50 Best Cable Alternatives on Roku for Cord-Cutting

cord-cutting › live tv services on roku • May 13, 2024 • The Staff

Roku was originally a project within Netflix called "Project:Griffin" but it spun off into its own company. Now, it's often hailed as the best streaming player for TVs, offering a complete, fast, and reliable experience. It's a great choice of a device for cord-cutters. 

Almost every major live TV streaming app is available on Roku: Philo, Sling, Fubo, Frndly TV, Pluto TV, Xumo, Hulu with Live TV, and DirecTV Stream. These are all great cable alternatives, but from this list, you can find which one works best for you.

The Roku Channel

The Roku Channel can't replace Netflix or a cord-cutting service like Sling, but it's a nice added bonus if you already have a Roku device. The selection of live channels is limited, but there's something for everyone, including news, sports, and entertainment. Up to September 15th, 2024, The Roku Channel will air a weekly Sunday MLB game for free.

Go to The Roku Channel

Price: free for 1 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV, Website

Channel lineup: ABC News Live, Architectural Digest, Bein Sports XTRA, Bloomberg Quicktake, Bon Appétit, Cheddar News, Euronews, Fox Live Now, Fox Weather, Funny or Die, Just for Laughs Gags, MLB Sunday Leadoff, NBC News Now, Newsy Live, Polly Pocket, Reuters, The Comedy Shop, The Comedy Store, WeatherNation, Wild West TV

Pluto TV Live

Pluto TV is a modern take on traditional cable: it has hundreds of channels streaming live, a huge library of on demand content, and it’s supported by ads. But the key difference from the competition? It’s totally free.

Go to Pluto TV Live

Price: $free/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Virgin Media, Vizio SmartCast, webOS, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

Channel lineup: BBC Food, BBC Home, Bein Sports XTRA, Bloomberg Television, CBS Sports HQ, CBSN, Check with Pluto TV for the full channel lineup, Cheddar News, CNN, ET Live, Food TV, Fox Sports, Hallmark En Espanol, Hip Hop Family, Hip Hop Family VH1, Love & Hip-Hop VH1, Major League Soccer, MLB, MotorTrend FAST TV, NBC News Now, Newsmax, NFL Channel, NFL Super Bowl Classics, Nosey, People TV, PGA Tour, Pluto Channels, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Sky News, Smithsonian Channel, Stories AMC, TBN, Today, TV Land Drama, WeatherNation, WPT

Plex

Plex is a media management software that doubles as a free streaming service. Its main function is to organize your own library of content—that is, your own video, photo, or sound files—and make it streamable alongside Plex's offerings of 200+ live TV channels and 50,000+ on-demand movies and shows. Plex's basic package comes at no cost, but it also has a premium package starting at $4.99/month that boasts additional features, such as the ability to download content and watch them offline, among other things.

Go to Plex

Price: free for 85 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Google Daydream, iOS, LG Smart TV, Nvidia SHIELD, Oculus, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Website, Xbox

Channel lineup: 80s Party, AFV Espanol, AFV Family, AsianCrush, BAMBU, Beast Mode, Bedroom Beats, CBS News, CBS Sports HQ, Channel With, Choppertown, Comedy Dynamics, CONtv, Cooking Panda, DarkMatter TV, Deal or No Deal, Docurama, Dove Channel, DrinkTV, EDGEsport, Electric Now, Electro Anthems, ENTERTAINMENT Tonight, ESRevolution, FailArmy, Footballers Live, Friday Feels, fubo Sports Network, Game Show Central, Glewed TV, Gravitas Movies, Hip Hop Bangers, Hollywire, Hollywood Classics, Hometalk TV, Hot R&B, Hottest of the Hot, IGN TV, Kidoodle.TV, KidsFlix, KMTV, Law & Crime, Like Yesterday, Love Destination, Made In Hollywood, MAV TV Select, Maverick Black Cinema, Midnight Pulp, Monster jam, Monster Kids, Neural Focused, Nosey, Only 90s Kids Will Understand, Party, Party Tyme Karaoke, People Are Awesome, PlayWorks, Popstar!TV, Real Nosey, RetroCrush, Reuters TV, Revry, Revry 2, RevryNow, So…Real, SportsGrid, SQAD, SURF NOW TV, Tankee, Tastemade, TG Junior, That 70s Channel, That’s Hot, The Archive, The Boat Show, The Design Network, The Film Detective, The Pet Collective, Toon Goggles, Trending, TV Classics, Unidentified, Unwind, WASH TV, Wipeout Xtra, Wu Tang Collection, Yacht Rock, Yahoo! Finance, YUYU TV

