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The Ultimate Cable TV Alternatives

I keep this post continuously updated as new information is available, so check back often. This guide was last updated with information on the new Amazon Fire TV 4K and Roku 4 on October 31st, 2015.

This guide is meant to be a comprehensive resource of Cable TV Alternatives you can use to watch TV without a cable or satellite subscription. Not only will I cover accessing your favorite cable TV show, but how to get local channels without cable as well.

This guide is comprised of two sections providing specific information on how to replace cable TV with affordable internet streaming solutions and an antenna for picking up digital over the air TV signals. The first section is an overview of getting rid of cable by using affordable cable TV alternatives. The second is an in depth look at the options available teaching you how to watch TV without a cable or satellite subscription.

Easiest Way to Cut the Cord

With so many options available to cut the cord, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. This provides the best and simplest options currently available to get rid of cable. If you are looking for a little more detail you can always check out the section labeled How to Watch TV without Cable for a more in depth look.

Streaming Device and Services

You may already have a streaming device or a Smart TV, so I’m going to cover the services first. I’ll cover streaming devices in a moment.

Content Subscriptions

If you want the ability to watch cable TV programming without the contract, you can sign up for Sling TV and get a free Roku Stick. Sling TV also offers a free 7 day trial to try their service.

Sling TV is easy to set up, and they offer most of the top networks on cable like AMC, TBS, History, and much more for $20 a month without a contract commitment. They also provide HBO for an additional $15 per month. If you are curious about all that’s available, here is a breakdown of Sling TV Channels and the On-Demand offerings with each one. This article also contains a section on the streaming devices that support Sling TV.

If you want to watch Prime Time TV, I recommend a subscription to CBS All Access, andHulu. These services will provide you with current prime time shows on the Major Networks like ABC, FOX, NBC, and CBS. Current TV Shows are available 1 day after their initial airing. For more information check out my review of this CBS Online Streaming Service.

Subscribing to these channels eliminate the need to DVR Prime Time TV shows as they allow you to stream quite a few weeks of recent episodes on Demand.

Aside from current prime time content, they both offer vast libraries of past seasons of hit shows from both network and cable TV. You can check out CBS All Access through this free trial.

For movies and vast libraries of TV content prior to the current season, I recommend getting the 30 day free trial to Amazon Prime. Not only do you have access to stream over 40,000 hit movies and TV shows, but you get free music, books and unlimited photo storage as well.

Your membership also includes free 2 day shipping from Amazon.com regardless of the order size. Some metropolitan areas actually offer free 2 hour shipping. For more information check out all the benefits you receive with Amazon Prime.

Don’t Forget the Free Content

While the pay subscriptions offer the most content, there are also a few quality channels online that deliver free movies and TV. I recommend you check out ConTV if you like cult classics and B movies.

The channel is geared towards fans of Comic Books, Sci-Fi, Anime, and Horror, but there is something for everyone. For more information, read my review of ConTV. It’s free so you should give it try and see what you think.

You should also check out Crackle, Popcorn Flix, Shout Factory TV, or a host of otheroptions for free TV online.

Other Options

Services like Netflix are also an option. Both Amazon Prime and Netflix are excellent services, but all the benefits with Amazon Prime make it hard to pass up. Both offer free trials so you can try the services before choosing.

There are also new services like KlowdTV that are really embracing the idea of customer choice. They are giving customers the choice of subscribing to genres of channels for as little as $5 a month. There is currently a 7 day free trial for KlowdTV available.

For more details on other content services you can jump ahead to: Subscription Services to Replace Cable TV or check out my post on the best streaming services based on your viewing habits.

The Best Streaming Device

If you have a device that provides access the major services like CBS All Access, Hulu, and Amazon then you may not need a streaming device for your television. However, if you are looking to purchase a device, I recommend the new Roku 4. For a more fundamental understanding of the device, see my post on what Roku is and how it works.

