Frndly TV vs Philo vs Sling TV: Which Skinny Bundle Actually Saves You Money?

The live TV streaming market has gotten expensive. YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV both sit above $80/month now, which is uncomfortably close to the cable bills people were trying to escape. But there is a tier below the big players that gets far less attention: the skinny bundles. Frndly TV, Philo, and Sling TV each cost under $35/month at their base price, and each takes a different approach to what "affordable live TV" means.

The problem is they are not interchangeable. Each one makes deliberate trade-offs — dropping sports, skipping local channels, limiting DVR. To keep prices low. Picking the wrong one means either paying for channels you do not watch or missing the ones you actually want.

We spent about two weeks comparing all three services across pricing, channel lineups, DVR capabilities, streaming quality, and device support. Here is what we found.

Quick Comparison Table

Before diving into details, here is the side-by-side overview:

Frndly TV: The Ultra-Budget Pick

Frndly TV launched in 2019 with a very specific premise: deliver family-friendly cable channels at a price that does not make you wince. It accomplishes this by carrying a curated selection of about 50 channels that skew heavily toward lifestyle, home, and wholesome entertainment content.

Frndly TV Pricing Tiers

Key Channels on Frndly TV

Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, GAC Family, GAC Living, Weather Channel, QVC, HSN, Court TV, Ion Television, Game Show Network, and about 40 more lifestyle-oriented networks.

What Frndly TV Gets Right

• Price is hard to argue with. Even the Premium tier at $12.99 is less than half of Philo and cheaper than a single month of most streaming services. For households that primarily watch Hallmark and lifestyle content, this is an absurd amount of value per dollar.
• No contract. Cancel anytime. There is zero financial risk to trying it for a month.
• Clean, simple experience. The app is straightforward, no upselling, no complex menus, no advertising tiers to navigate.

What Frndly TV Gets Wrong

• Channel selection is genuinely narrow. If you want AMC, Comedy Central, Discovery, HGTV, or any mainstream entertainment network, Frndly TV does not carry them. The lineup is heavily weighted toward Hallmark-adjacent content and shopping channels.
• No sports, no news, no local channels. This is a lifestyle-only service. If anyone in your household watches anything outside that category, you need a second service.
• Basic plan is too basic. One stream and limited DVR at $6.99 is fine for a solo viewer, but most households will want the Classic ($9.99) or Premium ($12.99) tier, which somewhat dilutes the "under $7" headline.
• Limited device support compared to bigger services. Frndly TV works on the major platforms (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android, iOS) but is not available on every smart TV platform natively.

Philo: The Entertainment Workhorse

Philo positions itself as the entertainment-focused alternative to full-price live TV services. At $33/month (raised from $28 in 2025), it carries over 70 channels spanning reality TV, comedy, drama, cooking, home improvement, and lifestyle content. It deliberately excludes sports and news to keep costs down.

Key Channels on Philo

AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Lifetime, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, VH1, Hallmark Channel, A&E, History Channel, TLC, OWN, TV Land, and roughly 50 more. Philo recently added a MAX (HBO Max) bundle option for subscribers who want premium content on top of their base package.

What Philo Gets Right

• The channel count per dollar is strong. 70+ channels at $33 works out to roughly $0.47 per channel per month. YouTube TV's base package (100+ channels at $82.99) costs about $0.83 per channel. On a per-channel basis, Philo delivers more value.
• Unlimited DVR with 1-year storage. This is Philo's standout feature. Most competitors either cap DVR hours or limit retention to 9 months. Philo gives you unlimited recording with a full year of storage, which is genuinely best-in-class for this price tier.
• Up to 3 simultaneous streams. Enough for most households without paying for an upgraded tier.
• The MAX bundle option gives Philo subscribers a way to add HBO content without managing a separate subscription, which is a nice convenience touch.

What Philo Gets Wrong

• The price increase stings. Philo was $20/month in 2020, then $25, then $28, now $33. That is a 65% increase in about 5 years. The "budget" label is getting harder to justify when the price keeps climbing at this rate. At $33, it is approaching Sling Orange territory ($19.99) combined with the realization that Sling includes some channels Philo does not.
• No sports at all. Zero. Not even a single sports-adjacent channel. If March Madness, NFL Sunday, or any live sporting event matters to anyone in your household, Philo is a non-starter as a standalone service.
• No local channels. ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX. None of them. You cannot watch local news, primetime network shows, or broadcast sports through Philo.
• No news channels. CNN, Fox News, MSNBC — all absent. This is by design (news channels have higher carriage fees), but it limits Philo's utility as a primary TV service for households that follow current events.

