YouTube TV vs Hulu + Live TV: is the extra $7 worth it?

Short answer: these two are close to the same service. Hulu + Live TV carries 44 of the 45 channels we track; YouTube TV carries 40. The only channels Hulu has that YouTube TV doesn't are A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, and National Geographic, and YouTube TV's paid add-on only recovers one of those four. YouTube TV is $7.00/mo cheaper, as of 2026-07-19. If none of those four channels matter to your household, YouTube TV is the same lineup for less. If any of them do, the extra $7.00/mo buys them outright.

Price, side by side

$82.99/mo
$84.00/yr
what YouTube TV saves you against Hulu + Live TV, at each service's listed price

Both prices checked directly against each provider's own pricing page as of 2026-07-19, and re-confirmed current on 2026-08-10.

Every channel, checked

ChannelYouTube TVHulu + Live TV
A&ENoYes
ABCYesYes
AMCYesYes
Animal PlanetYesYes
BETYesYes
BravoYesYes
Cartoon NetworkYesYes
CBSYesYes
CNBCYesYes
CNNYesYes
Comedy CentralYesYes
Discovery ChannelYesYes
Disney ChannelYesYes
E!YesYes
ESPNYesYes
ESPN2YesYes
Food NetworkYesYes
FOXYesYes
Fox NewsYesYes
FS1YesYes
FXYesYes
Golf ChannelYesYes
Hallmark ChannelYesYes
HGTVYesYes
HISTORYNoYes
LifetimeNoYes
MeTVYesYes
MSNBCYesYes
MTVYesYes
National GeographicNoYes
NBCYesYes
NFL NetworkYesYes
NickelodeonYesYes
Paramount NetworkYesYes
PBSYesYes
PBS KidsNoNo
SyfyYesYes
TBSYesYes
The CWYesYes
TLCYesYes
TNTYesYes
truTVYesYes
USA NetworkYesYes
VH1YesYes
Weather ChannelYesYes

All 45 channels this site tracks, checked against both services as of 2026-07-19. Add-on-only carriage (a channel that needs a paid genre pack on top of the base plan) is marked "No" here. It's called out separately in the text below; this table is the base-plan answer only. Verify on each provider's own channel-lineup page before you sign up, since carriage changes and can vary by zip code for local channels.

Where they actually differ

This is the closest match of any pair on this site. Every channel on YouTube TV's base plan is also on Hulu + Live TV's base plan, no exceptions. The gap runs one direction only: Hulu + Live TV also carries A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, and National Geographic, four channels YouTube TV's base plan skips. YouTube TV's paid Entertainment Plan add-on recovers Lifetime, but not the other three, so if you need A&E or HISTORY specifically, no YouTube TV plan gets you there.

Outside channel count, Hulu + Live TV bundles Disney+ and ESPN+ into the same $89.99/mo price, on top of the live channels, which YouTube TV's base plan does not do. That's a real reason the extra $7.00/mo can be worth it even for a household that doesn't care about the four missing channels, if it already wants Disney+ or ESPN+ separately.

Neither service carries PBS Kids, the one channel both plans skip. It's a broadcast network, free over the air; see how antennas actually work if that's the one gap you'd otherwise pay to fill.

Who should actually pick which

Pick YouTube TV if

  • None of A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, or National Geographic are must-watch
  • You don't already want a Disney+ or ESPN+ subscription
  • You'd rather keep the $7.00/mo and put it toward something else
  • You want the broadest single-tier lineup at the lower of the two prices

Pick Hulu + Live TV if

  • A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime, or National Geographic are regular watches
  • You already want Disney+ and ESPN+ and would pay for them separately anyway
  • You want the single highest channel count of any service on this site (44 of 45)
  • The extra $7.00/mo is worth not managing a second subscription for those channels

If neither one fits

These two are close enough that the decision usually comes down to four specific channels and whether you'd buy Disney+ and ESPN+ anyway. If your household's list doesn't match either service's gap, check the channel you'd actually miss in the full channel finder, and see the full household math on streaming vs cable cost before you commit.