freevee

Amazon Freevee, or simply freevee, is a free, ad-supported streaming service powered by Amazon. It has a notable library of licensed titles and original shows, not to mention 24/7 live channels, plus it's easy to access since it runs on most if not all available devices. Although other free streamers have it beat in terms of range and variety, freevee is still a great option for newbie cord-cutters, especially since it already comes on most Amazon platforms.

Go to Freevee

Price: free for 38 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Echo Show, Google TV, LG, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Xbox, Xfinity Flex

Channel lineup: ABC News Live, Amazon Originals, BBC Earth, Bosch, Confess by Nosey, Court TV Live, Criminal Minds, Filmrise British TV, From Asia With Love, Hot Ones, Hunter, Judy Justice, Jury Duty, Latino Vibess, LiveNOW by Fox, MLB, Neighbours, NHL FAST, OUTtv Proud, PGA Tour, Project Runway, QVC, Real Crime, Swerve Sports, Tastemade en Español, Teen Wolf, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Price Is Right: The Barker Era, The TED Channel, The Washington Post, Top Gear, Unsolved Mysteries, Unspeakable, USA Today, USA Today Sports, Vevo, Washington Post, World's Most Evil Killers, XITE

YouTube TV Entertainment Plus

With YouTube TV's entertainment bundle, you get three premium services for the discounted price of $30—that's $5 off compared to getting Max (without ads), Paramount+ with Showtime, and Starz separately. It may seem pricey, especially since you'll be paying it on top of YouTube TV's already costly subscription, but it could be worth it if you're looking to get a first-rate entertainment package. Max alone gives you access to HBO's critically acclaimed shows, Warner Bros.'s blockbusters, and Discovery's many wildlife features. But coupled with Paramount+ with Showtime and Starz, you get prestige dramas, trendy comedies, and insightful documentaries on top of all that, not to mention YouTube TV's unrivaled DVR storage feature and lengthy live channel list. It's a bundle tailor-fit for TV and film enthusiasts.

Go to YouTube TV Entertainment Plus

Price: $102.98/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG TV, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung TV, Sharp, Vizio, Xbox

Channel lineup:

Vidgo Mas

Vidgo Mas is the streamer's bespoke plan for Spanish-language viewers. It has the main channels viewed by Hispanic households, including Unimas and Univision, and Spanish versions of popular channels like Sony Cine, History en Español, ESPN Deportes, and Nat Geo Mundo. Like Vidgo's Plus and Premium plans, Mas comes with 20 hours of cloud DVR, three simultaneous screens, and access to on-demand content. 

Unlike other Spanish plans, Vidgo Mas isn't available as an add-on. If you want both English and Latin American channels, then you'll have to subscribe to the Vidgo Ultimate plan (currently at a whopping $100/month), which combines all of Vidgo's live TV channels, regardless of language. 

