The Roku Channelvs
Philo
Philo: If you want a full bundle of entertainment channels for one flat monthly fee instead of assembling individual add-ons
The Roku Channel
Free ad-supported streaming from Roku, with an optional paid live TV add-on layer
As of 1 September 2026, The Roku Channel is free to use. The free, ad-supported streaming hub built into Roku devices and also available as a standalone app off Roku hardware, distinct from the Roku device platform itself, which is catalogued separately. Softwr lists it under Entertainment. The Roku Channel is made by Roku, Inc., available on Roku, iOS, Android, Web.
Overview
What The Roku Channel does
The Roku Channel is a free, ad-supported streaming service offering live linear TV channels, a library of on-demand movies and shows, and access to premium channel add-ons such as Starz, Showtime or various sports and news bundles, all billed through Roku. It runs on Roku devices, and also as an app on iOS, Android, Fire TV and other platforms, separate from owning Roku hardware. The distinguishing fact against fuboTV, Philo and DirecTV Stream is that its base tier costs nothing: the free live channels and on-demand library are funded by advertising, not a subscription. Sports and premium networks are not included in that free tier; they are sold as individual add-on subscriptions layered on top, so a Roku Channel user assembling sports coverage ends up paying per add-on rather than one bundled sports-inclusive price the way fuboTV bundles it in. Buyers are cord-cutters who want free ad-supported linear TV as a baseline and are willing to add specific paid channels only where needed, rather than committing to a full live TV bundle. The trade-off against Philo, fuboTV or DirecTV Stream is that assembling equivalent channel coverage through individual add-ons can end up costing similarly once several premium add-ons are purchased, while the free tier alone has far fewer channels and no major broadcast network live feeds in most markets.
What people use it for
- A cord-cutter who wants free ad-supported background TV without any subscription commitment
- Someone who wants one or two specific premium channels like Starz without a full live TV bundle
- A household that already has Netflix and Hulu and wants free supplementary live channels at no extra cost
- Someone testing whether they need a full live TV bundle before committing to fuboTV or DirecTV Stream
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about The Roku Channel.
- The free tier does not include major broadcast network live feeds or sports in most markets, so it does not replace a bundle like fuboTV or DirecTV Stream for live sports or local news.
- Assembling several premium add-ons individually can add up to a similar or higher monthly cost than a bundled live TV service, without the same single unified guide.
- It depends on advertising to stay free, so the on-demand and live library carries ad breaks that paid competitors without ads do not have on certain content.
- Channel and content availability shifts fairly often as licensing deals change, so a title or channel available one month may not be the next.
- It is most tightly integrated with Roku hardware; the experience on other platforms, while functional, is a secondary product to Roku hardware itself.
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of The Roku Channel
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- The Roku ChannelvsfuboTV
fuboTV: If sports coverage is the priority and you want it bundled into one subscription
- The Roku ChannelvsRoku
Roku: If you are looking for the Roku device and platform itself rather than its free content service
Pricing
What The Roku Channel costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
The Roku Channel
Free
- Free live linear channels
- Free ad-supported on-demand library
- No sports or major broadcast network feeds included
Premium add-ons
On request
- Individually priced channels such as Starz or Showtime
- Sports and news bundles priced separately
- Billed per add-on, not as one package
Capabilities
Features
Free ad-supported live channels
Dozens of live linear channels at no cost, funded by advertising
On-demand library
Free movies and TV shows supported by ads, no rental fee
Premium channel add-ons
Individual paid subscriptions to Starz, Showtime, sports and other bundles
Cross-platform app
Available on Roku devices and as a standalone app elsewhere
No Roku hardware required
The app works on non-Roku devices, separate from owning a Roku player or TV
Unified billing
Add-on subscriptions billed through the same Roku account
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
Is The Roku Channel the same as owning a Roku device?
No, Roku the device platform is a separate product; The Roku Channel is the free content service that runs on it and elsewhere.
Does it include sports?
Not in the free tier; sports are available only through separately priced add-on subscriptions.
Do I need Roku hardware to use it?
No, the app is also available on iOS, Android, Fire TV and other platforms.
Keep looking
Where to go from The Roku Channel
- The Roku Channel alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
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- The Roku Channel badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
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Compare The Roku Channel with
- DirecTV Stream
- fuboTV
- Philo
- Pluto TV
- Hulu
- IMDb TV (Freevee)
- Tubi
- Infuse
- IINA
- mpv
- Maya
- DirecTV Stream
- fuboTV
- Philo
- Paramount+
- ESPN+
- IINA
- mpv
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for The Roku Channel, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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