Entertainment · alternatives
Alternatives to DirecTV Stream
19 entertainment tools sit alongside DirecTV Stream in this directory. Below is what separates each from DirecTV Stream on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 19
- With a free tier
- 11
- Cheaper to start
- 14
- DirecTV Stream starts at
- $89.99/month
Why people look past DirecTV Stream
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the DirecTV Stream entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
It costs more than the category median
DirecTV Stream starts at $89.99/month. Across the 13 entertainment tools listed beside it that publish a price, the median entry point is $10.99/month.
There is no free tier
The record for DirecTV Stream carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 11 of the 19 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Sports-first live TV streaming bundle with regional sports networks and a cloud DVR
- Starts $16 a month cheaper, at $73.99/month.
Cheap entertainment-only live TV streaming with no sports and no local broadcast channels
- Starts $56.989999999999995 a month cheaper, at $33/month.
- Sold on a Per household per month, single plan model rather than Per household per month, tiered plans.
- 1 tier to DirecTV Stream's 3.
Free ad-supported streaming from Roku, with an optional paid live TV add-on layer
- Can be used without paying; DirecTV Stream cannot.
- Sold on a Free, ad-supported; individual paid channel add-ons model rather than Per household per month, tiered plans.
- 2 tiers to DirecTV Stream's 3.
Ticket resale marketplace charging both buyers and sellers, with combined fees often a large share of face value
- Can be used without paying; DirecTV Stream cannot.
- Sold on a Free to browse, two sided transaction fees on buyers and sellers model rather than Per household per month, tiered plans.
- 2 tiers to DirecTV Stream's 3.
Free open source command line video player with no graphical interface, built for scripting and precision
- Can be used without paying; DirecTV Stream cannot.
- Sold on a Open source, no licence fee model rather than Per household per month, tiered plans.
- 1 tier to DirecTV Stream's 3.
Paid media player for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac with strong network share and cloud library streaming
- Can be used without paying; DirecTV Stream cannot.
- Starts $88 a month cheaper, at $1.99/month.
- Sold on a Per user per month model rather than Per household per month, tiered plans.
Every DirecTV Stream alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DirecTV Stream (this page) | $89.99/month | Per household per month, tiered plans | 3 | |
| fuboTVIf you want a comparable sports-first bundle and want to compare RSN and local channel pricing directly | $73.99/month | Per household per month, tiered plans | 3 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| PhiloIf you do not need sports or local channels and want the lowest-cost entertainment-only option | $33/month | Per household per month, single plan | 1 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| The Roku ChannelIf you want free ad-supported content and are willing to add only specific paid channels instead of a full bundle | Free | Free, ad-supported; individual paid channel add-ons | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| StubHub | Free | Free to browse, two sided transaction fees on buyers and sellers | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| mpv | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Infuse | Free, then $1.99/month | Per user per month | 3 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| IINA | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Castro | Free, then $24.99/year | - | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Castbox | Free | - | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Emby | Free, then $4.99/month | Freemium | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Apple TV+ | Free, then $12.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Crunchyroll | Free, then $7.99/month | Freemium | 3 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Dailymotion | Free | Free | 1 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Disney+ | $7.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| ESPN+ | $10.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Discovery+ | $4.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Final Cut Pro | $12.99/month | - | 3 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | $22.99/month | - | 4 | vs DirecTV Stream |
| Apple Music | $10.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs DirecTV Stream |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the DirecTV Stream badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Cheaper than DirecTV Stream (14)
Entry price under DirecTV Stream's $89.99/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- fuboTV , $73.99/month
- Philo , $33/month
- Infuse , Free, then $1.99/month
- Castro , Free, then $24.99/year
- Emby , Free, then $4.99/month
- Apple TV+ , Free, then $12.99/month
- Crunchyroll , Free, then $7.99/month
- Dailymotion , Free
What you would be giving up
DirecTV Stream is most often brought in for a former directv satellite customer moving to streaming without wanting to change channel habits, a household wanting the widest premium and sports channel selection among mainstream streaming bundles, a sports fan who wants regional sports networks priced into the plan rather than as a separate add-on, a family replacing full cable service that specifically does not want to trim down to a smaller entertainment-only bundle. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If DirecTV Stream is broadly right and the question is cost, the DirecTV Stream pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the Entertainment category lists everything the directory holds, and best entertainment tools ranks them.
DirecTV Stream runs on web, ios, android, roku, fire tv, apple tv, smart tvs. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about DirecTV Stream alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to DirecTV Stream?
- 19 other entertainment tools are listed in this directory, led by fuboTV, Philo, The Roku Channel, StubHub. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to DirecTV Stream?
- 11 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: The Roku Channel, StubHub, mpv, Infuse, IINA.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to DirecTV Stream?
- Yes. 14 of the alternatives below start under DirecTV Stream's $89.99/month: fuboTV at $73.99/month, Philo at $33/month, Infuse at Free, then $1.99/month, Castro at Free, then $24.99/year.
- Why do people look for an alternative to DirecTV Stream?
- On the figures on record, 2 things stand out: it costs more than the category median; there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from DirecTV Stream?
- DirecTV Stream is most often brought in for a former directv satellite customer moving to streaming without wanting to change channel habits, a household wanting the widest premium and sports channel selection among mainstream streaming bundles, a sports fan who wants regional sports networks priced into the plan rather than as a separate add-on, a family replacing full cable service that specifically does not want to trim down to a smaller entertainment-only bundle. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to DirecTV Stream?
- None of the entertainment tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these DirecTV Stream alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Entertainment, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare DirecTV Stream against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against DirecTV Stream covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every entertainment tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Entertainment category, 19 tools beside DirecTV Stream. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.