Sling TV: The Only One With Sports

Sling TV, owned by DISH Network, has been in the skinny bundle space longer than either Frndly TV or Philo. It launched in 2015 and uses a unique two-package structure (Orange and Blue) that lets subscribers pick their content focus or combine both.

Sling TV Pricing Structure

Sling also offers "Extras" add-on packs for $5-15/month each, covering categories like Sports Extra, Comedy Extra, News Extra, and Entertainment Extra. These can push the total price into the $40-55 range, which starts approaching full-service territory.

What Sling TV Gets Right

• It is the only budget service with ESPN. If you want live sports without paying $80+ for YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV, Sling Orange at $19.99 is the cheapest path to ESPN, ESPN2, and other sports networks. This alone makes Sling irreplaceable for budget-conscious sports fans.
• The two-package structure is actually clever. Instead of forcing you into one large bundle, Sling lets you pick Orange (sports and Disney-heavy), Blue (news and entertainment-heavy), or both. This is more flexibility than most competitors offer.
• Partial local channels on Blue. Sling Blue includes FOX and NBC in select markets. It is not detailed local coverage, but it is more than Frndly TV or Philo offers. Which is zero.
• News channels included. CNN and MSNBC on Orange, Fox News on Blue. Neither Frndly TV nor Philo carries any news networks.

What Sling TV Gets Wrong

• The 50-hour DVR is painfully small. In 2026, unlimited DVR should be standard at any price point. Philo offers unlimited DVR at $33/month. Sling charges an extra $5/month to upgrade from 50 hours to 200 hours, and even 200 hours is not unlimited. For a service that has been around since 2015, this feels behind the times.
• Orange limits you to one stream. One. A single person watching on a single device. If your partner or kid wants to watch something else at the same time, you are out of luck unless you upgrade to Orange + Blue ($30) or add the Blue plan ($19.99) for multi-stream support. For a household of two or more, the realistic starting price is $30, not $19.99.
• Add-ons add up fast. Sling's base packages are lean. The extras that fill in gaps. Sports Extra ($11/mo), Entertainment Extra ($6/mo), DVR Plus ($5/mo) — can push your bill to $50+ before you realize it. At that point, you are paying nearly as much as YouTube TV's entertainment skinny bundle.
• The interface feels dated. Compared to YouTube TV and even Philo, Sling's app and navigation feel like they belong to an earlier era of streaming. Channel switching is slower, search is less intuitive, and the overall experience lacks polish.
• Incomplete local channel coverage. Sling Blue only carries FOX and NBC, and only in markets where it has local affiliate agreements. ABC and CBS are completely absent. This is better than nothing but not a substitute for a proper local channel solution.

Pricing Deep Dive: Annual Cost Math

Monthly prices are one thing. Annual cost is where the real differences become clear:

A few things jump out. Frndly TV Basic saves over $300/year compared to Philo, but you are getting a fundamentally different (and much narrower) service. Sling Orange alone is $156/year cheaper than Philo, but it also includes sports channels that Philo does not. Making it apples-to-oranges. And once you build out Sling with add-ons to match Philo's entertainment breadth, the price advantage largely disappears.

Channel Overlap and Gaps

Here is where the three services overlap and where the important gaps are:

The pattern is clear. Frndly TV owns the Hallmark and family niche but misses mainstream entertainment. Philo covers entertainment broadly but has zero sports and news. Sling covers the most ground overall but splits it across two packages, and many channels require paid add-ons.

DVR and Streaming Limits Compared

DVR capability matters more than most people think until they try to record a week of shows and run out of space:

Philo wins the DVR comparison cleanly. Unlimited storage, 1-year retention, and ad-skipping at its base price of $33/month. Sling's 50-hour base DVR feels stingy in comparison, 50 hours fills up in about a week of regular recording, and the $5/month upgrade to 200 hours should arguably be included at this point.

Frndly TV's DVR on the Premium tier is unlimited but requires paying $12.99 to access it. The Basic plan at $6.99 has limited DVR that will frustrate anyone recording more than a handful of shows.

