports 2 | ✔ | — |
| Bally Sports | ✔ | — |
| BeIN SPORTS | ✔ | — |
| BeIN SPORTS 4–8 | ✔ | — |
| BeIN SPORTS en Español | ✔ | — |
| BeIN SPORTS XTRA | ✔ | — |
| Big Ten Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bleav Football | ✔ | — |
| Boxing TV | ✔ | — |
| CBS Sports Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| ESPN | ✔ | ✔ |
| ESPN2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| ESPNews | — | ✔ |
| ESPNU | — | ✔ |
| FOX Sports (FS1) | ✔ | ✔ |
| FS2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Fubo Sports 1–6 | ✔ | — |
| Golf Channel | ✔ | ✔ |
| LSN (Lacrosse TV) | ✔ | — |
| Marquee Sports Network | ✔ | — |
| MLB Network | — | — |
| MotoAmerica TV | ✔ | — |
| MOTOR TREND | — | ✔ |
| NBA TV | — | ✔ |
| NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) | ✔ | ✔ |
| NFL Network | ✔ | ✔ |
| NHL Network | — | — |
| Origin Sports Network | ✔ | — |
| PerfectGame.tv | ✔ | — |
| PFL | ✔ | — |
| Real Madrid TV | ✔ | — |
| SEC Network | — | ✔ |
| Speedvision | ✔ | — |
| Sports News Highlights | ✔ | — |
| SportStak | ✔ | — |
| Stadium | — | — |
| Swerve Combat | ✔ | — |
| T2 | ✔ | ✔ |
| Tennis Channel | — | — |
| TUDN | ✔ | — |
| TUDNxtra 1–11 | ✔ | — |
| Women’s Sports Network | ✔ | — |
Availability varies by area. Data effective as of post date.
Fubo and YouTube TV stream your local ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and the CW channels in most areas. Spanish-speaking families, you can also enjoy Telemundo, Unimás, and Univision. YouTube TV ups the ante a bit with PBS channels.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV local channels
| Channel* | Fubo | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|
| ABC | ✔ | ✔ |
| CBS | ✔ | ✔ |
| The CW | ✔ | ✔ |
| FOX | ✔ | ✔ |
| NBC | ✔ | ✔ |
| PBS | — | ✔ |
| Telemundo | ✔ | ✔ |
| Unimás | ✔ | ✔ |
| Univision | ✔ | ✔ |
Availability varies by area. Data effective as of post date.
YouTube TV earns a gold star by having all the premium channels at your fingertips. Fubo, you could do better.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV premium channels
| Channel | Fubo | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|
| HBO Max | — | $14.99/mo. |
| CINEMAX | — | $9.99/mo. |
| Paramount+ with SHOWTIME® | $10.99/mo. | $11.99/mo. |
| STARZ® | $9.99/mo. | $8.99/mo. |
| MGM+ | $5.99/mo. | $5.99/mo. |
Data effective as of post date.
YouTube TV and Fubo have some of the same add-ons, but YouTube TV has lots more (we’re talking more than 40). Here are a few of the most popular ones.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV add-on packages
| Add-on | Fubo | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|
| NBA League Pass | $14.99/mo. | $14.99/mo. |
| NFL Sunday Ticket + NFL RedZone | — | $389.00/yr. |
| MLB.tv | $29.99/mo. | — |
| Sports Plus with NFL RedZone | $10.99/mo. | $10.99/mo. |
| International Sports Plus | $6.99/mo. | — |
| Spanish/ Latino Plus | $19.99/mo. | $14.99/mo. |
| Hallmark Movies Now | — | $5.99/mo. |
| Shudder | — | $6.99/mo. |
| News Plus | $2.99/mo. | — |
| Acorn TV | — | $6.99/mo. |
| CuriosityStream | — | $4.99/mo. |
Data effective as of post date.
Fubo vs. YouTube TV specs and features
Fubo has recently joined YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV by adding the unlimited DVR storage feature. Now, you can record everything under the sun. Gone are the days when you had to sift through your recordings trying to figure out which of your 95 recordings you should delete.
Cloud DVR
| Service | Included cloud DVR storage | Simultaneous streams |
|---|---|---|
| Fubo | Unlimited | 10 |
| YouTube TV | Unlimited | 3 |
Fubo lets you and nine other members in your house stream Fubo at once. Before you get excited about sharing your password with someone outside your household, Fubo keeps that from happening. If someone outside of your household is streaming, you can’t stream yourself.
The same goes for YouTube TV—the three streamers have to be under the same roof for everyone to watch the channel that they want.
Regarding how many devices you can download the streaming app on, YouTube TV takes the cake.
Besides smart TVs and streaming devices, YouTube TV lets you stream on most gaming consoles and your Peloton to make your cycling session go by faster.
Compatible devices
| Device | Fubo | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|
| AirTV | — | — |
| Amazon Fire Cube, Stick, TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Android phones, tablets | ✔ | ✔ |
| Android TV/Google TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Apple TV HD (4th gen.) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✔ | ✔ |
| Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hisense TVs (select models) | ✔ | ✔ |
| iPhone, iPad | ✔ | ✔ |
| LG TVs (select models) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Nintendo Switch | — | — |
| NVIDIA SHIELD Pro TV | — | ✔ |
| PC, Mac web browsers | ✔ | ✔ |
| Peloton | — | ✔ |
| PlayStation 4, 5 | — | ✔ |
| Roku Ultra, Express, Premiere, Stick, TV | ✔ | ✔ |
| Samsung TVs (select models) | ✔ | ✔ |
| TiVo Stream 4K | — | ✔ |
| Vizio SmartCast TVs (select models) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Wii | — | — |
| Xbox Series S, X | — | ✔ |
| Xbox One, S, X | — | ✔ |
| Xfinity Flex, X1 | — | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date.
Video and audio quality
Like most live TV streaming services (and cable TV), Fubo streams at 720p resolution, with much of its on-demand content streaming at 1080p. Fubo offers some sporting events in ultra-high definition 4K, including the Premier League, the Super Bowl, and college games.
YouTube TV offers channels in 1080p on select streaming devices. Or you can get some channels in 4K by adding the 4K Plus add-on for $10 per month. Currently, YouTube TV is offering a 30-day free trial and a $5 per month deal for one year on this add-on.
Fubo streams with standard 2.0 stereo audio. YouTube TV recently upgraded its sound to support Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.
Why you should trust us
Our experts have spent many hours testing and researching live TV streaming services. We’ve used Fubo and YouTube TV for years and used our expertise to rate them based on streaming experience, price, channels, features, and customer satisfaction. Then we put them head-to-head to help make your decision between the two services easier. Check out our How We Rank page for more information on our methodology.
