Fubo vs Hulu + Live TV: Which Is Better In 2026?

Choosing between Fubo and Hulu + Live TV in 2026 comes down to one question: sports or entertainment? Pick Fubo if live sports drive your TV time — its Pro plan carries 200+ channels including 59 sports channels, regional sports networks, and up to 10 simultaneous streams for $88.99 per month. Pick Hulu + Live TV if your household leans on shows, movies, and kids' content — for $89.99 per month you get 95+ live channels plus the full Hulu on-demand library, Disney+, and ESPN Select bundled in. The twist that makes 2026 different: these two are no longer rivals. Disney closed its deal to merge Hulu + Live TV's business with Fubo in late 2025 and owns 70% of the combined company, so both services now live under the same roof — but they remain separate products with genuinely different strengths.

Pricing In 2026

Fubo Pro — $88.99/month: 200+ channels, unlimited Cloud DVR, up to 10 streams at home. New subscribers frequently get $20–$30 off the first month.
Fubo Elite — Fubo's step-up tier adds more entertainment channels and 4K where available for roughly $10 more per month.
Fubo Sports — $64.99/month: a slimmer 30+ channel bundle built around sports, and it still includes ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC plus ESPN Unlimited access.
Hulu (With Ads) + Live TV — $89.99/month: 95+ live channels plus Hulu, Disney+ (with ads), and ESPN Select.
Hulu (No Ads) + Live TV — $99.99/month: the same lineup with ad-free Hulu and Disney+ on-demand libraries (live TV still has ads — that is true of every live service).

Both offer free trials — Hulu's is short at 3 days, and Fubo's varies by plan. Prices are current as of late July 2026 but this market moves fast, so double-check before subscribing. For a deeper look at Hulu's tiers, see our Hulu plans and prices breakdown.

Channels: Breadth vs. Depth

Fubo Pro's 200+ channels bury Hulu's 95+ on raw count, and the gap is widest exactly where Fubo wants it: sports. Fubo carries regional sports networks like NESN, YES Network, and MASN in their local markets, plus MLB Network and NHL Network — channels Hulu + Live TV simply does not have. Fubo also patched its biggest hole in June 2026, when a new NBCUniversal deal ended a seven-month blackout and brought Telemundo and NBC's other networks back to the lineup.

Hulu + Live TV counters with entertainment depth: the majority of its lineup is entertainment and news programming, and the live channels are really only half the product. The subscription includes the regular Hulu on-demand catalog and Disney+, which means next-day network shows, Hulu originals, and the entire Marvel/Star Wars/Pixar vault are part of the same monthly bill. If your evenings are more sitcoms and movie nights than game days, that bundle is hard to beat — and it is why Hulu wins on value-per-dollar for non-sports households even at nearly the same headline price.

Features: DVR, Streams, And Extras

Both services now include unlimited cloud DVR, so recording is a wash. Simultaneous streams are not: Fubo allows up to 10 streams on your home network, while a base Hulu + Live TV account allows 2 at once. For a big household that alone can decide it.

Fubo's 2026 extras are aimed squarely at sports fans: most plans now include ESPN Unlimited and FOX One access at no extra cost — two standalone services that would otherwise run serious money on their own. Hulu + Live TV includes ESPN Select (the successor to ESPN+'s on-demand tier) along with Disney+, so you still get a meaningful chunk of ESPN's streaming catalog, just not the full firehose Fubo bundles.

So Which One Should You Get?

Get Fubo if: you follow local teams (the RSN coverage is the differentiator), you want the maximum number of live sports channels, your household needs more than two simultaneous streams, or the included ESPN Unlimited and FOX One access would replace subscriptions you are already paying for.

Get Hulu + Live TV if: you want live TV plus the best on-demand bundle in streaming, you have kids (Disney+ included is decisive), or you are fine with ESPN's core coverage and do not care about regional sports networks. The 2-stream limit is its weakest spot.

Since Disney now controls both, expect the products to keep converging — the companies have said the brands will continue separately for now, but pricing and features are worth re-checking every few months. If neither feels right, we have also compared Fubo vs Sling and Hulu + Live TV vs YouTube TV to round out the field.

FAQ

Did Fubo and Hulu + Live TV actually merge?

The companies combined at the corporate level: Disney's Hulu + Live TV business and Fubo closed their merger on October 29, 2025, with Disney holding 70% of the combined company. As a subscriber you still choose one service or the other — there is no combined subscription yet.

Does Fubo have NBC channels again?

Yes. The November 2025 blackout ended with a new distribution deal announced June 10, 2026; Telemundo and Universo returned immediately and NBC's remaining networks followed in the weeks after.

Can I switch between them easily?

Both are month-to-month with no contracts, so you can cancel one and start the other any time — a genuinely reasonable strategy is Fubo during your team's season and Hulu + Live TV the rest of the year. If either app gives you trouble along the way, see our fix guides for Fubo and Hulu.