Who Should Pick What

Rather than declare a single "winner," here are the profiles that match each service:

Pick Frndly TV If...

• You primarily watch Hallmark, GAC Family, and lifestyle/cooking channels
• You want to spend as little as possible on live TV
• You do not watch sports, news, or mainstream entertainment
• You are supplementing an on-demand service (Netflix, Hulu, etc.) and just want a few live channels
• Budget is your number-one priority, full stop

Pick Philo If...

• You want the broadest entertainment channel lineup under $35/month
• DVR matters. You record shows regularly and watch on your schedule
• You have a household with 2-3 viewers who watch different things simultaneously
• You watch Discovery, HGTV, AMC, Comedy Central, MTV, or Nickelodeon regularly
• You do not care about sports or news (at all)

Pick Sling TV If...

• You need ESPN or any live sports channels without paying $80+/month
• You want news channels (CNN, Fox News, MSNBC) in your package
• You are comfortable with a la carte add-ons and building a custom lineup
• You are a solo viewer (Orange at $19.99 for one stream is fine)
• You want partial local channels (FOX/NBC on Blue in select markets)

The Mix-and-Match Strategy

The smartest approach for many households is not picking one service but combining two. Here are three practical combinations:

Option A: Frndly TV + Sling Orange (Sports + Hallmark)

This combination gives you ESPN, CNN, Hallmark, Food Network, HGTV, and more for under $30/month total. The catch: Sling Orange only allows 1 stream, and you are managing two separate apps.

Option B: Philo + Antenna (Full Entertainment + Locals)

*Antenna cost amortized over 12 months.

This is arguably the strongest value combination on this list. You get 70+ entertainment channels with unlimited DVR plus all local broadcast networks for about $35/month. The only gaps: no sports channels and no news channels.

Option C: Sling Orange+Blue + Frndly TV (Almost Everything)

For about $37/month, you get sports, news, entertainment, and Hallmark. That covers roughly what you would get from YouTube TV's $82.99 base package for less than half the price. The trade-offs: Sling's limited DVR (50h), two apps to manage, and incomplete local channel coverage.

For a broader look at how these mix-and-match strategies compare to full-price live TV services, see our YouTube TV skinny bundle cost breakdown.

Honest Downsides of Each Service

Every service has problems its marketing does not mention. Here they are, unfiltered:

Frndly TV Downsides

• You will outgrow it. Frndly TV is perfect until someone in your household asks "can we watch The Walking Dead?" or "is the game on?" The answer is always no. It is a single-genre service, and once your viewing habits expand even slightly, you need a second subscription.
• Streaming quality is inconsistent. Some users report buffering and resolution drops during peak hours. The service does not have the infrastructure investment of larger competitors.
• QVC and HSN count as "channels." When Frndly TV advertises 50+ channels, a notable portion are shopping and infomercial networks. The actual watchable entertainment channel count is closer to 30-35.

Philo Downsides

• The price is no longer a clear bargain. At $33/month, Philo costs almost as much as Sling Orange ($19.99) and Sling Blue ($19.99) combined ($39.98 for both). Sling includes sports and news. Philo does not. The value gap has narrowed significantly since Philo was $20/month.
• No live events of any kind. No awards shows on broadcast networks, no live news coverage during breaking events, no sports. If anything happens live that the entire country is watching, you cannot see it on Philo.
• Channel lineup changes happen without warning. Philo has dropped and added channels periodically as carriage deals change. There is no guarantee your current favorite channel stays on the platform.

Sling TV Downsides

• The pricing model is intentionally confusing. Orange, Blue, Orange+Blue, then add-on packs for Sports Extra, News Extra, Entertainment Extra, Comedy Extra. Each at $5-15/month. By the time you build a lineup comparable to Philo's entertainment channels, you are spending $40-50/month. The low entry price is somewhat misleading.
• Frequent promotional pricing creates bill surprise. Sling regularly offers half-price first months, which means your bill doubles on month two. If you sign up during a promo, budget for the full price from the start.
• DISH Network's future is uncertain. Sling TV is owned by DISH Network (now EchoStar), which has been facing financial difficulties. While Sling is unlikely to disappear overnight, the parent company's instability creates long-term uncertainty that YouTube TV (Google) and Philo do not have.

