Fubo vs. YouTube TV: Which streaming service reigns supreme?

Fubo and YouTube TV compared

Fubo vs. YouTube TV content

While there’s a decent amount of overlap between the channel lineups of these two services, a closer look reveals some major differences. Fubo's channel lineup is larger than YouTube TV's, featuring hundreds of channels across its three main plans and add-on options. However, while Fubo does include many popular news and entertainment networks, many of its selections are small niche channels, while major ones like BBC, CNN, TBS and TNT are missing.

Fubo’s lineup is also heavily w eighted toward sports, and it comes out ahead of YouTube TV for big-time fans. Even Fubo's basic plan features more than 30 sports channels, including regional sports networks (RSNs) for most markets. This bonus does jack up the price, as all plans tack on a regional sports fee of up to $14.99 on top of the base price. Still, Fubo is the cheapest way to score this much sports action — and you can get even more with upgrades and add-ons.

YouTube TV, meanwhile, offers many of the same news and entertainment networks in its base plan, with options to add a variety of extras. Networks like STARZ and NBA League Pass are available as standalone channels, allowing for a greater degree of personalization than Fubo’s lineup of add-ons, which tend to include prepackaged channel bundles. 

While YouTube TV’s base plan in cludes more than a dozen sports networks, it’s clearly designed for viewers who want a more diverse slate of popular programming. Entertainment is emphasized as much as sports.

Fubo vs. YouTube TV DVR

Fubo and YouTube TV’s cloud DVR storage plans are identical. Both offer unlimited recording space and let you keep your recordings for nine months.

Both services make it fairly easy to record your favorite shows and teams. You can click on the record button on individual programs or easily set it up to record all future episodes of a given show or games for a given team.

Fubo vs. YouTube TV personalization and user experience

Overall, the experience of browsing and streaming content on YouTube TV and Fubo is fairly similar. You can create up to six user profiles on each. Both services let you set your favorite channels, programs and teams. 

YouTube TV allows three devices to stream simultaneously on the basic plan and unlimited streams on the 4K Plus plan. Fubo allows up to 13 devices at once (10 at home and three outside), with the catch that TVs are only allowed to stream in one location at a time. So those three streams outside the home have to be on laptops or mobile devices. 

Parents should be aware that both services leave much to be desired in terms of parental controls. Fubo offers no parental controls at all. YouTube TV at least allows parents to set filters to block any content above a PG rating, but lacks customization features or the ability to lock controls with a PIN. 

Fubo vs. YouTube TV for sports fans

Fubo is the reigning champ of live sports streaming. No other platform offers as many international, national and regional sports options in one package, and you can follow many of the top events here. Not only does Fubo include mainstays like ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports 1 (FS1) and NFL Network, but it also features less common channels like beIN SPORTS, BLEAV, TUDN and Boxing TV. And it has RSNs, which YouTube TV does not. So say for instance you’re a cord-cutter in New York City and you want to watch the Yankees on YES Network — Fubo is how you can do that. 

YouTube TV isn’t a bad option for sports fans, it just has a more limited lineup. You can still watch a lot of national and international action on networks like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FS1 and NFL Network. And unlike Fubo, YouTube TV includes TBS, TNT and truTV, which are must-haves for MLB, NBA and NHL fans. Plus, NFL Sunday Ticket is exclusively available as a YouTube TV add-on. So if having access to every NFL game each week is important to you, you’ll need YouTube TV. 

Which service is best for you?

Depending on what kind of streamer you are, the choice between Fubo and YouTube TV is probably fairly clear. If you want maximum live sports — especially local ones — and are willing to pay a little more, Fubo is right for you. However, if you’d rather have a well-rounded entertainment lineup in a less expensive package, YouTube TV may be the better choice.

What does the online community have to say?

Online forums make these points about Fubo:

• Fubo provides access to comprehensive sports channels
• Fubo has MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, NFL Network with reasonably priced quarterly payments for your subscription
• Access to local regional sports networks (e.g., Bally Sports for Braves)
• Fubo offers a better bang for your buck, especially for sports fans
• Online forums think Fubo streams with better video quality 
• Fubo can offer 4K streaming options, though consumers note that 4K recording is limited
• Mostly smooth streaming, with little buffering issues

Online forums make these points about YouTube TV:

• A more limited sports channel selection—it's noted that YouTube TV lacks the MLB and NHL networks
• YouTube TV struggles with the availability of regional sports channels
• YouTube TV is geared for more causal TV viewers with a slightly better variety of channels
• Frequent price increases (more often than Fubo) due to channel removals and contract changes
• YouTube TV offers 4K streaming, but many online users report more frequent buffering and stuttering issues
• YouTube TV gets high marks from online users for its excellent recording options

FAQ

Is YouTube TV better than Fubo?

In comparing YouTube TV and Fubo, it really comes down to what kind of programming you want. Although there are minor differences in streaming limits and user interface, the biggest distinction between the two platforms is in their channel lineup. Neither is better — they just appeal to different viewers.

What is the downside of Fubo?

Fubo’s biggest downside is its exclusion of some sports-centric cable networks like TBS and TNT, which undermines its purpose a bit. 

Is YouTube TV free with Amazon Prime?

No, YouTube TV is not free with Amazon Prime. You can download the app on your Amazon devices, but you’ll need a subscription to stream YouTube TV content.