Comparison
Best IPTV Services in the US: Licensed Options Compared
By CatchON TV Support TeamPublished
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The best IPTV service for you depends on whether you need licensed US networks, how many screens you use and your budget. Among licensed live-TV services we checked on October 1, 2026, YouTube TV lists $82.99 a month for 100+ channels and Philo $25 a month for 70+ channels. Low-cost IPTV subscriptions cost less but rarely document their licensing.
Disclosure and method
We compared services on criteria from our IPTV subscription checklist: licensing, price, channels, simultaneous streams, recording and trial terms.
IPTV in the USA at a glance
| Question | Short answer for the US |
|---|---|
| Is IPTV legal in the USA? | The technology is. Running an unlicensed streaming service for profit can be a felony; see Is IPTV legal? |
| Legal IPTV providers in the USA | Live-TV streaming services with network carriage deals, such as those compared below |
| Free options | An antenna for local stations, plus networks’ own apps (below) |
| Typical price | Licensed live TV: tens of dollars a month. Low-cost IPTV subscriptions: much less, with undocumented licensing |
| 4K | About 15 Mbps per 4K stream; see what 4K IPTV needs |
Outside the US, the rules and free alternatives differ. See IPTV in the UK and IPTV in Canada.
Two very different kinds of IPTV service
| Licensed live-TV streaming | Low-cost IPTV subscriptions | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | YouTube TV, Philo, Sling TV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV | Many resellers, including services sold as CatchON TV |
| Licensing | Carriage agreements with networks; publicly documented | Rarely documented; legality depends on rights held |
| Price | Tens of dollars a month | Usually much lower |
| App | Own official app in major stores | Third-party player apps |
| Channel range | Mainly national networks for one country | Often international, but undocumented |
That legal gap is not academic. In 2025 the US Department of Justice announced prison sentences for the operators of Jetflicks, an unlicensed subscription service (DOJ), and the Protecting Lawful Streaming Act makes running such a service a felony (overview). See Is IPTV legal? for details.
Licensed live-TV services compared
| Service | Price (base plan) | Channels | Screens at once | Recording | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube TV | $82.99/mo (new-customer promo: $59.99/mo for the first 2 months) | 100+ | 3 | Unlimited DVR | 21 days for $0 (promo shown) |
| Philo | $25/mo (Essential) | 70+ | Up to 3 | Unlimited, kept 1 year | 7 days |
Prices and offers change often and can vary by location. Confirm on the official site before subscribing. YouTube TV also lists a cheaper sports-and-news plan.
Other licensed options to check
These are established US live-TV streaming services. We couldn’t confirm their current prices from their official pages on the date above, so we list them without figures rather than repeat numbers from other blogs:
- Sling TV (sling.com): lower-cost packages built around channel bundles.
- Fubo (fubo.tv): sport-focused live TV.
- Hulu + Live TV (hulu.com): live TV combined with Hulu’s on-demand library.
- DIRECTV STREAM (directv.com): satellite-style packages delivered over the internet.
Where CatchON TV fits
| CatchON TV | |
|---|---|
| Price | $20/month or $75/year (1 device); plans up to 4 devices |
| Channels | International line-up; no published count (see why in our channels guide) |
| App | Third-party IPTV player apps |
| Trial | 24-hour trial on request |
| Licensing | Not documented on this site |
CatchON TV costs less than the licensed services above, but it doesn’t document licensing and depends on third-party apps. Our CatchON TV review covers the trade-offs, and how to check channels before buying explains why we don’t publish a channel count.
Free and legal options in the US
If you mainly want local channels, you may not need a subscription. Local stations broadcast free over the air, and the FCC’s guide explains choosing an antenna and running a channel scan (FCC). Many networks also stream some programmes in their own apps. A free option, combined with one on-demand service, covers a lot of households for little money.
Alternatives to CatchON TV
If documented licensing matters more to you than price, the services in the comparison above are the main alternatives in the US. If you mainly want a few networks, check whether those networks offer their own streaming apps. Many do, and an over-the-air antenna remains a free option for local channels.
Which IPTV service should you choose?
| If you… | Look at |
|---|---|
| Need specific US networks with clear licensing | The licensed services above |
| Want a lower monthly price with licensing | Philo was the lower-priced of the two services we verified |
| Watch on several screens at once | Simultaneous-stream limits, as listed |
| Want international channels at a low price | CatchON TV and similar services, after reading Is CatchON TV legal? |
Whatever you choose, test first. Our free-trial checklist works for any service, and CatchON TV plans are on the pricing page. New to the topic? Start with what IPTV is.
Sources
- YouTube TV plans and pricing — YouTube TV (official site) (accessed )
- Philo plans and pricing — Philo (official site) (accessed )
- Protecting Lawful Streaming Act — Wikipedia (accessed )
- Five Defendants Sentenced in Connection with Operating One of the Largest Illegal Television Show Streaming Services in the United States (July 22, 2025) — U.S. Department of Justice (accessed )
- Antennas and Digital Television — Federal Communications Commission (accessed )
See what a CatchON TV plan includes and how the trial works.
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