How We Compared

Pricing data was collected directly from each service's official website during the first week of March 2026. Channel lineups were verified against official channel guides published by Frndly TV, Philo, and Sling TV. DVR features and simultaneous stream limits were confirmed through each service's help documentation and FAQ pages.

Annual cost calculations assume 12 months at the listed monthly rate with no mid-year price changes. Where promotional pricing exists (Sling's introductory offers), we used the regular non-promotional price for consistency. Antenna costs are estimated at a one-time purchase of approximately $30 for a standard indoor antenna, amortized over 12 months.

We tested all three services on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and iOS devices during our evaluation period. Streaming quality observations are based on roughly two weeks of daily use across multiple devices.

We do not receive compensation from Frndly TV, Philo, or Sling TV. Our comparisons are based solely on publicly available information and hands-on testing.

The Verdict

There is no single winner here because these three services are not really competing with each other, they are each solving a different problem:

• Frndly TV ($6.99-$12.99/mo) is genuinely excellent if Hallmark, GAC Family, and lifestyle content is what you watch. The price is unbeatable for that specific niche. But it is a niche service, and pretending otherwise leads to disappointment. Think of it as a specialized add-on, not a standalone TV replacement.
• Philo ($33/mo) is the most well-rounded entertainment package of the three. 70+ channels, unlimited DVR, 3 streams. It checks most boxes for entertainment-focused households. The rising price is its biggest problem, and the complete absence of sports and news means it cannot be your only TV source if anyone in your home watches either.
• Sling TV ($19.99-$30/mo) is the most versatile option and the only one with sports. The Orange+Blue combination at $30 covers sports, news, and a solid entertainment lineup. But the DVR limitations, confusing add-on structure, and dated interface keep it from being a wholehearted recommendation.

Our practical advice: if you are a household that does not watch sports, start with Philo. If you are budget-constrained and only watch lifestyle content, Frndly TV is a no-brainer. If sports matter, Sling is your only option under $40/month. And for many households, the smartest play is combining two of these — Frndly TV + Sling Orange at $29.98/month covers more ground than any single service at twice the price.

And regardless of which live TV skinny bundle you choose, do not forget to audit the rest of your streaming subscriptions. Services like GamsGo can help reduce costs on Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and other on-demand subscriptions through shared group plans. Potentially saving another $10-20/month on top of what you save by switching to a skinny bundle.

FAQ

Can I watch Frndly TV, Philo, or Sling TV on my smart TV?

All three services are available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and iOS/Android devices. Sling TV has the broadest device support, including most smart TV brands natively. Frndly TV's smart TV support is more limited, check their website for your specific TV brand before subscribing.

Do any of these services include local channels?

Frndly TV and Philo do not include any local broadcast channels. Sling Blue includes FOX and NBC in select markets, but ABC and CBS are not available on any Sling plan. For full local channel coverage, you will need an antenna ($20-40 one-time cost) or a pricier service like YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV.

Which service has the best DVR?

Philo offers the best DVR value: unlimited storage with 1-year retention at its base price of $33/month. Frndly TV offers unlimited DVR on its Premium tier ($12.99). Sling TV's base DVR is only 50 hours, with an upgrade to 200 hours for $5/month extra. The weakest DVR offering of the three.

Can I switch between these services without a penalty?

Yes. All three services are month-to-month with no contracts or early termination fees. You can cancel anytime and switch to a different service the next month. Some cord-cutters rotate between services seasonally — for example, subscribing to Sling during football season and switching to Philo for the rest of the year.

Is Philo worth the price increase from $28 to $33?

If you regularly watch 10 or more of Philo's channels and use the DVR feature, the $33 price still represents good value. Roughly $0.47 per channel per month, which is cheaper than most competitors on a per-channel basis. However, if you only watch 3-4 channels, you might be better off checking whether those specific channels are available on Frndly TV (for lifestyle content) or a single Sling package (for broader content) at a lower price.

What is the cheapest way to get ESPN and Hallmark together?

Combine Sling Orange ($19.99/mo for ESPN) with Frndly TV Basic ($6.99/mo for Hallmark) for a total of $26.98/month. This is the cheapest path to having both channels that we are aware of. No single service under $50/month includes both ESPN and Hallmark in its base package.