Have It Your Way: 10 Streaming Bundles to Replace Cable

On a whim, I tallied up the monthly payments for all the streaming TV services I currently get free through my job at CableTV.com. My calculator spat out a shocking figure: $619.28.

While cleaning up the coffee I spit out, I thought, What if I had to pay these bills myself? How much TV can I realistically afford? How much do I need? Have I become irretrievably accustomed to a certain standard of couch living?

I love TV. But I guess I don’t need all seven live TV streaming services, and 15 on-demand streaming services is probably a bit extravagant. So there was room for cuts—and some customization fun.

I dove down a rabbit hole, crunching numbers to construct a custom streaming service bundle just for me. I wound up with a solid, affordable lineup that met my needs.

As I worked, I imagined bundles for sports fans, movie lovers, binge-watchers, thrifty types, and budget-bound folks. Not traditional bundles, like the nearly extinct discounted internet-and-TV packages from telco companies like Spectrum or Xfinity (although I’m preparing a similar guide to those). Rather, these curated custom streaming TV bundles are a way to see your TV bill differently and find the sweet spot between “need” and “want.”

But first, I’ll explain the steps I used to create each bundle so, in case you don’t like these, you can create your own.

Jump to:

• Methodology: How to create custom streaming TV bundles
• Best streaming TV bundles
• Sports streaming bundle
• Cheap or free streaming TV bundles

Methodology: How I created these streaming bundles

I want to show you how I came up with these 10 custom streaming bundles recommendations, along with ways to customize each bundle to fit your budget, taste, or whim. You can even create your own custom bundles from scratch using the following information. My tips on pricing, content, resolution, device compatibility, and more will guide you.

Open the accordion below to view the streaming services and price ranges I used to create these custom streaming bundles.

Alternatively, you can skip directly to the bundles. I’ve included specific plans, pricing, and review links for each of them—plus a link back to this table when you’re ready to sign up.

Custom streaming bundle tips

• Ads: We recommend ad-free plans for the best experience, but there’s nothing wrong with saving a few bucks by selecting ad-supported plans.
• Content: Not all streaming TV services advertise their library size. I list approximate channel counts and library sizes for each bundle.
• Trials: Most streaming services have free trials lasting 3–30 days. Take ’em for a test drive!
• Customize: See my customization suggestions to save more money or add/drop content.
• Toggle: I strongly recommend toggling services—canceling and resubscribing—to ensure you don’t pay for services you don’t use. This is also a great way to save money throughout the year.
• Deals: To save even more money, search online for streaming TV coupon codes, deals, and promotions before you subscribe.

Now, to paraphrase a line from From Dusk Till Dawn : “Bundlers, let’s get bundlin’.”

Best streaming bundles in depth

Sure, you can go with “prefab” streaming bundles sold by some services (and even internet service providers), but my main goal with these custom bundles is to package services that meet specific needs and tastes, rather than promote partnerships between the services. That being said, I do love some prefab bundles, so you’ll see some among my recommendations.

Scroll on to see 10 custom streaming bundles that we created for movie lovers, binge-watchers, sports fans, busy parents, and the budget-conscious. You can get a lot for about the same cost as your average cable subscription—and avoid hidden fees and long-term contracts.

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

Are you the best couch potato? Do you derive energy from the cool, blue light of your TV? You probably splurge on your cable provider’s top-tier package to have every channel, even the premiums. With the #9 Combo, made up of nine services, I have you in mind.

With YouTube TV’s 100+ live channels (plus three streams and unlimited DVR) and the other services’ on-demand content, you’ll have an all-killer, no-filler menu of live TV channels plus a multitude of movies and shows to watch. And you get all that for the same price as cable and satellite TV providers’ most stacked packages. Plus, you won’t have to worry about contracts, equipment rental fees, and other cable hassles.

Also, AMC+ contains AMC, BBC America, IFC Films Unlimited, Sundance Now, and The Walking Dead Universe. So, the #10 Combo is an outstanding value. But if the price is still too high, you don’t have to use YouTube TV. You can substitute a cheaper live TV streaming service (see below for my supercheap suggestion) or even drop one or two of the on-demand streaming TV services to lower the Combo’s price.

Customize it

• Try Philo ($28.00/mo.) instead of YouTube TV and get 70+ live channels, free AMC+, 3 streams, and unlimited cloud DVR with a 1-year storage limit—while saving about $55.00 monthly thanks to the price difference and included AMC+.
• If you’d rather get Hulu + Live TV ($95.99/mo.) instead of YouTube TV, it has 95+ channels, 2 streams, unlimited cloud DVR, and comes with Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. But you’ll pay about $13.00 more monthly.
• Students save 50% ($7.49/mo.) on Amazon Prime and get a free 6-month trial.
• Upgrade any service to its ad-free, premium counterpart (adds $3.00–$10.00 a month).

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

There are those among us who would eschew the sofa and spend all day in a darkened theater, losing ourselves in silver screen magic while  reclined in leather loungers and shoving nachos into our gobs. For you— For us, I suggest The Endless Film Festival.

