Is Philo or Roku better?

Neither clearly leads. Philo starts at $33/month and Roku at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Philo or Roku?

Roku has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $33/month for Philo and Free for Roku.

Does Philo or Roku run on more platforms?

Philo runs on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV. Roku runs on Roku-devices, Smart-tv, Ios, Android.

Can I use Roku for free?

Yes. Roku has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Philo starts at $33/month.

What is Philo best used for?

Philo is most often used for a household that gets local news over an antenna and does not need it duplicated in a streaming bundle, someone who wants reality, lifestyle and general cable channels and has no interest in sports at all, a budget cord-cutter comparing the lowest possible monthly cost among mainstream live tv services, a second household or vacation home subscription where a full sports-inclusive bundle is not worth the cost. Of those, a household that gets local news over an antenna and does not need it duplicated in a streaming bundle and someone who wants reality, lifestyle and general cable channels and has no interest in sports at all are not what Roku is typically brought in for.

What can Philo do that Roku cannot?

Philo covers Unlimited cloud DVR, Around 70 channels, No contracts, Multiple simultaneous streams. Roku covers Streaming aggregation, Free content, Voice search, Private listening.

Entertainment · head to head

Philo vs Roku

Philo

Entertainment

Cheap entertainment-only live TV streaming with no sports and no local broadcast channels

From: $33/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Roku

Entertainment

Streaming made simple

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Roku has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Philo there is no sports coverage of any kind, and no add-on exists to get it, so anyone wanting even occasional live sports needs a different service entirely.; Roku roku takes a 20 percent cut of all revenue channel publishers receive through Roku Pay (purchases, subscriptions, ads), paying out the remaining 80 percent no later than 60 days after the end of the month the payment was received, with non-US partners restricted to PayPal or wire transfer (ACH/direct deposit is US-only) and bank fees applying to wire and ACH payouts (archived developer documentation, 2 May 2021)
They diverge on capability: Philo covers Unlimited cloud DVR, Roku covers Streaming aggregation.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Philo and Roku actually diverge.

Attributes where Philo and Roku differ
Attribute	Philo	Roku
Starting price	$33/month	Free
Pricing model	Per household per month, single plan	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV	Roku-devices, Smart-tv, Ios, Android
Founded	Unknown	2002

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Entertainment).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Philo

Unlimited cloud DVR
Around 70 channels
No contracts
Multiple simultaneous streams
Low base price
On-demand library

Only in Roku

Streaming aggregation
Free content
Voice search
Private listening
All major streaming apps
Smart home
PIN protection
Parental controls

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Philo

A household that gets local news over an antenna and does not need it duplicated in a streaming bundlenot Roku
Someone who wants reality, lifestyle and general cable channels and has no interest in sports at allnot Roku
A budget cord-cutter comparing the lowest possible monthly cost among mainstream live TV servicesnot Roku
A second household or vacation home subscription where a full sports-inclusive bundle is not worth the costnot Roku

Roku

TV streamingnot Philo
Content discoverynot Philo
Free entertainmentnot Philo

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Philo

There is no sports coverage of any kind, and no add-on exists to get it, so anyone wanting even occasional live sports needs a different service entirely.
It carries no local ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC affiliate feeds, so live local news and network prime time require an antenna or another service.
The channel count, at around 70, is meaningfully smaller than fuboTV or DirecTV Stream, so genre variety outside entertainment and lifestyle is limited.
News coverage is thin, with no major 24-hour cable news network included on the base lineup in the way some competitors carry CNN or Fox News.
Because it deliberately stays in one narrow lane, households whose needs change to include sports have to switch providers entirely rather than upgrading a Philo tier.

Roku

Roku takes a 20 percent cut of all revenue channel publishers receive through Roku Pay (purchases, subscriptions, ads), paying out the remaining 80 percent no later than 60 days after the end of the month the payment was received, with non-US partners restricted to PayPal or wire transfer (ACH/direct deposit is US-only) and bank fees applying to wire and ACH payouts (archived developer documentation, 2 May 2021)

Pricing, plan by plan

Philo

$33/month

Philo$33/month
- Around 70 entertainment and lifestyle channels
- Unlimited cloud DVR
- No sports or local broadcast channels

Roku

Free

FreeFree
- The Roku Channel
- Free content
- Ad-supported

Which should you pick?

Choose Philo if

You need unlimited cloud dvr.
You work on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV.
You also want around 70 channels.

Philo review

Choose Roku if

You need streaming aggregation.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Roku-devices, Smart-tv, Ios, Android.
You also want free content.

Roku review

Questions people ask

Is Philo or Roku better?: Neither clearly leads. Philo starts at $33/month and Roku at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Philo or Roku?: Roku has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $33/month for Philo and Free for Roku.
Does Philo or Roku run on more platforms?: Philo runs on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV. Roku runs on Roku-devices, Smart-tv, Ios, Android.
Can I use Roku for free?: Yes. Roku has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Philo starts at $33/month.
What is Philo best used for?: Philo is most often used for a household that gets local news over an antenna and does not need it duplicated in a streaming bundle, someone who wants reality, lifestyle and general cable channels and has no interest in sports at all, a budget cord-cutter comparing the lowest possible monthly cost among mainstream live tv services, a second household or vacation home subscription where a full sports-inclusive bundle is not worth the cost. Of those, a household that gets local news over an antenna and does not need it duplicated in a streaming bundle and someone who wants reality, lifestyle and general cable channels and has no interest in sports at all are not what Roku is typically brought in for.
What can Philo do that Roku cannot?: Philo covers Unlimited cloud DVR, Around 70 channels, No contracts, Multiple simultaneous streams. Roku covers Streaming aggregation, Free content, Voice search, Private listening.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Philo: Does Philo have any sports channels?

No, it excludes sports entirely, including ESPN and regional sports networks, and there is no add-on to get them.

Philo: Does Philo include local channels like ABC or NBC?

No, local broadcast affiliates are not included; you would need an antenna or a different streaming service for those.

Philo: Why is Philo so much cheaper than fuboTV?

Because it excludes the two most expensive categories of content to carry, sports rights and local broadcast retransmission fees.

Philo vs Roku

Philo

Roku

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Philo

Only in Roku

What people use each for

Philo

Roku

Where each one falls short

Philo

Roku

Pricing, plan by plan

Philo

Roku

Which should you pick?

Choose Philo if

Choose Roku if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Philo

More on Roku

Keep looking

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