YouTube TV vs Hulu + Live TV: which live TV service is worth it in 2026?
Prices verified as of October 14, 2026.
YouTube TV is cheaper and more flexible: the Base Plan is $82.99/mo with 100+ live channels and unlimited cloud DVR, and its genre plans start lower — Entertainment at $54.99/mo, Sports at $64.99/mo. Hulu + Live TV starts from $99.99/mo, and its case is the bundle: it folds the live channels into the Hulu and Disney ecosystem instead of standing alone. If live TV is the purchase, YouTube TV wins on price. If your household already pays for Hulu and Disney+ separately, price the bundle before switching.
Plans and prices compared
| YouTube TV | Hulu + Live TV |
|---|---|
| $82.99/mo Base Plan Ads: Yes Up to 1080p 3 streams Downloads: No | $12.49/mo Hulu (With Ads) Ads: Yes 1080p 2 streams Downloads: No |
| $54.99/mo Entertainment Ads: Yes | $21.49/mo Hulu (No Ads) Ads: No 1080p 2 streams Downloads: Yes |
| $64.99/mo Sports Ads: Yes | — |
| $71.99/mo Sports + News Ads: Yes | — |
Full plan details: YouTube TV pricing · Hulu + Live TV pricing. Price history for both is on the price history page.
Which should you pick?
YouTube TV:
- YouTube TV is the planner's one-subscription answer: every sports network the national paths need (ESPN, Fox, NBC, CBS, TBS, TNT) plus local channels.
- At $82.99/mo it only wins if you follow three or more leagues. For one or two leagues, the DTC stacks are usually cheaper.
- Pause up to 6 months instead of canceling in the offseason; your library and settings survive the pause.
- If you only watch one kind of TV, the genre plans undercut the Base Plan: Entertainment at $54.99/mo, Sports at $64.99/mo, Sports + News at $71.99/mo.
Hulu + Live TV:
- With Ads at $12.49/mo (or $119.99/yr) is fine for casual viewing. Ad breaks are frequent, so binge-watchers usually upgrade.
- No Ads at $21.49/mo is the pick for heavy use, though a few shows still carry ads because of streaming rights.
- Cord-cutters should price Hulu + Live TV (from $99.99/mo) against the Disney Bundle Duo and Trio before subscribing standalone.
Or rotate both
Keeping both year-round is the expensive default. Both services are month-to-month, so the cheaper pattern is one at a time: subscribe for the shows you want, cancel, and switch. Dormant's rotation planner times those switches to premieres and finales, and the cost calculator shows what the rotation saves per year.
Common questions
Is YouTube TV cheaper than Hulu + Live TV?
Yes. YouTube TV's Base Plan is $82.99/mo and its genre plans start at $54.99/mo; Hulu + Live TV starts from $99.99/mo. Prices verified October 14, 2026.
Which live TV service has the best DVR?
YouTube TV includes unlimited cloud DVR on every plan listed here, and lets you pause your membership for up to six months instead of canceling — your library and settings survive the pause. Prices verified October 14, 2026.
How do I cancel YouTube TV or Hulu?
See Dormant's step-by-step guides: How to cancel YouTube TV and How to cancel Hulu. With YouTube TV, pausing for up to six months is often the better move in the off-season.
Changed your mind about one of them? How to cancel YouTube TV · How to cancel Hulu + Live TV.