Hulu Live TV costs $82.99 a month but the exact price will depend on the base plan chosen, as well as whether any additional premium features are added.
Hulu offers more than one live TV streaming plan and knowing the difference between the different packages can help to ensure an individual or household is paying the right price for the right plan.
Here is a summary of the main differences between the different variations of Hulu’s base live TV plan.
| Standard | Live TV Only | No Ads | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price p/m | $83 | $82 | $96 |
| Live TV | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Unlimited DVR | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Basic Hulu | ✔ | X | ✔ (ad-free) |
| Disney+ | ✔ | X | ✔ (ad-free) |
| ESPN+ | ✔ | X | ✔ |
Hulu’s standard Live TV Plan
Hulu’s standard Live TV plan costs $82.99 a month and provides access to a good selection of news, sports and entertainment channels. In total, the base subscription unlocks access to more than 100 live TV channels.
Hulu Live TV Channels List
Everything included with the base plan
In addition, Hulu Live TV subscribers also get access to basic Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+ for free. Considering these on-demand subscriptions typically cost between $9 and $12 each per month, the inclusion of all three results in some seriously good value overall. This is especially the case for families and larger households that might already be subscribing to these services anyway.
At $82.99 a month, Hulu Live TV is also competitively priced when compared to other premium live TV services. For example, YouTube TV costs $82.99 a month, DirecTV costs a minimum of $89.99 a month, and Fubo costs a minimum of $84.99 a month.
Although the likes of Sling TV and Philo are considerable cheaper, both also offer fewer channels overall.
The other main benefits included with Hulu’s standard Live TV package is an unlimited cloud DVR, and the ability to stream on up to two devices at the same time.
For those that need to stream on more than two devices at the same time, Hulu offers an Unlimited Screens add-on, which costs an extra $9.99/mo.
Hulu’s ‘Live TV Only’ plan
The standard Hulu Live TV plan is likely to be the subscription most people naturally sign up for. After all, subscribers not only get more than 100 live TV channels, but also access to basic Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+ as well.
However, Hulu also offers a live TV package that’s exactly $1 a month cheaper. Although there is no difference between the $81.99 and $82.99 plans in terms of the live channels, the slightly cheaper plan doesn’t come with on-demand access to basic Hulu, Disney+ or ESPN+.
Considering subscribers only save $1 a month with this plan, they do lose access to a considerable amount of content. For this reason, this package is not one we would normally recommend.
At the same time, $1 is still $1, and for those looking to save on the cost of live TV, signing up for this package will result in a saving of $12 over the course of a full year.
Hulu (No Ads) Live TV explained
In addition to the standard and Live TV Only packages, Hulu also offers a ‘No Ads’ version of its live TV plan. However, as the ‘No Ads’ plan doesn’t work exactly how some might expect, it is worth understanding what a subscriber gets (and doesn’t get) before paying the $95.99 monthly asking price for this package.
As live TV is live, companies like Hulu have no control over the ads that are shown. In other words, opting for the ‘No Ads’ subscription won’t remove the ads from any live content. This package also won’t remove the ads from recorded content, as those commercials are recorded along with the rest of the video.
Instead, the ‘No Ads’ benefit only applies to the basic Hulu and Disney+ add-ons.
In addition to its live TV plans, Hulu offers the option to sign up to its basic Hulu plan as a standalone subscription. How much basic Hulu costs depends on whether a subscriber wants to see ads.
For example, while the ad-supported version comes in at $9.99 a month, the ad-free version increases the cost to $18.99 a month. Similarly, a standalone Disney+ subscription costs $9.99/mo with ads and $15.99/mo without ads.
In exactly the same way, the ‘Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV’ plan removes the ads when watching content from the basic Hulu library as well as the Disney+ library. However, it also increases the price of the base live TV package.
With this in mind, upgrading to the more expensive ‘No Ads’ Live TV plan is only going to be worth it for households that want to watch on-demand basic Hulu and Disney+ videos without having to sit through ad breaks.
How much is Hulu Live TV summary
The standard, and main, Hulu Live TV package costs $82.99 a month. However, subscribers can opt to save $1 each month by subscribing to the $81.99 ‘Live TV Only’ plan.
As the name suggests, this slightly cheaper subscription only provides access to the service’s live TV channels and doesn’t include any on-demand content from basic Hulu, Disney+ or ESPN+.
Otherwise, the two plans provide the same experience in general, including access to the same DVR, number of simultaneous streams, and add-on options.
Streaming Better Rating
In addition to these two base plans, Hulu also offers a Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV plan which increases the price to $95.99 a month. Although this is considered an ad-free subscription, the No Ads plan only removes commercials from on-demand basic Hulu and Disney+ videos, not any live TV, recorded videos, or ESPN+ programming.
Which subscription option is best will largely depend on the needs of the household. In general, the standard $82.99 package offers the best value overall, and is likely to be the best option for most homes.
However, if there isn’t a need for the additional subscriptions that come bundled with Hulu Live TV, the option to save $1 each month with the Live TV Only plan might be the better option.
The Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV plan is only really suitable for those that plan to watch ad-free basic Hulu and Disney+.
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