With these seven services, we can catch obscure art-house gems, classics from all eras, cult films/midnight movies, newer releases, summer blockbusters, and more. And, just like Binge-a-palooza, the price is right—but it can get even better (see below).

Customize it

• Choose annual subscriptions to save up to 33% on The Criterion Channel, Mubi, and Shudder.
• If you’re a student, you can get Mubi for $9.99/mo.
• If you have Prime Video, you can add more cult films (and TV series) with Prime’s ad-free version of Shout! Factory TV (adds $2.99/mo.)
• Another cheap Prime Video add-on is Fandor, which gives you even more arthouse and cult films (adds $3.99/mo.)
• Students save 50% ($7.49/mo.) on Amazon Prime and get a 6-month free trial.
• Upgrade to Netflix Premium for 4K UHD support plus 2 more streams (adds $7.00/mo.).

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

* Requires Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Real movie hounds know there’s more to cinema than blockbusters and Oscar winners. You (we) frequent the local arthouse to screen the really good stuff, which comes in so many different flavors. And while you prefer to watch films in a theater, you have a massive collection of physical media and, of course, streaming services.

For you, we present The Mondo Bundle, a customizable world of streaming cult cinema, with some of the best (and best worst) movies around. It has action, animation, anime, arthouse, B-movies, bikers, classroom education films, concerts, documentaries, horror movies, martial arts, musicals, science fiction, westerns, and more.

With 15 on-demand streaming services, around 50,000 titles (40,000 from Prime Video), and even a few live TV channels, The Mondo Bundle is the biggest custom streaming bundle we’ve created.

Customize it

• Choose annual subscriptions and save $2.00–$4.00/mo. per service. Note: This is practical only if you can afford the upfront cost.
• Use the free, ad-supported versions of Brown Sugar, Fandor, and Shout! Factory TV. You’ll save up to $12.00/mo., but lose access to some titles—and have to watch ads.
• Drop Prime Video and save $11.58/mo. Note: This will also cancel Fandor and Shout! Factory TV, but you can get separate subscriptions or use their free versions.
  • Switch to the a la carte version of Prime Video and save $3.00/mo.
  • Students save 50% ($7.49/mo.) on Amazon Prime and get a 6-month free trial.
• For all the movies—not just cult classics—plus tons of original series, add HBO Max Ad Free (add $16.99/mo.), Netflix (add $17.99/mo.), or Paramount+ Premium (add $12.99/mo.).

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

Are you a parent who works from home? That was me, once upon a time, so I know how tough it can be to balance work and parenting duties. I dedicate The Babysitter to you.

Yeah, TV isn’t Mary Poppins—but when you need a couple of uninterrupted hours of work time, that mesmerizing box, smartphone, or tablet is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

The Babysitter starts with Sling TV—CableTV.com’s Best for Channel Add-Ons. With the Sling Orange plan and its 4 Extras Deal add-on ($13 a month), which includes the Kids Extra Pack, you’ll have Baby Jr., Boomerang, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Duck TV, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, and TeenNick. Yes, that creates some live-channel overlap with Disney+, but the reason you want Disney+ in this bundle is for its on-demand content.

HBO Max has loads of family-friendly movies and shows, all organized into age groups and even content “hubs” for networks and studios like , Cartoon Network, Studio Ghibli, and Looney Tunes. You can also create a profile for each child, which lets you customize parental controls according to each kid’s age/maturity level/chore-completion status.

One drawback to this bundle is that Sling TV doesn’t carry a lot of local broadcast affiliates. But you can get those channels by purchasing an OTA antenna—you can get one for as little as $30.

Customize it

• Sling Blue is the same price as Orange, but it doesn’t have Disney Channel—fortunately, you’ll still have that huge Disney+ on-demand library. And with Sling Blue, you can add the à la carte Kids Extra pack for $6.00/mo. instead of 4 Extras (saves $7.00/mo.).
• If your budget’s super tight, Sling Freestream has Cartoon Network, DuckTV, Kabillion, Pocketwatch, and Ryan Friends.
• Instead of Disney+, you can add the Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ bundle—of the same bundle with HBO Max instead of ESPN+—for tons of additional on-demand content (adds $16.99–$29.99/mo.).
• Maybe you run a Nickelodeon household. In that case, you’ll want Paramount+ Premium for on-demand access to SpongeBob SquarePants, Blue’s Clues, and more (adds $12.99/mo.).

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

Sling TV is easily the most customizable TV service for getting your live sports fix. The Sling Orange + Blue package ($60.99/mo.) alone gives you access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FS1, NFL Network, TBS, TNT, and USA Network.

That’s a lot of sportsballs bouncing around, so you could stop there. But sports fans go hard, so they’ll probably want to add Sling’s Sports Extra Pack for Orange + Blue. You’ll get 20 new sports portals—including beIN SPORTS, FS2, Golf Channel, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL RedZone, NHL Network, Pac-12 Network, and Tennis Channel.

