Often called a “skinny bundle” provider, Philo gives you affordable access to entertainment and lifestyle channels. As highlighted in our Philo review, this live TV streaming service doesn’t let you watch sports. Instead, it offers the perfect alternative to cable for those whose sole interest lies in reality shows and other types of entertainment programming.
With that said, you’ll want to find out the full details about Philo’s packages, pricing, and free trial so you can decide whether it’s worth a try. This post takes a deep dive into Philo packages and pricing to help you understand if it’s the right choice for you. And don’t forget to check out our Philo channel list to make sure that it has everything you need before you decide to sign up.
Philo is definitely the cheapest way to enjoy cable channels after you’ve cut the cord. Besides offering 55+ cable channels are included for just $20 per month, Philo TV also provides unlimited cloud-DVR.
How much does Philo cost?
Philo has a single package that gives you access to 58 channels for $20/mo. This makes it one of the most affordable live TV streaming options in the market.
| Philo | |
| Monthly price | $20 |
| Free trial length | 7 days |
| Number of channels | 58 |
| Cloud DVR storage | Unlimited for 30 days |
| Number of simultaneous streams | 3 |
| Live sports available | No |
| Number of user profiles per account | 10 |
Philo packages and pricing
After discontinuing its most affordable, $16/mo. package in May 2019, Philo has now consolidated everything into a single option that contains 58 channels and costs $20/mo. While this simplifies the service for many users, some might find the single-plan approach a bit limiting.
With this sole Philo plan, you get access to leading entertainment and lifestyle channels such as A&E, AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery, Food Network, HGTV, Nickelodeon and VH1 to name a few. For those who don’t watch sports, this expansive lineup can pretty much meet all your streaming needs.
In spite of its low price tag, Philo still packs a punch when it comes to features and offerings. In line with other streaming services, it lets you stream from up to three devices at a time. It even comes with unlimited cloud DVR storage that lets you record live TV programming and keep saved content for up to 30 days. This makes Philo a strong contender in the live TV streaming market because most of the competition will let you record only a few hours of live programming.
Considering all these factors, $20/mo. is quite a steal, especially for those who mainly watch entertainment programming and don’t care much for sports. That means you get to watch your favorite shows for less than half the price of an average cable subscription. Alternately, it’s a great option for those who already have a solid sports package and want an entertainment service to complete their streaming experience.
Philo add-ons
While Philo doesn’t offer much in terms of add-ons, it lets you add premium a-la-carte channels to your plan. And it occasionally runs limited period deals so you can get premium channels for a lower price. At the time of writing this post, the service only offers two premium channels – EPIX and STARZ – as add-on options. To get a complete picture of the other channels in Philo’s default package, check out our Philo channel list.
EPIX
Philo gives you the option to upgrade your subscription with an EPIX add-on for an additional $6/mo. This add-on comes with three premium channels – EPIX, EPIX2 and EPIX Hits, so you can watch comedy specials, documentaries, box office hits, original series and trending movies.
Some of the popular titles in the EPIX library include Belgravia, Child’s Play, Godfather of Harlem, Pennyworth, Rocketman, The Avengers, Thelma & Louise and Thor. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get this add-on at a specially reduced price, which Philo occasionally offers for a limited time. Plus, you can even try it for free for seven days to see if it’s something you want to keep paying for.
STARZ
Additionally, Philo also offers the STARZ add-on for an additional $9/mo. With this add-on, you can upgrade your existing Philo subscription to include premium channels like STARZ, STARZ ENCORE and STARZ Kids & Family. This gives you access to classic movies, current box office hits and original series as well as family-friendly content, making it perfect for households with children.
The STARZ content library includes blockbusters like A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood, MIB: International, Spiderman: Far From Home, Venom and Zombieland: Double Tap. And you can also tune into popular TV series such as American Gods, High Town, Luther, Magic City and Outlander. Plus, there’s a bunch of programming that the kids will love such as, Madeline, Nanny McPhee, The Adventures of Paddington Bear and The Tale of Despereaux.
