Disney Plus vs Philo

If you found your way to this page, you’re probably thinking about cutting the cable cord — or maybe you already have! Your next step is to choose a streaming service like Philo or Disney Plus.

If you’re confused by the wide variety of streaming services, you’re not alone. The market has dozens of streaming services to choose from. Disney Plus and Philo are two of the more popular streaming options. Let’s examine each of these streaming services to see which best suits your viewing preferences and budget.

Disney Plus

An on-demand service with tons of Disney content

Philo

A live video streaming service featuring popular cable channels.

What is the Difference Between Disney Plus and Philo?

Philo and Disney Plus are two different types of streaming services. Philo is a “skinny bundle,” which means it streams live network television channels, including many popular channels you’ll recognize from cable and satellite bundles. Disney Plus gives you on-demand access to its unique content, which includes cartoons, live-action TV shows, and movies from Disney properties like Marvel Studios and Star Wars.

Neither service has much for sports fans, but Disney Plus can be bundled with ESPN Plus and Hulu for a discounted total price. You can’t add sports to Philo — that’s one of the ways it differs from Sling TV and other competitors.

Device support is a difference-maker, too: Philo is not accessible on as many devices as Disney Plus is.

What You Can Watch on Disney Plus vs. Philo

Disney Plus programming is centered on family-friendly movies, series and animated shows available on demand. Philo provides live streams of cable channels that are sure to please a wide variety of audiences. Compared to Philo’s channels, Disney Plus’s content is a little more narrowly tailored to children, teens, tweens and families — though adults who enjoy Disney-owned action flicks like “The Avengers” should find plenty to watch.

Disney Plus subscribers can view any movie or show in the streaming service’s library whenever they want. Disney Plus lacks live streaming channels — if you want those in the deal, you’ll have to look at the Disney Plus bundle deal that includes Hulu.

With Philo, you’ll be watching live streams of cable channels in real time. Philo does have an on-demand library, but it’s made up of recently aired TV shows and movies, and all the content is in the edited-for-TV form. You can also create your own on-demand content with Philo by using the cloud DVR feature. Philo has popular channels like AMC and HGTV, but it’s also important to remember what Philo doesn’t have: sports, news, or local channels. Omitting these helps keep Philo cheaper than competitors like DIRECTV Stream. Of course, Disney Plus doesn’t have these sports or news channels either — Disney Plus is an on-demand service, so it doesn’t have any live channels at all.

What Disney Plus does have (that Philo does not) is original programming, including original series from Star Wars, Marvel Studios, and Pixar. Disney Plus’s biggest hit so far is “The Mandalorian.” Philo has no original programming.

How Much Will You Spend on Disney Plus vs. Philo?

Both Disney Plus and Philo are affordable streaming services. There is no long-term contract or commitment with either. You can pay for either service month-by-month and cancel whenever you want. You can even sign up for and cancel each streaming service as often as you want without penalty — just don’t expect to get a free trial every time. Neither streaming service requires you to rent any video streaming equipment, though you may want to get a great streaming device or smart TV so that you can watch everything from your couch instead of your computer chair.

Disney Plus costs $7.99 per month. Those who would like to pay for a year of Disney Plus in advance will be charged a mere $79.99.

There is also a Disney Plus bundle that costs $13.99 per month. It adds ESPN Plus and Hulu (with ads, though you can upgrade to an ad-free plan for an extra fee).

Philo offers one main bundle: $25 per month for more than 60 channels and unlimited recording with the included cloud DVR feature.

If you’re willing to spend an additional $9 per month, you can add Starz. An additional $6 per month gives you access to Epix.

Disney Plus vs. Philo: Which Should You Choose?

The decision between Disney Plus and Philo ultimately comes down to your viewing preferences and budget. If you don’t want to spend more than $7 per month, Disney Plus is clearly the better choice. However, if you aren’t interested in animated movies and family-friendly programming, Philo might suit your viewing tastes better.

If you prefer to start and stop movies and shows on demand, you’ll probably lean toward Disney Plus. If you crave live TV, you’re going to be more interested in Philo.

If you’re a sports fan, you may find both services a little lacking. You can bundle ESPN Plus with Disney Plus, but your best bet might be to consider a Philo competitor that has sports, like fuboTV. Philo does not provide any meaningful sports-related content.

If your budget is your priority, it makes sense to choose the cheaper of the two services. Disney Plus is the cheaper option, running a mere $6.99 per month. The bottom line is both of these streaming services provide interesting content at an affordable price. You cannot go wrong with either Disney Plus or Philo, but you should know that they’re very different!