If you’re looking to cut the cord from cable or satellite, there are a lot of live streaming services to choose from. But, if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, Philo could be the right choice for you. The platform, which started in 2017, offers a long list of entertainment channels and impressive features like unlimited DVR storage — all for an affordable monthly price.
While it may not suit sports fanatics or those wanting to stay on top of local news, Philo does cater to a wide range of TV tastes. Wondering how many Philo TV packages there are? The service keeps it simple with the number of packages, pricing options, and channels.
Philo packages and pricing
It’s easy to compare Philo packages as the service only offers one. This means you don’t have to spend time poring over a list of plans. The Philo price for its single package is just $20/mo. with no hidden fees. Here’s what else Philo’s package entails:
| Philo | |
| Monthly price | $20 |
| Free trial length | 7 days |
| Number of channels | 63 |
| Cloud DVR storage | Unlimited |
| # of simultaneous streams | 3 |
| Live sports available | No |
The Philo price of just $20/mo. for its single package is one of the best available. Pricing for some of the other live streaming services start at $30/mo. for 50+ channels from Sling TV. Three services are $65/mo. — Hulu + Live TV, which has 65+ channels; YouTube TV with 85+ channels; and fuboTV with more than 115 channels.
Philo channels and add-ons
Philo currently has 63 networks on its channel list. Some popular Philo channels include AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Food Network, HGTV, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, and TLC.
What you won’t find on Philo that many other live streaming services offer are sports channels. This means you won’t be able to watch ESPN, Fox Sports, or NBC Sports Network. You also won’t have any of the news networks like CNBC, CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC. Unfortunately, there are also no Philo local channels, like ABC, CBS, Fox, or NBC.
Philo does offer 2 movie package add-ons. The trio of Epix, Epix Hits, and Epix 2 is available for $6/mo., while the group of STARZ, Starz Encore, and Starz Kids and Family is $9/mo. You can try out both add-ons with 7-day free trials.
Philo channels list
Philo TV channels fall into the entertainment or lifestyle categories. Big-name shows like Killing Eve and The Walking Dead can be found on AMC, while kid-friendly fun like SpongeBob Squarepants and Paw Patrol can be seen on Nickelodeon.
The full Philo channel lineup includes:
- A&E
- AMC
- American Heroes Channel (AHC)
- Animal Planet
- Aspire
- AXS TV
- BBC America
- BBC World News
- BET
- BET Her
- Cheddar
- Cleo TV
- CMT
- Comedy Central
- Cooking Channel
- Crime + Investigation
- Destination America
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Life
- DIY Network
- Food Network
- FYI
- Game Show Network
- Get TV
- Great American Country (GAC)
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Drama
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- HGTV
- History
- IFC
- INSP
- Investigation Discovery
- Law & Crime
- Lifetime
- LMN
- Logo
- MotorTrend
- MTV
- MTV Classic
- MTV Live
- MTV2
- Newsy
- Nick Jr.
- Nickelodeon
- Nicktoons
- OWN
- Paramount Network
- PeopleTV
- Revolt
- Science Channel
- Sundance TV
- Tastemade
- TeenNick
- TLC
- Travel Channel
- TV Land
- TV One
- UPtv
- VH1
- Vice
- We TV
Philo on-demand movies and shows
One of the best things about streaming services is the ability to watch your favorite shows on demand. Philo’s on-demand library of more than 60,000 titles gives you the opportunity to watch TV when it’s convenient. However, only the most recent shows may be available, so you may not be able to binge multiple back seasons.
Philo also offers 72-hour rewind so you can replay most any show that aired within the past 3 days. Additionally, you can add shows to your own library with Philo’s unlimited DVR. The recordings will be kept for 30 days and, while you can fast forward and rewind the shows, you can’t bypass the commercials.
Philo compared
Philo’s price may be small, but its features are mighty. Here’s how it compares with four other popular live TV streaming services: fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and YouTube TV.
Price, channels, and content
A greater number of channels and more content tend to spell a higher price. YouTube TV will set you back $64.99/mo. compared to Philo’s $20/mo. For that price, however, you do get access to over 85 channels. All four local channels — ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC — are included, whereas the Philo channel line-up includes zero local names. Both YouTube TV and Philo have large on-demand libraries, so you’ll never struggle to find something to watch.
Sling TV also has a robust catalog of on-demand titles that includes entire show seasons as well as individual episodes and movies of all genres. Sling TV’s monthly pricing is the closest to Philo’s. It starts at $30/mo. The two cheapest plans offer different channels. The Orange plan provides access to 30+ channels, including CNN, TBS, and TNT, while the Blue package has 50+ channels, including Fox,, NBC, and ESPN. You can combine the two for $45/mo.
