Fubo Essential vs Pro: What Happened to the Cheap Plan
By The Spool Editors · Published September 17, 2026 · Updated October 7, 2026
Fubo Essential was built for one thing: skipping the regional sports networks and the fee attached to them. It lasted about four months on the signup page before Fubo pulled it. If you are still on it, you have a plan nobody can buy any more, and the question is whether holding it beats moving. If you are not on it, this page is really about which current plan replaces it.
At a Glance
| Fubo Essential | Fubo Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $85/mo | $79.99/mo |
| Open to new customers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Regional sports networks | ✗ | Up to 40 |
| RSN fee on top | ✗ | $3 to $17 |
| Channel count | Locals plus national cable | 219 |
| Unlimited DVR | ✓ | ✓ |
| Streams at once | 10 | 10 |
| Cheaper plan available | ✗ | Sports and News, $64.99 |
| 4K | ✗ | On Elite |
| Free trial | ✗ | 7 days |
Which One Is Right for You
The Plans That Actually Compete
Essential is a single closed plan. Pro sits in a range that now runs from a skinny sports tier up to Elite. Here is every option currently billable.
Fubo Essential
Fubo Pro
Price Breakdown & Hike History
Essential is $85 a month. Pro is $79.99 plus a regional sports fee of $3 to $17 depending on your market, so the two land within a few dollars of each other in most zip codes and Pro wins outright in markets with few RSNs. Sports and News at $64.99 undercuts both.
Fubo Essential: Essential launched as the regional-sports-free plan, then took the same $5 increase as every other Fubo tier before being closed to new customers.
Fubo Pro: Pro sits at $79.99 in 2026, up from $54.99 two years earlier, and the regional sports fee has climbed alongside it.
Channel Lineups Head-to-Head
Essential carries local stations and national cable and sports networks including ESPN and FS1, without the regional sports networks. Pro carries 219 channels with the RSNs included, and Elite goes to 297 with 4K. Sports and News carries just over 20 sports and broadcast networks, plus ESPN Unlimited access.
Your Local Channels & Your Team's RSN
This is where the decision usually gets made. Both services carry local stations in most markets, but coverage and regional sports vary city by city and team by team.
- Check exactly which service carries your city's ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox with our local channels guide.
- See whether your team's games are on a regional sports network, and who carries it, in our sports streaming guides.
The Features That Decide It
| Feature | Fubo Essential | Fubo Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $85.00/mo | $79.99/mo |
| Free trial | Not offered on reactivation | 7 days |
| Cloud DVR | Unlimited Cloud DVR | Unlimited Cloud DVR |
| Simultaneous streams | Up to 10 | Up to 10 |
| Accounts / profiles | Up to 7 profiles | Up to 7 profiles |
| 4K | No | 4K on Elite and above |
| Regional sports (RSNs) | Excluded, which is the whole point of the plan | Up to 40 regional sports networks, $3 to $17 extra a month |
| Local channels | Included in most markets | Included in most markets |
Add-Ons & Hidden Costs
Fubo Essential add-ons: Sports Plus with NFL RedZone, Fubo Extra, and Premium channels. Essential subscribers keep access to the same add-ons, including Sports Plus with NFL RedZone.
Fubo Pro add-ons: Sports Plus with NFL RedZone, Fubo Extra, International packs, and Premium channels. On Pro the fee to watch for is the regional sports charge, which is billed separately from the advertised price.
How to Try Each One Free
Fubo runs a 7-day free trial on its current plans. Essential does not come with one, since it is only reachable by existing subscribers and reactivations. If you cancel Essential and later reactivate, you can get it back, which is unusual and worth knowing before you cancel anything.
The Cheapest Way to Get What You Want
Look up the regional sports fee for your address first. If it is at the top of the range and you do not watch RSNs, Essential at $85 is defensible. If it is low or your market has no RSNs, Pro at $79.99 is cheaper and carries more. If you only want sports and broadcast channels, Sports and News at $64.99 beats both and throws in ESPN Unlimited.
What Changed Recently
- June 2026: Fubo Latino moved to $19.99 a month.
- September 2, 2025: Fubo launched its skinny Sports and News plan with ESPN Unlimited access included.
- March 2025: Fubo removed Essential from the signup page, about four months after launch. It stays billable for existing subscribers and reactivations.
- March 2025: Fubo pulled Essential from the signup page, leaving Pro as the cheapest full plan.
Fubo Essential vs Fubo Pro FAQ
- Can I still sign up for Fubo Essential?
- No. Fubo removed Essential from its signup page in March 2025, about four months after launching it. It remains billable for existing subscribers and for people reactivating an expired subscription.
- How much is Fubo Essential?
- $85 a month. It skips the regional sports networks, so there is no additional RSN fee, which is the only way it ends up cheaper than Pro in practice.
- What replaced Fubo Essential?
- Functionally, the Sports and News plan at $64.99 a month. It carries just over 20 sports and broadcast networks, has no regional sports fee, and includes access to ESPN Unlimited.
- Is Fubo Pro cheaper than Essential?
- On paper yes, $79.99 against $85. Whether it is cheaper on your bill depends on the regional sports fee in your market, which runs $3 to $17 a month on Pro and does not apply to Essential.
Fubo Essential vs Fubo Pro: The Verdict
Essential is not the bargain its name suggests. It sits at $85 a month, above Pro's $79.99 sticker, and its one advantage is that no regional sports fee lands on top. In a market with expensive RSNs that can still work out even or better. In a market with cheap or no RSNs, you are paying more for less. The plan that actually replaced it is Sports and News at $64.99, which is skinnier, carries ESPN Unlimited access and has no RSN fee either. If you are an existing Essential subscriber, check what the RSN fee would be in your zip code before you move, because that number decides this entirely.
Last updated: October 7, 2026