Like with the EPIX add-on, Philo occasionally runs special discounts on STARZ. And you have the option to try it out for free for seven days to see if it’s worth the additional $9/mo.
Philo pricing compared
Among the most popular live TV streaming services, Philo offers the lowest pricing, which makes it a great option for those who need a low-cost alternative to cable. At the same time, its limitations on sports programming may be a major drawback for those who regularly tune into live sporting event broadcasts.
Sling TV comes close with plans starting at $30/mo. The basic Sling Blue and Sling Orange plans may cost the same, but they have different channel lineups so subscribers can choose a package that works best for their streaming needs.
Blue offers 50+ channels, while Orange only offers 30+, but you can also get both for $45/mo. instead. Though it costs slightly more than Philo and has a slimmer channel lineup, Sling TV has some advantage over Philo when it comes to sports programming. It offers a handful of sports channels such as ESPN, NBC Sports and NFL Network. But considering the price difference and additional perks like unlimited cloud DVR, Philo still wins for entertainment fans.
At $49.99/mo., YouTube TV costs twice as much as Philo. And with a single package that offers 70+ channels, it isn’t that far off from Philo’s offering. Like Philo, it even offers unlimited cloud DVR storage, though YouTube TV keeps the recordings for up to nine months. The biggest difference is the wide selection of sports channels and premium add-ons available with YouTube TV.
Hulu + Live TV is another popular alternative, but it costs quite a bit more than Philo at $54.99/mo. This gives you access to 65+ channels, so it doesn’t fall too far behind with its content offering, especially since it has a much more expansive selection of sports programming. The service comes with top sports channels such as ESPN, ESPN College Extra, FOX Sports, Golf Channel and NBC Sports Network. Plus, you also get to watch movies and shows from the entire Hulu streaming library.
For about the same price as a Hulu + Live TV subscription, you can also get fuboTV. This service could easily be the antithesis of Philo as it mainly focuses on sports programming, offering channels such as CBS Sports Network, FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Sports, Olympic Channel and more.
And it still has a decent selection of entertainment and news programming, with a total of 100+ channels under the Standard plan. Even then, Philo has some advantages over fuboTV feature-wise. For instance, fuboTV only offers 30 hours of cloud DVR storage and up to two simultaneous streams. So it all depends on what’s important to you and which service offers the kind of features you need and programming you like.
Sign up for a Philo free trial
Like most streaming services, Philo lets you get a feel of what it offers with a one-week free trial. This is a great way to assess the most crucial factors like channel offering, streaming quality, user interface and experience and more. So you can really immerse yourself into the Philo streaming experience before you decide to invest in it.
Although Philo offers the same free trial length as most of its competitors, it stands apart with its approach. Instead of having to submit your billing information to try out the service, you can sign up for a free trial using only your email address or phone number. This gives you 48 hours of free access, after which you’ll need to submit your billing info to continue the rest of your trial.
Most streaming services will ask for your payment or credit card information to activate your free trial, which may be irksome to a few. Philo takes a two-tier approach so that you only need to provide this type of sensitive info if you want to continue your free trial. But in case you don’t like what it offers, make sure you cancel before the trial ends so you don’t get charged.
The takeaway
With affordability on its side, Philo provides the perfect solution for those who want a low-cost alternative to cable. In case you don’t watch sports and mostly binge on the kind of programming that Philo offers, you might not even need to subscribe to any other streaming service. But even if you need it as a supplementary service to complement your sports streaming package, the price tag makes Philo an excellent option.
And since you don’t even need your credit card info to try it out, make sure you sign up for a Philo free trial today. You could even try other options like fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV to see which one makes the most sense for your streaming needs.
Philo is definitely the cheapest way to enjoy cable channels after you’ve cut the cord. Besides offering 55+ cable channels are included for just $20 per month, Philo TV also provides unlimited cloud-DVR.