Retailing at $129, it’s pound for pound, the best streamer on the market, and supports the new 4K UHD video resolution. You can check out my review of the Roku 4 for more information.

With a Roku 4, you can get CBS All Access and Hulu to provide ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox shows on demand, allowing many to forgo a personal DVR. Furthermore, it supports almost every streaming service you can think of. So channels that like PBS that offer free streaming of their programming can simply be downloaded to your Roku 4.

While I recommend Roku 4 you may be interested in some other options. If that’s the case, you can check out the section on Streaming Devices below.

Internet Speed to Cut the Cord

To run these services, you will need an internet connection of 10 Mbps or more to stream movies and TV programs from the Internet to your television. You can stream video with less, but I find it’s a bit tedious. Personally, I have a 50 Mbps connection. My advice is to try and keep this cost under $60 per month.

Ideally you want an unlimited data cap. Streaming video requires downloading large amounts of data. One HD full length movie is about 1 gigabyte of data. That adds up quickly. If unlimited data isn’t available from an internet service provider, you will need to be conscious of how much data you are using monthly.

TV Antenna

I’ve covered streaming prime time TV and major cable networks, but what about local news and special network events? If you want to watch things like the Academy Awards and your local NFL teams games every Sunday, you may want to get a TV antenna.

A TV antenna allows you to watch free broadcast TV, with access to networks like NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and more. The over the air broadcast TV available changes depending on where you live in relation to your closest TV towers. Thankfully, antenna maker Mohu has put together a tool that shows you which TV channels are available in your area. They also show which channels you should expect to receive for each of their antennas.

If you have stations available that you can receive with an indoor antenna I recommend going with an amplified Mohu Curve (Enter promo code “super25” at checkout for 25% off). Not everyone will need an amplifier, but it’s a separate component that you can choose to leave out if deemed unnecessary.

When I first reviewed the Mohu Leaf, I thought it was the best indoor antenna I’d ever tested. I now find The Mohu Curve equals the Leaf in function, yet it’s more pleasing to the eye. For more details, see this Mohu Curve Review.

However, if you aren’t close enough to the TV towers to use an indoor antenna you may need an outdoor solution. Furthermore, todays digital TV signals require a TV with a digital tuner. If your TV was made before 2007, it may not have one.

For solutions to these issues, check out How To Get Local Channels Without Cable in the expanded guide below.

Concerned About A Home Phone?

Many rely on their cable provider for home phone service. Like most of their services it can replaced with a much cheaper internet based service. For those who need a little more than a cell phone after they ditch their cable TV subscription, I recommend Broadvoice. They are an affordable and reliable home phone service provider that uses your existing internet connection.

There are plenty of options out there to provide a phone solution after you cut the cord. For more information check out my article on inexpensive home phone options.

What About Sports and News?

If all the sports you need are on your local broadcast TV channels, then you have nothing to worry about once you have an antenna. Otherwise I recommend taking a look at the full guide in the How to Watch TV without Cable section for a better idea of the options available.

Catching the news is no different, check out my post on how to watch news without cable. The diversity of available options is quite surprising.

Cable TV Alternative Cost:

The costs of the cable TV alternative described above breaks down as follows:

• Roku 4, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV – $99 – $149 one-time cost
• Subscription Services – about $17 a month
• Internet access – at most $60 per month
• TV antenna – a one-time $80 cost

This equates to a $179 startup cost, and a monthly payment of $77 for internet, TV and Movies. That’s much cheaper than the average cable bill in the U.S. Using streaming based cable TV substitutes reduced my family’s entertainment cost by half.

To get an idea of the money you can save by getting rid of cable TV, I recommend checking out our Cord Cutting Calculator. Once you read the information in this guide, you can return to the calculator and plug in the numbers for your optimal cord cutting solution.

This quick start section is meant for those that don’t want to wade through every little option. The solution laid out here will be suitable for the majority of would be cord cutters. For those that want a better overview of options available on the market, continue with the full guide below.

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The Ultimate Cable TV Alternatives

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