Sling Freestream vs Pluto TV: The Better Free Live TV App
By The Spool Editors · Published September 17, 2026 · Updated October 7, 2026
Both are free, both are ad-supported, and both give you a grid of live channels that looks a lot like basic cable from 2005. The differences are real though, and one of them has a feature no other free service offers. Here is how they actually compare.
At a Glance
| Sling Freestream | Pluto TV | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Live channels | 650+ | Around 300 |
| On-demand titles | 40,000+ | Large library |
| Cloud DVR | 10 hours | ✗ |
| Account required | Optional | Optional |
| Profiles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Paramount back catalogue | ✗ | ✓ |
| Upgrade path to paid TV | ✓ | ✗ |
| Local news channels | Many markets | Some markets |
| Ads | ✓ | ✓ |
Which One Is Right for You
The Plans That Actually Compete
Neither has plans in the usual sense. Both are free. What differs is what an optional account unlocks.
Sling Freestream
Pluto TV
Price Breakdown & Hike History
Both are free and always have been. The only cost on either side is your attention during ad breaks, and the ad load is broadly similar. Sling Freestream is the one with a route out: it sits in the same app as Sling Orange and Blue, so upgrading to paid live TV is two taps rather than a new subscription.
Sling Freestream: Free since it replaced Sling Free in 2023, and the channel count has climbed past 650.
Pluto TV: Free since 2014 and owned by Paramount since 2019.
What You Actually Get
Sling Freestream carries more than 650 free live channels and over 40,000 on-demand movies and shows, with local news channels in many markets. Pluto TV carries around 300 live channels plus a large on-demand library, weighted toward the Paramount catalogue, which means deeper runs of CBS, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon programming and a lot of single-show channels.
The DVR Is the Real Difference
Creating a free Sling account adds ten hours of cloud DVR. That matters more than it sounds: free services live on advertising, so most have no interest in letting you record anything and skip through it. Ten hours is not much, but it is enough to save a couple of films and watch them without the breaks, and nothing else in free streaming offers it.
The Features That Decide It
| Feature | Sling Freestream | Pluto TV |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free/mo | Free/mo |
| Free trial | Not needed, it is free | Not needed, it is free |
| Cloud DVR | 10 hours of cloud DVR with a free account | None |
| Simultaneous streams | Not published | Not published |
| Accounts / profiles | Free Sling account, optional | Optional free account |
| 4K | No | No |
Add-Ons & Hidden Costs
Sling Freestream add-ons: Upgrades straight into Sling Orange and Blue inside the same app. Freestream sits inside the Sling app, so Sling Orange at $45.99 and Blue are one tap away if you ever want real live TV.
Pluto TV add-ons: Some Pluto channels also appear inside Sling Freestream. Pluto has no upgrade path. Some of its channels also appear inside Sling Freestream.
How to Try Each One Free
Neither needs a trial, since neither costs anything. The only thing worth doing before you commit your evenings to either is checking whether your local news channel is in the guide, because that varies by market on both services.
The Cheapest Way to Get What You Want
They are both free, so install both. If you only want one on the home screen, make it Sling Freestream for the channel count and the DVR, and keep Pluto for the Paramount archive and its single-show channels.
What Changed Recently
- 2026: Sling Freestream passed 650 free live channels, and a free account now unlocks ten hours of cloud DVR.
Sling Freestream vs Pluto TV FAQ
- Is Sling Freestream really free?
- Yes. No card, no subscription and no Sling TV account needed to watch. Creating a free account is optional and unlocks profiles and ten hours of cloud DVR.
- Which has more channels?
- Sling Freestream, with more than 650 free live channels against roughly 300 on Pluto TV, plus a larger on-demand library.
- Does Pluto TV have a DVR?
- No. Pluto TV has no recording feature at all, which is where Sling Freestream's ten free hours of cloud DVR stand out.
- Do I need a Roku or Sling subscription for Freestream?
- No. Sling Freestream works on the web and on most streaming devices and smart TVs, with no paid Sling subscription required.
Sling Freestream vs Pluto TV: The Verdict
Sling Freestream wins on the things you can count. More than 650 live channels against roughly 300, a far bigger on-demand library, profiles, and ten hours of cloud DVR, which is genuinely rare on a free service and means you can skip the ads on anything you record. Pluto TV's advantage is ownership: Paramount owns it, so the CBS, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon back catalogues run deeper there, and a lot of the single-show channels people actually watch, the ones running Star Trek or CSI around the clock, live on Pluto. Both cost nothing, so the sensible answer is to install both and let the channel guide decide.
Last updated: October 7, 2026