Let me kick this off with an explanation to clear the confusion: the main NFL app is home to NFL news and updates for free, and it’s also where you subscribe to NFL+ and reap the benefits from this $7–$15 service. But it’s not where you play NFL Fantasy Football.
Keep scrolling as I answer several NFL app-related questions, list the perks you’ll receive, and outline the sticky points the app could improve on (like a search option).
What’s the difference between the NFL app and NFL+?
While the NFL app is free to everyone, NFL+ is an add-on subscription accessible through the app and NFL.com. You can subscribe to NFL+ to unlock extra features to boost your NFL app experience.
With or without a subscription, the NFL app delivers the latest NFL news, updates, and stats on your preferred team. But if you don’t have live TV channels, you’ll want the $7 per month NFL+ subscription at minimum— this is where you’ll get access to live out-of-market local, primetime, and international games.
And if you’re a fantasy team manager like me, NFL+ Premium for $15 per month is a no-brainer because you can watch your fantasy team in real-time on NFL RedZone.
NFL app features breakdown
| Feature | Free NFL app version (no subscription) | NFL+ ($6.99/mo. or $49.99/yr.) | NFL+ Premium ($14.99/mo. or $99.99/yr.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| News articles | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Updates and stats on team/league | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| NFL Network channel | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Stream live out-of-market preseason games | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Stream live out-of-market local and primetime games on mobile | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| NFL Films and other on-demand content | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| NFL RedZone channel | — | — | ✔ |
| Game replays | — | — | ✔ |
Data effective as of post date.
Does the NFL app give you access to all the games?
With an NFL+ subscription, you’ll get in-app access to live locally and nationally televised games. Specifically, you’ll get your local Sunday morning and afternoon games, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, and four early Sunday morning international games.
Keep in mind that NFL+ allows you to stream on only your smartphone or tablet.
NFL app features (without subscription)
Without an NFL+ subscription, the NFL app gets you access to league news, scores, and video clips from NFL Network. This is usually enough for football fans who already have a TV service to watch live NFL games.
NFL+ features (with subscription)
An NFL+ base subscription allows you to stream NFL Network, on-demand content, and live out-of-market local, primetime, and preseason games. It also gives you free access to NFL news articles, team updates, and stats. NFL+ Premium gives you all that, as well as NFL RedZone and game replays.
NFL+ is the cheapest way to watch NFL games, although it doesn’t show every live matchup. And remember, you can’t watch all NFL+ games live on your TV since the NFL has the rights to stream only on mobile devices.
While using the NFL+ app, there is one glaring flaw: the on-demand content isn’t organized, and it’s not easy to find exactly what you want.
For example, one day I decided I wanted to watch the 2022 Detroit Lions Hard Knocks season through the NFL app. What’s the first thing you do when you want to search for an exact title? You look for the search bar. But NFL+ says nope. You must scroll through all the tabs to find it instead.
Luckily, I answered the question on how you can find all the Hard Knocks seasons on the NFL app. But the bottom line is you have to patiently scroll to find NFL Throwback, pick-by-pick analysis, and other NFL Films content.
How can I watch NFL games on NFL+?
You can watch NFL games on NFL+ by opening the NFL app. The home tab will feature the current live NFL game. You can stream the game on your smartphone or tablet but not on your smart TV.
NFL app FAQ
Is the NFL app free?
The NFL app is free and gives you access to NFL news, team updates, and team stats. However, you can up the ante by subscribing to NFL+ through the app to watch live games.
Can you watch every NFL game on NFL+?
No, the NFL+ app gives you access to your local Sunday morning and afternoon games, Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Thursday Night Football, and early Sunday morning international NFL games. NFL+ doesn’t deliver out-of-market Sunday games.
How do I get the NFL+ app?
The NFL+ app and the NFL app are the same thing. Access to the NFL app is free, and you can subscribe to NFL+ from the app’s menu. NFL+ is not a separate app, which is nice, so you don’t have to download another app.
Why you should trust us
Our sports and TV experts have tested and used the NFL app for years and NFL+ since it came out in 2023. Because we’re big fans of professional football and have many years of experience watching sports and using streaming services, we crafted a guide to help other like-minded sports fans.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.
