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YouTube TV vs Hulu Review: Which Plan Should You Pick?

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Youtube TV vs Hulu

Streaming services have certainly replaced the traditional cable usage in my life. The moment I reach home I want to freshen up, have a good meal, and enjoy my daily dose of entertainment. My streaming experience is all about watching my favorite series and movie night on the weekends. My children are sports enthusiasts, so I won’t deny I need a streaming service that offers it all. 

Despite the popularity of these two titans in the world of streaming, replacing my traditional cable pack with one of these alternatives was a hard decision. I spoke with my dear friend who was also planning to switch to a streaming service and we decided to buy one of them and experience the best of both worlds. I purchased YouTube TV while he shopped for Hulu + Live TV streaming service. 

Having explored them both for months now, I can finally sum up a comparison review for shoppers like you. I hope this YouTube vs Hulu review will spare you the trouble of hunting the entire web and prevent you from making the wrong streaming service investment. 

YouTube TV: An Overview

Since the launch of YouTube TV, it has made traditional cable usage a thing of the past. I enjoyed accessing more than hundreds of channels on YouTube TV. My 16-year-old son can never go a day without watching sports, and YouTube TV certainly lived up to his expectations of the best sports streaming service. 

YouTube TV offers excellent value to me because it offers promotions every now and then, unlike Hulu + Live TV. I enjoyed a better simultaneous movie-watching experience on YouTube TV. The best part was when my son got a good discount on the NFL Sunday Ticket. He is a football enthusiast and never misses watching the game. 

Hulu + Live TV: An Overview

One of the best streaming services, Hulu + Live TV, ensured my friend does not have to compromise on the major broadcast networks and enjoys multiple simultaneous streams.  My friend got access to Hulu, Disney Plus, and even ESPN Plus with the Package. He is an absolute movie buff, which is one reason why I am sure he never missed on the upcoming movies of Hulu Live. 

Hulu + Live TV did not disappoint my friend in terms of channels. He enjoys watching dozens of channels that are not even available with my YouTube TV subscription, like The History Channel, Lifetime, and Vice, amongst others. He thoroughly checked the channel availability on Hulu + Live TV before investing money in the service. The East and West Coast feeds for certain channels offered by Hulu + Live TV only took his experience to the next level. 

What Makes YouTube TV Special: Why I Love It Over Hulu + Live TV

  • Larger Selection of Channels: The overall channel count of YouTube TV is more compared to Hulu + Live TV. I enjoy better value for money with my YouTube TV subscription. 
  • Better Value for Money: Apart from a large selection of channels, YouTube TV even offered my son a significant discount on NFL Sunday tickets. Football enthusiasts can certainly enjoy a more exciting game-watching experience with YouTube TV. 
  • More Simultaneous Streams: YouTube TV also offers one more simultaneous stream compared to Hulu + Live TV streaming service. 
  • Onscreen Menu To Describe Picture Quality: As a YouTube TV base plan user I missed enjoying the 4K streaming experience. However, an onscreen menu does have the user check the picture quality rates every now and then. 
  • Better Viewing Experience: I relish more data-driven content, like scores and stats for sports, with YouTube TV’s menus. Hulu + Live TV does not catch up on the big moments as YouTube TV’s Key Plays feature does.

Hulu + Live TV: Why My Friend Plans to Keep It

  • Excellent Value: Hulu + Live TV allows my friend to enjoy bundled streaming services apart from its live TV service, including Disney Plus and ESPN Plus apart from Hulu. 
  • East, West Coast Feeds: My friend is always telling me how he can watch shows along with his friends living in the East. Watching Discovery, Animal Planet, and TNT, amongst other channels, has become a wholesome experience for him lately. 
  • Best For Streaming Movies and Shows: Movie buffs and show binge watching enthusiasts can find peace with the Hulu + Live TV streaming service any day. 

YouTube vs Hulu + Live TV: Key Differences

Features YouTube TV Hulu + Live TV
Starting Price $82.99 $82.99 With Ads
Channels (Starting Package) 100+ Channels 95+ Channels, ESPN Plus w/ ads, Disney Plus w/ ads, Hulu w/ ads
On-Demand Library Limited Extensive (Has Hulu Originals)
DVR Space Unlimited Unlimited
Simultaneous Streams 3 (Pay Additional Fee For Unlimited) 2 (Pay Additional Fee For Unlimited)
Free Trial Yes Yes
Device Support Compatibility With More Number Of Devices Less Compatible (Check Before Buying)

Frequent Price Changes: A Challenge I Am Facing with YouTube TV

I found out YouTube TV has a big problem: frequent price changes. One reason why YouTube TV will not always fit into a shopper’s budget is because of its frequent changes in subscription service price.

Doesn’t Rewind Ad Break: A Challenge My Friend Is Facing with Hulu + Live TV

I found out Hulu + Live TV’s base plan has a weird bug. My friend showed how while watching the live TV on his laptop, he was not able to rewind through the ad break. He is seeing this happen a lot frequently now and believes it is a flaw, not just a glitch. 

YouTube TV Criticism and Areas of Improvement

The YouTube TV team needs to work on occasional price increase issues. They can launch multi-stream options for customers at different price tiers. The not so limited channel availability barely covers up for the cluttered user interface that only makes the experience more cumbersome.

Hulu + Live TV Criticism and Areas of Improvement

The streaming glitches reported by users of Hulu + Live TV need to be taken seriously and repaired sooner before it significantly disrupts the overall user experience. They need to work on making the user experience more desirable and less challenging to navigate.

Verdict

I can say my YouTube TV base plan meets all my expectations and has made life interesting for me and my son who is a hardcore sports enthusiast. I feel YouTube TV is only getting better every day. I will not shop for the Hulu + Live TV streaming service base plan priced equivalently because it lacks benefits like compatibility with more devices. Hulu + Live TV is only for movie buffs and show streamers, while YouTube TV has even become a sports haven for enthusiasts.