Most people ditch cable or satellite TV services for one reason: to save money. But cutting costs shouldn’t give you FOMO when it comes to watching your favorite sports—especially football.
Fortunately, there are many ways to watch NFL games without a cable TV subscription. But finding the right option that matches your budget and viewing habits can be tricky. That’s why we’re sharing our five favorite ways to watch the NFL without cable.
1. Score big with a live TV streaming service
Popular services like DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV have all NFL channels, including NFL Network and NFL RedZone (depending on your chosen plan and add-ons).
We like YouTube TV ($82.99/mo.) for NFL watching because it has all the channels that broadcast NFL games. For the ultimate experience, you can also add NFL RedZone and NFL Sunday Ticket to your plan.
Hulu + Live TV will be your number one pick if you don’t care for NFL Sunday Ticket and would rather have Disney+ and ESPN+ included in your subscription. Meanwhile, DIRECTV STREAM is the superstar of sports, with over 30 popular and regional sports channels.
But before you commit to any, you may want to explore our Best Streaming Services for Sports page to weigh all your options.
2. Stream NFL Sunday Ticket for out-of-market access
Perhaps you want extra yardage with your streaming TV plan. Live TV streaming services will get you in-market and primetime NFL games, but you’ll need NFL Sunday Ticket to get the out-of-market matchups that air across CBS and FOX on Sunday afternoons.
If your favorite team isn’t local—like you’re a Dallas Cowboys fan living in Vermont—you’ll want out-of-market access to avoid missing games. And that’s where NFL Sunday Ticket comes in.
Offered exclusively through YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels, NFL Sunday Ticket delivers every out-of-market Sunday afternoon NFL game. The catch is that it costs hundreds of dollars per season—missing the point that most people cut the cord to save money.
NFL Sunday Ticket is the most expensive TV add-on for YouTube TV subscribers, starting at $379 a season in Week 1. But for diehard fans who can’t fathom missing a Cowboys matchup, that’s $20+ per game, which is much cheaper than a game ticket.
If you’re not a diehard, you may prefer our next (and much cheaper) option for watching out-of-market games.
3. NFL Plus: one service to rule them all
The cheapest all-in-one streaming service for watching the NFL is NFL+.
Forged from the ashes of NFL Game Pass, NFL+ offers two subscription plans. Its basic plan is $6.99 a month and includes live in-market and primetime NFL games for phone and tablet users. So you’ll get access to your local Sunday morning and afternoon games, SNF, and MNF.
But for $14.99 a month, NFL+ Premium users also get NFL Network, NFL RedZone, and full-length replays of every NFL game—meaning you can watch every out-of-market game after the final whistle.
The biggest downside is that you can’t watch live games on anything other than your smartphone or tablet; you can watch only replays on your smart TV. But if you’re at the gym on Sunday morning or work Monday nights, just launch the NFL mobile app to tune in.
NFL+ also has an on-demand library of shows and documentaries like A Football Life and Hard Knocks.

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4. Stock up on more streaming services for the NFL season
If you want to save as much money as possible, some cheaper streaming services offer limited live NFL game coverage with little to no device restrictions. There are even a few you’ll need if you don’t want to miss Thursday Night Football or other streaming exclusives.
Peacock is $7.99–$13.99/mo. or $79.99–$139.99/yr. and includes every NFL on NBC broadcast. That means you can watch all Sunday Night Football games and some NFL playoff games for cheap.
Meanwhile, Paramount+ is an inexpensive option for watching NFL on CBS games in your region. Amazon Prime Video is essential for all NFL fans who want to catch every TNF game, and Netflix will host two Christmas Day matchups.
Pro tip: Even if you have a TV plan featuring the traditional NFL channels, you might need Amazon Prime Video, ESPN+, Netflix, and Peacock if your favorite team has any streaming-exclusive games on those services. However, all streaming exclusives still air on local TV stations in the cities of the participating teams.
NFL on-demand streaming services
Service | Price | NFL content | Details |
---|---|---|---|
Amazon Prime Video | $8.99–$14.99/mo. or $139.00/yr. |
|
View plansRead Prime Video review |
ESPN+ | $11.99/mo. or $119.99/yr. |
|
View plans Read ESPN+ review |
Netflix | $7.99–$24.99/mo. |
|
View plans Read Netflix review |
Paramount+ | $7.99–$12.99/mo. or $59.99–$119.99/yr. |
|
View plans Read Paramount+ review |
Peacock | $7.99–$13.99/mo. or $79.99–$139.99/yr. |
|
View plans Read Peacock review |
Data effective as of post date.
5. Free ways to watch the NFL: antenna TV, Tubi, and more
Hey, we hear you. It’s been a wild time with soaring inflation rates and high gas prices. So signing up for any service—even to watch your beloved team play—might not be your priority. But it’s not all doom and gloom. There are still ways to watch NFL games for free.
Our favorite method for watching free NFL games is the old-fashioned over-the-air (OTA) antenna. Of course, the antenna itself isn’t free, and you’ll need a TV with an Antenna In port. But get a quality antenna with a large enough range to pick up your local ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC affiliates, and you’ll be set to watch local and primetime NFL games for several seasons.
The official NFL YouTube channel and other social media profiles post new content daily, including NFL game highlights, previews, and studio show clips. So go ahead and bookmark those pages. You can still be the number one NFL fan on a budget.
We’d also be remiss not to mention the free streaming service Tubi also hosts NFL coverage. While there are no live games, you can watch NFL Channel for classic NFL footage and in-season content. Other free services like Pluto TV and the NFL app also carry NFL Channel. But Tubi is the only free service with on-demand FOX Sports content, so you’ll get some additional college football and UFL programming.
How to watch the NFL without cable FAQ
What streaming devices can I watch the NFL on?
Certain smart TVs and streaming devices like Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku will give you access to live NFL games. But you’ll need a streaming subscription to unlock live game access.
Can I watch the NFL Draft without cable?
Yes, you can watch events like the NFL Draft, Pro Bowl, and Super Bowl without a cable TV subscription. Each event streams on NFL+ and airs on channels easily found on live TV streaming services like Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV.
Why you should trust us
Over the last two seasons, our sports experts have researched and hands-on tested how to watch NFL football games without cable. We used over 10 streaming services and various antenna setups to determine the best non-cable ways to tune in, evaluating each option based on game availability, pricing, and ease of use.
Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.