Cord-cutting has been a trend for years amongst the technologically adventurous — what's changed these days is the ever-growing array of options for bringing media into your home. There is a whole world of non-cable options out there beyond Netflix, and if you haven't explored them before, why not start now? (Especially because many of them cost a whole lot less than your typical cable subscription.) These picks are tailored to American subscribers — however, many are also available globally. So below, check out our choices for the best alternatives to TV and cable.
Netflix
Price: $8.99/month for one screen SD, $12.99/month for two screens HD, $15.99/month for four screens UHD
Advantages: Very very quickly, Netflix became the iconic service for the cable-free around the world, investing billions of dollars in creating original content while also leading to the renaissance of classic sitcoms like Friends and The Office. It literally changed the way people approach television, and its programming has a habit of taking over the zeitgeist.
Disadvantages: As new services launch, chipping away at Netflix's library content, the quality of its originals will become the major selling point for the service. And that level of quality could fade.
Hulu
Price: $5.99/month Basic, $11.99/month Premium, $54.99/month Basic + Live TV, $60.99/month Premium + Live TV
Advantages: As Netflix gets ever more focused on its own insular catalog, Hulu stands out for not just an interesting array of original programming beyond The Handmaid's Tale, but tons of shows from network and cable providers, which hit a whole new level just recently thanks to the Disney-Fox merger, which brought the FX archive onto the service. It also offers plenty of ad-ons from networks including HBO and Showtime to live TV (for $54.99 a month, though, which is more expensive than other options).
Disadvantages: Its original series aren't necessarily the buzziest offerings these days, so using Hulu exclusively might mean missing out on hot-button shows like Tiger King. Its ad-free price point is also a bit higher than some other services — though having the ad-enabled level available does make it affordable for the level of content available.
YouTube TV
Price: $49.99 a month
Advantages: 70-plus channels of live TV for a fraction of the cable price, including news and sports (remember sports?), with DVR capability and local TV options.
Disadvantages: $49.99 is an awful lot of money to pay every month if you're not in need of live TV, and just like your cable company there are channels included in the bundle that you may not need. (For example, the child-free probably don't need so many channels of kids programming, while those with children probably don't have time to watch anything else.)
Pluto TV
Price: Free
Advantages: Here's what's fun about Pluto TV — if you're feeling at all nostalgic for the experience of channel-surfing through basic cable on a lazy Sunday afternoon, there are over 250 channels to explore, not to mention (according to the service's official PR) thousands of on-demand films and TV shows. And it features a number of titles you can't find elsewhere, including cult favorites like Leverage and Degrassi, all for free.
Disadvantages: The user experience is a little clunky, and not only is it it's ad-supported, but the ad loads aren't insignificant, about on par with a standard episode of broadcast television. But you get what you pay for.
Kanopy/Hoopla
Price: Free
Advantages: Who doesn't like things that are free? Kanopy and Hoopla offer eclectic but interesting catalogs of films (and Hoopla also has books, comics, music and audiobooks). And again, they're free!
Disadvantages: You need a library card to subscribe, and your local library may or may not be creating new accounts virtually these days. (Find your local library here.) There's also a limit to how many titles you can access every month, though they have "credit-free" options as well.
Amazon Prime
Price: $119/year or $12.99/month
Advantages: You might already be a subscriber thanks to the free shipping perks, and it has a strong mix of original series and library content. It also might have one of the best streaming user experiences ever, thanks to the X-Ray feature which offers up trivia and cast notes with just a quick click. Ever play "hey, who's that guy?" while watching a show or movie? Amazon can answer the question for you in seconds.
Disadvantages: $119 a year, for the annual subscription, or $12.99 a month, is not insignificant. The other perks to a subscription may make it worthwhile to you, though you might want to check first if it has originals that interest you. (You can only rewatch The Good Wife so many times.)
Roku
Price: Players start at $29.99
Advantages: Roku devices are easy to install, feature channels including pretty much every streaming service, and it isn't just the device that connects your TV to the internet — it also features an entire channel of free TV, including classic sitcoms and recent films.
Disadvantages: You're probably not buying a Roku for the ability to stream The Beverly Hillbillies. But you probably are buying one if you're a streaming service aficionado, so consider it an added bonus.
Sling
Price: Packages start at $20/month
Advantages: Another live TV option that's currently running a brilliant promotion — free live TV from 5 PM to midnight (an offering they're calling "happy hour").
Disadvantages: Sling offers fewer channels than YouTube TV, and if you do decide to subscribe full-time, given the number of channels the price point is a bit high, starting at $20 a month — not to mention confusing, as Sling offers separate packages of channels (known as Blue and Orange) that only overlap a bit, plus ad-ons that could also ramp up the price.
HD Broadcast antennae
Price: Varies
Advantages: This is a classic option for cord-cutters, and perhaps the cheapest way to bring live broadcast TV into your home. After purchasing one of many options (here's The Wirecutter's breakdown of the best devices, which can be as cheap as $20), you're getting free live TV thanks to the FCC and the publicly-owned airwaves.
Disadvantages: It's a very bare-bones solution — but if your primary interest in live TV is big events like sports (remember sports?) and big events like award shows, it might be perfect for you.
Acorn/Britbox
Price: Acorn is $5.99/month, BritBox is $6.99/month
Advantages: For fans of murder under grey skies, both of these services, which bring British television to American audiences, are arguably the most essential services you could subscribe to.
Disadvantages: Maybe you don't like British accents? How dare you. In truth, though, both of these services appeal to a very specific audience, and thus they may not be for you.
Disney+
Advantages: BABY. FREAKING. YODA. Beyond The Mandalorian, though, Disney+ has become legitimately necessary for anyone with kids (especially kids who love to rewatch Frozen on a loop).
Disadvantages: If you're an adult interested in original content, Disney+ might be one of those services that you don't need to be subscribed to full-time, especially as its big Marvel offerings — The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision — may be delayed for some time. Still, $5.99 a month for reliable access to the Mighty Ducks movies isn't necessarily the worst thing.
Still To Be Released...
Price: $14.99/month
Advantages: The WarnerMedia-backed streaming service HBO Max is launching strong with a a number of promised originals as well as library favorites like Rick and Morty and Doctor Who. They even got the Friends to promise to reunite! That's a big deal.
Disadvantages: It's not totally clear at this point how HBO Max works on a number of levels — how does it interact with other Warner-owned streaming services like DC Universe, for example? Also, it's impossible to speak to what kind of user experience it will offer right now, and $14.99 makes it more expensive than Netflix.
Price: $5/month with ads, $10/month without ads
Advantages: Another media conglomerate launching another streaming service, though this one has a deep well of talent making original series (Sam Esmail! Tina Fey!) plus relaunches of NBC classics like Saved By the Bell and Punky Brewster. There's going to be a new Battlestar Galactica!
Disadvantages: Lots of question marks here, including a complicated pay structure that does offer a free ad-supported tier with limited access to content, and goes up to $9.99 a month if you want full access to everything. However, a great user experience and some great shows might make all the difference.