Go to Vidgo Mas

Price: $39.99/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku

Channel lineup: ¡Hola! TV, Antena 3 Internacional, aspireTV, Atrescine, Atreseries, Azteca America Network, Baby TV US, Bandamax, Bein Sports, beIN Sports en Español, Canal RCN Telenovelas, Canal Sur, Centroamérica TV, Cheddar News, Cine Latino US, De Pelicula Classico, De Pelicula Plus, Discovery en Español, Discovery Familia, DOMINICANA, ESPN Deportes, Estrella Games, Estrella News, Estrella TV, eStudio5, ForoTV, Fox Deportes, Galavision, Get TV, History Channel en Español, Hogar de HGTV, Nat Geo Mundo, NTN24 Nuestra Tele Noticias 24, Pasiones TV Latin America, Primo TV, QVC, RCN Nuestra Tele, Sony Cine, Telefe international, Teleformula, TeleHit, Telehit Musica, Telenovelas, TR3S SD, TUDN, TyC Sports, Unimas, Univision, V-Me, Video Rola, Vme Kids, WAPA América

STIRR

Stirr is an American ad-supported streaming service owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. It was launched in 2019. Not only is it free, but it provides access to live local news, 120+ TV shows, and 8,000+ hours of on-demand movies. This service is for viewers who don’t want to commit to a cable fee and don’t mind intermittent ads when watching their favorite movies and shows.

Go to STIRR

Price: free for 1 channels available

Device availability: Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Samsung, Sony, Vizio, Website

Channel lineup:

Sling TV + Sports Extra

The beauty of having a Sling TV subscription is that you can pick and choose whatever extra channels you want. The packaged add-ons are customized depending on your liking—there are the Kids extra, Lifestyle extra, and Hollywood extra, among others. Sports fans can look to the Sports extra for all their sporting and gaming needs. The bundle, which costs $11/month, has about 13 channels as of writing, while those subscribed to Sling Blue get an extra 12 channels more. Popular channels include ESPNews, MLB Network, and NBA TV.

Go to Sling TV + Sports Extra

Price: $41/month

Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Channel lineup: ACC Network, ACC Network Extra, Bein Sports, ESPNews, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, MLB Network, MLB Network Strike Zone, NBA TV, NHL Network, Pac-12 Network, SEC Network, Tennis Channel

Channel lineup with Sling Blue ($45 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland

Channel lineup with Sling Orange ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Newsy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, Viceland

Sling TV + All Extras

With Sling TV's Total TV Deal, you get all seven of the service's add-on packages, namely all the channels in its Comedy, Hollywood, Heartland, Kids, Lifestyle, News, and Sports extras. You'll also be getting the DVR plus, which gives you access to 200 more hours of storage. Getting all extras plus DVR storage normally cost about $45, so this bundle from Sling is actually quite the steal.

Go to Sling TV + All Extras

Price: $61/month

Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Channel lineup:

Channel lineup with Sling Blue ($45 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland

Channel lineup with Sling Orange ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Newsy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, Viceland

Sling TV + 4 Extras

Sling TV's 4 Extras bundle deal gives you access to the service's Kids, News, Lifestyle, and Comedy channels on top of your base Sling subscription. These four extras are among the service's most popular, and while each normally costs about $5 each as an add-on, you'll only be paying $13 for all additional 35 channels through this deal. The new channels include the likes of NickToons, BBC World News, MTV, and TV Land.

Go to Sling TV + 4 Extras

Price: $53/month

Device availability: AirTV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, iOS, LG TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Xbox

Channel lineup:

Channel lineup with Sling Blue ($45 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg Television, Bravo, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, EPIX Drive-In, Food Network, Fox News, Fuse, FX, HGTV, History, HLN, IFC, Lifetime, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBC, NBC Sports Network, Newsy, NFL Network, Nick Jr., SYFY, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, truTV, USA, Viceland

Channel lineup with Sling Orange ($40 / month) : A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, Bloomberg Television, Cartoon Network, Cheddar, Cheddar Big News, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, EPIX Drive-In, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Food Network, Freeform, Fuse, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Newsy, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Tribeca Shortlist, Viceland

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Ready to cut the cord? Here are the 14 live TV streaming services that offer a free trial.

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