Hulu + Live TV is another option for those who want to combine live viewing with top-rated on-demand content. Hulu has the largest on-demand catalog of more than 80,000 episodes and movies. It also boasts award-winning original content. The live network line-up has 65+ channels, including national and local sports and news. Hulu + Live TV is, however, one of the more expensive options compared to Philo, costing $64.99/mo.
Sports fanatics may want to look elsewhere. Specifically, to fuboTV. For $64.99/mo. (the same price as Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV), you’ll be able to watch more than 115 channels and over 30,000 live games each year. Every major sports channel is included in the line-up. If you want even more sports coverage, try fubo Elite ($79.99/mo.). Both packages offer thousands of on-demand titles. Additionally, there are other add-ons available.
DVR storage
Unlimited DVR storage is Philo’s biggest feature. With it, you can record as many shows and movies as you like. Plus, you’ll get 30 days to watch them. Philo does have competition in this area. YouTube TV also offers limitless DVR storage and lets you keep recordings for 9 months. Another option is Sling TV. While it doesn’t offer a huge amount of DVR storage — you’ll get 10 hours for free — you can upgrade to 50 hours for an extra $5/mo. But its biggest draw is the fact you can keep recordings forever.
Hulu + Live TV’s package, however, comes with 50 hours of recording space as standard. You can increase this to 200 hours for an additional $9.99/mo. Recorded content will be kept in your library for as long as your subscription remains active. Finally, fuboTV’s Family plan comes with 250 hours of DVR storage. But you can increase this to 1,000 hours for an additional $16.99/mo.
Multiple users
It’s likely that more than one person will use your streaming service account. Simultaneous streams allow multiple people to view content at the same time, while user profiles allow for a personalized feed and viewing history.
Each TV service we’ve discussed comes with different streaming limits. Philo lets up to 3 devices stream content at the same time. So does fuboTV and YouTube TV. But Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV have a couple of options. Hulu + Live TV allows 2 simultaneous streams as standard and charges an extra $9.99/mo. for an unlimited amount. With Sling TV, it depends on your package. Orange subscribers only get 1 stream, while Blue users get 3 streams, and people getting the combined package get 4 simultaneous streams.
If you want to pick up where you left off, it’s best to create your own profile. Philo allows up to 10 user profiles per account, the most of any service we’ve discussed. fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, and YouTube TV all support up to 6 profiles. Unfortunately, Sling TV doesn’t let subscribers create individual profiles.
Premium add-ons
With Philo, you can add the Epix movie pack for an extra $6/mo. and the STARZ pack for $9/mo. But both Hulu + Live TV and fuboTV offer an extensive list of optional add-ons. Choose between premium networks like HBO and Showtime or sports-focused extras like NFL Red Zone and NBA League Pass. Each comes with an additional monthly cost.
Sling TV also lets you personalize your plan. Additional sports networks can be yours for an extra $15/mo., while more comedy, lifestyle,news, and kids’ entertainment packages can be added for an additional $5/mo. each. Similarly, YouTube TV has more than 10 premium extras and 7 sports add-ons. Entertainment networks include AMC Premiere, Cinemax, HBO, Showtime, and STARZ, while among the sports add-ons are NFL Red Zone, Fox Soccer Plus, and Fox College Sports. As always, you’ll be charged an extra monthly fee for each add-on.
The final cut
Philo may not offer everything you want, but it does give you most of the same entertainment as cable TV for a much lower price. And, with unlimited storage capabilities, you’ll never have to worry about maxing out your DVR. Learn more about Philo in our complete review and try it for free for a week.
There are several ways to boost your viewing choices. If you’re looking for the local coverage Philo lacks, you can invest in an HD antenna. It’s a free way to access a bunch of local networks. (Available channels vary according to the area.) You can also bundle two or more streaming services together. Granted, this will cost more, but it can still work out cheaper than your cable contract. Plus, you have the freedom to cancel at any time.
Sling TV has the sports and local networks you can’t get with Philo and offers a 3-day trial. The Hulu service without live TV has the top-notch on-demand content you won’t find anywhere else and is available on a 30-day free trial, while Hulu + Live TV has a 7-day free trial. YouTube TV typically offers a 7-day free trial, although at times you can find a special promotion with a 14-day trial. And fuboTV, with its 7-day free trial, is an option for sports fans.
Choose the combination that works for you and get ready to cut the cord.