At first glance, Philo and Paramount+ seem quite different. Philo is a live TV streaming service, while Paramount+ is an on-demand streaming service. But they actually share a lot of the same content, which is why we’ve put together this comparison of Philo vs. Paramount+. Read on, and see which entertainment-focused streaming service is right for you.
Quick overview – Philo vs Paramount+
Philo is one of the most popular cable alternatives for cord-cutters who don’t care about news, local channels, or sports. Unlike some competitors, it doesn’t carry those costly channels – and that means it’s available for a really low price compared to other services like YouTube TV and Hulu With Live TV. It’s estimated that Philo has about 800,000 subscribers.
Paramount+ is the new rebrand for CBS All Access. It officially launched in March of 2021, and brings together live CBS channels as well as a huge back catalog of on-demand Paramount/ViacomCBS content in one content library. That makes it a worthy competitor to other on-demand services like Peacock, Hulu, and Max, to name just a few. It’s estimated to have more than 39.6 million subscribers worldwide.
| Philo | Paramount+ | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $25/month | Essential: $5.99/month ($59.99/year) Paramount+ with Showtime: $11.99/month ($119.99/year) |
| Free Trial Length | 7 days | 7 days |
| Number of Channels | 70+ | 20+ |
| DVR Capacity | Unlimited | N/A, on-demand only |
| Device Support | iOS, Android, web browsers, Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, | iOS, Android, web browsers, Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, select smart TVs |
| Simultaneous Streams | 3 | 3 |
Best pricing: Philo vs Paramount+
Paramount+ is the winner here. For about the cost of a cup of coffee, you can get access to the Essential plan, which also includes access to a CBS live stream and select sports events. Live content still has ads, though, so keep this in mind. In contrast, Philo costs about $20 more.
Philo Base
Try 7 days free
- Unlimited cloud DVR saved for 1 year
- Stream on three screens
- Shows movies and 70+ channels
- 7-day free trial
$28/month
However, it’s important to note that Philo still may be a good choice if you’re more interested in live TV. You can only watch a handful of channels with Paramount+, while Philo gives you 70+ channels to choose from. Philo is a better replacement for cable, while Paramount+ is more of an alternative to Netflix and similar on-demand services.
Best free trial: Philo vs Paramount+
This is a tie. Both Philo and Paramount+ offer a free 7-day trial, so you can try both services out and see if you like them Unsurprisingly, both streaming services do require you to enter your credit card information before you get your free trial. If you don’t cancel within 7 days, you’ll be charged for a full month of service. Keep this in mind, and make sure to cancel in time if you don’t plan on subscribing to either for the long term.
Best channels and content: Philo vs Paramount+
The sheer amount of content that Paramount+ has to offer means that it’s the winner here. Sure, it may not have tons of live TV. But it has a lot of shows from the same channels that Philo has – and it’s available at a much lower price. Unless you really must have access to live TV, Paramount+ is a better option.
What to watch on Philo
Philo has a full lineup of 70+ entertainment, educational, and lifestyle channels. As mentioned in the introduction, it doesn't have news, local, or sports channels. By cutting these out, it’s available at a much lower price. Some of the top channels on Philo include HGTV, AMC, FX, Food Network, VH1, MTV, Paramount Network, Discovery, History, and Comedy Central – just to name a few.
It also has a DVR and a selection of on-demand content. However, the on-demand content rotates pretty frequently, and older seasons and episodes aren’t always available, so you can’t always count on finding what you want to watch. You can see a full list of Philo’s channels here.
What to watch on Paramount+
Paramount+ has lots of the same content you’ll find on Philo, including shows and movies from BET, CBS, Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., Comedy Central, Paramount Network, and Smithsonian Channel. You’ll also get access to CBS News, CBS Sports, and your local CBS network (premium plan with Showtime only).
There are also lots of Paramount+ original shows that you won’t find anywhere else, including Halo, Star Trek: Picard, iCarly, Behind The Music, and Clifford The Big Red Dog. If you watch most of the above channels and want on-demand content, too, Paramount+ is a great choice.
Best DVR and offline viewing: Philo vs Paramount+
This category is a tie. Philo wins the category of best DVR by default, since it offers an unlimited DVR. You can record as much content as you want and save it for up to a year. After a year, it will be deleted automatically.
However, Paramount+ wins when it comes to on-demand and offline viewing, thanks to its library of 30,000+ episodes. Philo doesn’t let you download episodes for offline viewing, and Paramount+ does. You need a premium account for offline viewing. You can download almost any Paramount+ show or movie on any iOS or Android device. Downloaded videos are available for 30 days. Once you start streaming a video, it will expire after 48 hours. You’re also limited to saving 25 videos to your download library at once.
Best device support: Philo vs Paramount+
Paramount+ takes the crown in this category, too. Broadly speaking, both Philo and Paramount+ support the same commonly-used streaming devices, including:
- iOS and Android
- Web browsers
- Amazon Fire
- Roku
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
However, Paramount+ supports a few more devices like the Xbox and PlayStation families of gaming consoles, some smart TVs, and some others. If you stream on lots of different devices, you may be better off with Paramount+. You can learn more about Philo’s device support here, and more about Paramount+’s device support here.
Best simultaneous streaming: Philo vs Paramount+
This is a tie. Both Philo and Paramount+ let you stream on 3 devices at once. This should be enough for all but the biggest households. There’s no way to get more streams with either service at the moment, beyond signing up for an additional, separate subscription.
Which is better: Philo vs Paramount+?
Paramount+ is our overall pick. We think that its value combined with the huge amount of content makes it the winner. You get access to lots of the same content you would get with Philo at a fraction of the price. Sure, you can’t watch as much live TV, but that’s not as important for most cord-cutters.
However, Philo is still a solid option. If there are channels and content you like that Paramount+ doesn’t have, or you really like watching live TV, it’s still a reasonably good option. We just don’t think that it’s the best choice for the majority of cord-cutters.
Eric Liston • Author
Eric Liston is a content writer based in Columbus, Ohio. Since 2015, he’s been writing about technology, cord-cutting, and helping everyday people save money. He also has expertise writing about medicine, dentistry, insurance, and a variety of other industries. No matter what he’s writing, his focus is always on simplifying complex concepts and making them approachable for everyone. When he’s not slamming away on his keyboard at his home office, you’ll find Eric reading sci-fi novels, improving his disc golf game (he just hit his first 400-foot drive) and playing video games on his gaming PC.
Lisa Holden • Editor
Lisa Holden is an editor and creative based in Houston, TX. Lisa holds a BA in African-American Studies from Temple University and has spent her career working in news publications and magazines, even founding a magazine herself. She began working as an editor for Flixed in 2023. When she’s not editing or working on one of her many creative endeavors (whenever that is), she enjoys traveling to new places and biking on sunny days.
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