Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV are consistently recommended as the top two Live TV streaming services available on the market. In this article, we make a side-by-side comparison of these streaming services to narrow down your choices and see which is the better option for your TV streaming needs.
Hulu Live TV Vs. YouTube TV
Google launched YouTube TV in 2017, and as of spring 2019, the service is up to more than 70 live TV networks, including local stations and most of the major cable channels. It features live streaming as well as DVR and on-demand capabilities.
The Disney owned on-demand service Hulu added Hulu Live TV in 2017 and added streaming live broadcast TV, cable networks, and expanded access to cable networks not in its standard library.
Before digging into these streaming services’ features, let’s take a high-level look at how both compare on price, channel lineup, features, and more.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $76.99 | $72.99 |
| DVR | 50 Hours* | Unlimited |
| Channels | 65+ | 80+ |
| Local Channel | Yes | Yes |
| Audio | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Video | 1080p/4K On-Demand | 1080p |
| # of Streams | 2* | 3 |
| Free Trial | 7-Days | 7-Days |
Price Comparison
Hulu + Live TV provides a decent array of live cable channels while managing to deliver live local channels in nearly every market in the country for $76.99 per month. That price also includes the Hulu on-demand streaming library, which offers a massive catalog of on-demand TV shows and Hulu Originals. At this price, the On-Demand library is ad-supported. However, at $70.99, the Hulu Streaming Library is ad-free.
YouTube TV also offers an excellent selection of live cable tv channels while also delivering local networks to most of the country. However, YouTube TV recently raised its monthly price to $65 per month, giving Hulu + Live TV the edge of affordability and value.
Streaming and DVR features
When it comes to flexible streaming and DVR options, YouTube TV has Hulu Live TV beat. With YouTube TV, a household can set up to six accounts with personalized notifications and personal DVR recordings. A subscription to YouTube TV allows users to watch on three separate devices simultaneously, with unlimited DVR storage space.
Similarly, Hulu Live TV subscribers can have up to six profiles on one account. However, the base package only allows for streaming on two simultaneous screens and 50 hours of storage with the Cloud DVR feature. There are feature add-on packages at $9.99 each for either unlimited screens or enhanced cloud storage to 200 hours, or a $14.99 package combining both add-ons (with any upgrade choice including a one-month free trial).
Cable channel comparison
Cable channel needs can be a personal choice, as it all depends on your viewing priorities. However, for access to big-name favorites, YouTube Live scrapes ahead of Hulu in its options.
Hulu Live TV has over 65 cable channels, including many of the major popular cable basics—although it is missing several big favorites, including AMC, BBC America, Bravo, BET, Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon. Hulu also offers an Entertainment package add on, with an additional 10 channels for $7.99 more a month. It doesn’t make up for the missing ones but adds options like DIY and the Cooking Channel.
Meanwhile, YouTube TV comes with more than 75 channels. The big names missing here are A&E, History Channel, and Lifetime. All channels Hulu offers. However, YouTube TV has some of the popular channels Hulu is lacking; Namely AMC and BBC America.
As you can see in the table below, the popular cable channels available on each service varies widely.
Local Broadcast Networks
Both Services do a great job providing the local CBS, ABC, NBC, and FOX in TV markets around the U.S. In the U.S, television markets are divided into 210 distinct regions called “designated marketing areas” or “DMA.”
YouTube TV provides the local channels for the 4 major broadcast networks in 205 of 210 DMAs. In contrast, Hulu + Live TV provides the live broadcast for those networks in 204 of 210 DMAs. YouTube TV also carries PBS in quite a few areas, where Hulu Live TV does not. Ultimately, you will want to see the channels available in your area by using the links below.
See Hulu Live TV Channels in Your Area
See YouTube TV Channels in Your Area
Premium Channels and Sports
Both Hulu and YouTube TV allows you to add Max, Showtime, Starz, and Cinemax to your subscription for an additional monthly fee. Also, YouTube TV has several unique add ons, including Curiosity Stream, Fox Soccer Plus, AMC Premiere, Sundance Now, and EPIX.
When considering sports channels, both offer ESPN, FS1, FS2, Golf Channel, SEC Network, CBS Sports Network, BTN, ACC Network, and the Olympic Channel. YouTube TV also adds NFL Network, MLB Network, NBA TV, and the Tennis Channel.
Both Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV carry the NBC RSNs. YouTube TV includes the optional NBA League Pass, which allows subscribers to get all out of market NBA games with no ads for $40 additional a month.
One nice feature that both offer is the ability to search for favorite sports teams and add them to DVR recordings like a series season pass—guaranteeing you’ll always have the latest games in your line up.
Audio and Video Comparison
Hulu Live TV Streams live TV at an HD video resolution of up to 1080p at 60 frames per second. However, this is only on specific devices. See this page for details on Hulu’s video specification. Devices that can’t stream Hulu live at 1080p still stream in HD at 720p at 60 frames per second. Hulu supports 5.1 surround sound audio. Hulu on-demand can stream 4K on some titles but usually streams at 1080p.
YouTube TV Streams on-demand and live TV at an HD video resolution of up to 1080p at 60 frames per second. Live TV on YouTube TV is available in 2.0 stereo but isn’t available in 5.1 surround sound.
For Live TV, both services run about even on video and audio quality. However, you do get some 4K with Hulu through its On-Demand Streaming Library.
Device Compatibility
Below are the devices each service supports.
Hulu Live TV:
- Mac & PCs
- Roku (select models)*
- Apple TV (4th generation)*
- Apple/IOS devices
- Android phones and tablets
- Amazon Fire TV and stick
- Chromecast
- Xbox (One & 360)
- Samsung & LG smart TVs
- Nintendo switch
- Xiaomi Mi box
YouTube TV:
- Mac & PC – requires Google Chrome or Firefox browsers
- Roku TVs and select Roku boxes*
- Apple TV (select models)*
- Apple/IOS devices
- Android TVs and phones and tablets
- Amazon Fire TV and stick
- Chromecast
- Xbox (One & 360)
- Samsung & LG smart TVs
- Xiaomi Mi box
- Google Smart Displays
- Vizio SmartCast TVs
- HiSense TVs
In general, it is best to check the details of what different device models are compatible with each new service. For example, the traditional Hulu service runs fine on older Rokus, but the app doesn’t update to Hulu Live TV. Similarly, older Apple TVs can’t download the new YouTube TV app—and the traditional YouTube video app is not the same as the YouTube TV app needed for live streaming and DVR capabilities.
Which is Better
Overall, both services offer an excellent variety of local broadcast and cable TV networks, with a slight edge going to YouTube TV in the number of channels provided. However, Hulu’s inclusion of its massive streaming library gives subscribers an extraordinary amount of on-demand content you won’t get with YouTube TV. YouTube does offer more DVR storage in its base package, but ultimately Hulu’s lower price and on-demand make it a much better value. It’s close, but I would recommend Hulu Live TV on the strength of its On-Demand offering. Hulu Live TV comes with a built-in Netflix-esque streaming service that YouTube TV’s On-Demand just can’t compete with.