We outline more ways to stream your favorite leagues in our Watch Sports Without Cable guide. You can also download the Pluto TV and Xumo Play apps to get free channels like beIN SPORTS Xtra, Big Sky, CBS Sports HQ, CBS Sports Golazo Network, FOX Sports, Fubo Sports Network, GolfPass, NBC Sports, NFL Channel, PGA Tour, Pluto TV Sports, and World Poker Tour.

LET’S GOOOOOOO! (Sorry for yelling.)

Customize it

• Football fans could get only Sling Blue ($45.99/mo.) and its Sports Extra add-on for both NFL Network and NFL RedZone. You’ll lose ACC Network, ESPN, ESPNews, ESPNU, Longhorn Network, and SEC Network, among others, but save $19.00/mo.
• Selecting only Sling Orange ($45.99/mo.) and its Sports Extra add-on won’t include FS2, Golf Channel, NFL Network, and NFL RedZone—but you’ll save $19.00/mo.
• Add Peacock Premium Plus ($13.99/mo.) for more Premier League, Big Ten, WWE, IndyCar, NASCAR, PGA Tour, and Olympic coverage.
• Paramount+ Premium ($12.99/mo.) will level up your soccer experience with live UEFA Champions League, NWSL, and Serie A matches. You’ll also get content from the NFL, PGA Tour, and March Madness.
• If you love college sports and the NHL, a standalone ESPN+ subscription ($11.99/mo.) offers live games from the NCAA’s best conferences as well as out-of-market NHL matchups.

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

If you’re cutting the cord for financial reasons (I’ve been there; stay strong), you can get a ton of TV on the cheap with The Thrifty Bundle. Philo has 70+ channels, three streams, and unlimited DVR for $28.00/mo.. Tubi adds thousands of on-demand movies and shows—plus a good selection of live TV channels, including some local FOX affiliates. And, if you add an OTA antenna (a one-time purchase starting around $25), you’ll get your local channels and subchannels at no extra cost per month.

Then, download Plex and Pluto TV for around 1,000 free live FAST channels, for a total of 1,260+ channels—plus whatever your OTA antenna picks up (I get around 60 channels on mine).

Customize it

• Qualifying students—both new and existing subscribers—can get Hulu for $1.99/mo.
• If there’s a bit more room in your budget, add Netflix ($17.99/mo.) or HBO Max ($16.99/mo.) for a ton of premium, often original, content.

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

If my budget ever gets super tight, I know I’ll be able to get by with all of the free streaming TV out there. That’s how I came up with Freebie the Love Bundle, which takes advantages of free TV streaming services and public library offerings, while spending $30.00–$70.00 on an OTA antenna so you’ll still have your local channels and the accompanying news, sports, and network shows. The ad breaks are the only drawback—but you’ll forget about them once you dive into the all the free live and on-demand movies and shows.

Besides ads, another downside of Freebie is that you’ll do a lot of leapfrogging between apps on your phone and computer. But free is free.

Customize it

• If you’d like to have your local channels, buy an OTA antenna ($30 and up).
• Many streaming devices support most of these free apps. The Roku Ultra is one such device.

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

In case you’re curious, or wanna be just like me (OMG thank you!), let’s review my personal bundle, which costs $67.50 monthly.

For live TV, I chose an over-the-air (OTA) antenna (60+ channels including locals), Samsung TV Plus (700 FAST channels), and Tubi (260+ FAST channels, with some out-of-market FOX affiliates).

For on-demand movies and shows, I have an embarrassment of riches: Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max (40,000+ hours of content), Netflix (7,000+ titles), Shudder (725+ horror titles), Prime Video (24,000 titles), and Tubi (52,000 titles). Samsung TV Plus also adds a substantial amount of on-demand content, but if I’m watching ads, I’ll do it on Tubi, which offers much more.

It occurs to me that I might have more TV than I need. That’s why I recommend toggling: I can see myself occasionally canceling and resubscribing to Netflix or the Hulu Bundle. This would drop my monthly payment to only $20.00–$50.00, but still leave me with a robust menu of channels, movies, and shows. I love that, ‘cause I love TV.

Customize it

• Drop Shudder and get AMC+ annual plan ($7.99/mo.), which includes AMC, Sundance Now, BBC America, IFC Films Unlimited, The Walking Dead Universe—and Shudder! You won’t have access to the Shudder app, which is a better experience, but you’ll save $1.00/mo. and get a ton more on-demand content.
• For more live entertainment channels, add Philo ($28.00/mo.)

Click the button below and scroll to our comprehensive table to review your options.

Streaming bundles FAQ

Why you should trust our custom streaming bundles

Randy Harward has written about streaming and traditional TV for nearly six years, logging thousands of hours researching and testing live and on-demand streaming TV services. For this piece, I compared plans, channel lineups, features, and more from top live TV and on-demand streaming TV services and used the data to build 10 custom streaming bundles aimed at specific interests and lifestyles. I also show my work, giving you the information needed to create your own custom streaming bundles. To learn more about our methods, see our How We Rank page.