Philo review: The best low-cost live TV streaming service just got better with a new $25 plan

If you're pining for basic cable (is life really complete without a daily dose of Chopped?) but don't want to shell out $80-plus every month for the likes of DirecTV or Hulu + Live TV, here's good news: You can watch over 70 live channels — good, familiar ones — for just $25. That already makes Philo the most affordable live-TV option you can get (and one of the best live TV streaming services, period), but there's a new option that makes it even sweeter: Philo Bundle.

For just $8 more, you can add AMC+, Discovery+ and HBO Max (with ads). That's a pretty considerable value. But even if you don't choose that option, your Philo subscription includes an extensive catalog of on-demand content and unlimited DVR.

So what's the catch? You don't get news or local channels, and sports are limited to HBO Max's roster (which is actually pretty solid). Understandably, these may be dealbreakers for some. But if you don't care about that stuff, it's hard to dispute the value of this service. Here's my Philo review.

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Philo

VERDICT: Philo scratches the basic-cable itch for a surprisingly low price, with over 70 live-streaming channels, unlimited DVR and an excellent upgrade option. And while a few areas of its interface still need work, it's much better than before.

Pros

• Over 70 basic-cable channels
• $8 bundle adds AMC+, Discovery+ and HBO Max
• Improved user interface
• Large library of on-demand movies and shows
• Unlimited DVR
• Optional totally free service with 120 thematic channels

Cons

• No local or sports channels; very little news
• HBO and Discovery access require separate apps
• No parental controls

Starting at $25 per month at Philo

Plans and pricing: What does Philo cost?

Until recently, Philo had just one plan — Philo Core — and it was $33, including everything. That's now the Philo Bundle; what's "new" is Philo Essential, which for $25 gives you just the cable channels.

I like this. It's an even-cheaper-than-before option for people who want only the basics, or a very worthwhile set of extras for just $8 more. Heck, HBO Max with ads would cost you $11 all by itself. Just take note that that service and Discovery+ aren't integrated into Philo; you'll activate and sign into their respective apps using your Philo credentials. That's not necessarily a bad thing, especially considering the less-than-stellar interface (read on).

Philo proper nets you 70-plus cable channels — A&E, AMC, Comedy Central, Food Network, History, Nickelodeon and lots more among them — without limits or restrictions. (If you subscribe to Philo Bundle, AMC+ content will appear here as well. Same for the four channels under that service's umbrella: IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder, Sundance Now and The Walking Dead.) You can also add various optional extras, including MGM+ and Starz, for an additional fee.

For families, the Philo lineup features Animal Planet, Discovery Family, Hallmark Family and four Nickelodeon channels. Unfortunately, there are no parental controls, something to consider if you're a Bundle subscriber hoping to keep kids away from the likes of horror channel Shudder.

And to repeat: There's little news, no sports and no local stations. (BBC News and Cheddar News are included in Philo's freebie selection, detailed below, so although you're not getting any of the major networks, Philo isn't 100% news-less. And HBO Max does offer some sports content now, including baseball, basketball and hockey.) It's worth noting you may be able to tune in local stations by way of an antenna, and there are plenty of ways to stream news for free. (I like Pluto, one of our top free streaming services.)

Speaking of free, there's a zero-cost option available here as well: Philo Free Channels, a collection of around 120 other channels, most of them thematic: AMC Thrillers, The Baywatch Channel, Comedy Dynamics, Nashville, Pickleball TV and so on. It's not unlike the kind of ad-supported selection you see on Pluto, but with some notable exclusives in the mix. For example, you can watch shows like Grace and Frankie, Mad Men, Party Down and Nurse Jackie. (In some cases you get all seasons; in others, a partial selection.) At this writing, selections from the various movie channels included Limitless and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Philo Free Channels even includes DVR, though only 30 days' worth and only for select titles.

So, yeah, even if you don't pay for a subscription, Philo is an app worth having on your TV and mobile devices. Just be prepared for an interface that's a little rough around the edges.

The Philo user experience is improving

I tested two versions of Philo: Google TV and Roku. As I've discovered with other streaming services, there are some subtle differences between the two. For starters, the Google app lets you sign into your account by scanning a QR code; Roku forces you to manually enter your e-mail address via an onscreen keyboard. Here's hoping Roku gets the QR option at some point; it's much quicker and easier.

When I last looked at Philo's interface, early in 2025, it suffered from a drab, overcrowded channel guide and several confusing navigation elements. I'm happy to see the service has made some changes, resulting in a much better user experience overall.

The Home page (above) exhibits large, colorful thumbnails and useful quick-access sections like Keep Watching, Saved and Featured on AMC+. (Again, don't expect HBO or Discovery content here; it's not woven into the Philo UI.) In the Roku version, however, when you scroll your way down, the UI cuts the top and bottom rows in half, leaving only the middle two fully visible. This makes little sense, especially considering that the Google app doesn't have the same issue.

In addition, the main navigation menu spans the top of the screen instead of the side, which is the norm with pretty much every other streaming service because it's easier and more intuitive. Here, that menu disappears when you scroll down. The only way back to it is by scrolling up again — inconvenient if you've made significant southward progress. Thankfully, pressing the Back button on your remote jumps you up top again, restoring the menu's visibility. (Previously, on some pages, pressing Back would take you out of the app altogether, another UI problem I'm glad Philo addressed.) Another smart tweak: The inexplicable "Top" selection is gone from the nav menu, having been replaced by Shows and Movies.

Philo's channel guide has improved considerably, with thinner, more colorful tiles and a bright progress-meter bar for the shows currently airing live. Select a show and you'll get options including Watch Live, Start Over and Save. Return to the guide while you're watching something and the live feed continues in a thumbnail, allowing you to keep watching while browsing. These are all very welcome updates.

In fact, nearly all the complaints I'd previously had about Philo's user interface have been addressed. But one remains: When you choose a program from the channel guide, it automatically starts from the beginning, even if you select "Watch Live" from the menu (see above). There's a toggle in the settings menu that dictates whether this happens or playback starts from the current live position. But when the former is selected, it still says "Watch Live" in the menu, which is confusing. And why even have a "Start Over" option in that menu if the default selection does that anyway?

Philo's search feature works well enough, and I was pleased to see the addition of voice-search support in the Roku app. It still doesn't indicate what parameters you can use (actor names? movie genres?), and when I tried searching for "Tom Cruise," I got no results. Searching for Top Gun, however, produced both the original and the Maverick sequel, so Cruise is in there somewhere.

These few quibbles aside, Philo has made solid strides in fixing its UI issues. What used to be my chief complaint is now barely a complaint at all.

Should you switch to Philo?

This service is an undeniable bargain. With competitors like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV charging $83 and $90 per month, respectively, for a channel selection that's not a whole lot larger, it's nice to see an affordable alternative.

Granted, you'll have to live without sports, local channels or mainstream news networks. But I'm in the group that consumes very little of that kind of content, and I'm guessing I'm not alone. Philo scratches the basic-cable itch in a way that won't break the bank, and for just a few dollars more gives you plenty of premium content to boot.

Update, March 23, 2026: We updated this review to reflect changes in pricing and the addition of Philo's Bundle tier.