fuboTV vs Hulu: The Giants Go Head to Head
Cutting the cord in this day and age makes sense because a huge part of our lives revolves around the Internet, so watching live TV online is the next natural step. So, if you're down to fuboTV vs Hulu, let us help you along and make your choice easier.
Moving forward in this comparison article where we pit fuboTV vs Hulu, we're going to take into consideration various features of both these platforms, such as available bundles, extra channels, supported devices and so on. We've seen info on all these issues when we reviewed fuboTV, as well as when we reviewed Hulu, so if you read those articles you may already be familiar with them.
Nonetheless, we're going to put them head to head and see which one wins. Before we do that, here's a breakdown of the main aspects for fuboTV and Hulu.
Also, here are the scores both platforms received when we reviewed them.
Those numbers don't tell the full story, however, so we're going to delve deeper into and explain it fully.
fuboTV vs Hulu: Side by Side Comparison
Much like we did in the reviews of the two platforms, we're going to take a look at several important aspects, such as the devices they support, the bundles they offer, and so on. Here we go!
Channel Bundles
These two platforms are, frankly, extremely different, but we're going to explain it all.
- fuboTV: There are four bundles you can pick here. The two main ones feature dozens of channels - fubo ($44.99 per month) and fubo Extra ($49.99 per month). The cool part about these is that you can also get a 10% price cut for the first month. There are also two additional bundles - fubo Latino ($17.99 per month) and fubo Portugues ($19.99 per month) - which feature Spanish and Portugues-language channels and only a handful of them each.
- Hulu: Hulu's Live TV feature is actually a secondary bundle you can get on the platform, in addition to access to the video-on-demand. So, for $39.99 per month, subscribers get the full Hulu VOD experience, as well as access to dozens of live TV channels.
Winner: fuboTV wins this one simply because you have so many options and you can decide what channels you want to watch and how much you want to pay each month.
Customization Options
When you quit cable you want a completely new experience - a way to decide what channels you want to watch and how much you're going to pay. Let's see what these platforms have to offer.
- fuboTV: Since fuboTV is particularly catered to sports fans, the extra channel packs are too. More specifically, if you love cycling, you can get a few channels that feature loads of dedicated events, or maybe you like foreign sports channels or adventure sports. There's something in there for everyone. You can also add some premium channels, such as Showtime and AMC Premiere.
- Hulu: You can't add any extra channel packs to your Hulu experience, but you can add some premium channels, namely HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime.
Winner: fuboTV wins this one too. There are so many ways you can customize fuboTV, and it all depends on what bundle you get. It's a pretty exciting platform.
Supported Features
Will you be able to record the shows that you have missed? And will your family be able to watch their favorite shows at the same time as you? Let's see how the platforms fare.
- fuboTV: fuboTV comes with some integrated DVR space - 30 hours, and you get to keep those recording indefinitely, or until you delete them yourself. If you want to pay an extra $9.99 per month for the Cloud DVR Plus feature, you can expand the storage room to a whopping 500 hours. Plus, you can watch content on two devices at once, but you can add another one with the help of Family Share, which costs $5.99 per month.
- Hulu: Hulu also features some free DVR space, namely 50 hours, which you can expand to 200 hours by paying $14.99 per month for the Enhanced Cloud DVR feature. On Hulu, you can watch content on two devices simultaneously, but for $14.99 per month, you can upgrade to an unlimited number of devices.
Winner: fuboTV wins this one, only by an inch. The platform offers a much richer DVR limit for less money, and a more accessible family share feature.
Streaming Quality
When you take all your live TV watching online, you need to make sure your Internet connection can carry all that streaming.
- fuboTV: on fuboTV, they recommend you have at least a 5Mbps Internet connection for 720p HD resolution, although 1080p will require double that. If you want to watch any of the 4K streams, you'll need over 25 Mbps.
- Hulu: If you want to watch any kind of live TV on Hulu, you'll need at least 3 Mbps, although the recommendation is for 8 Mbps for quality content.
Winner: Hulu wins this time since it's not so heavy on your home network. Of course, you'll have to keep in mind that you'll need a better speed than that if you plan to simultaneously stream content to multiple devices on the same network.
Supported Devices
If you're going to cut the cord, better make sure that you can watch your favorite channels on all your devices, even on the go.
- fuboTV: While it excels in other departments when it comes to the devices you can watch fuboTV on, the numbers aren't that high. The platform works on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chroemcast, and Android TV, but there are no smart TVs in there or game consoles.
- Hulu: Hulu has been around a while and makes sure to include as many platforms as possible. From Apple TV to Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, Roku, fireTV, Xbox One and Xbox 360, as well as various Smart TV models from Samsung and LG, as well as Nintendo Switch and Chromecast, Hulu with Live TV works on everything. The only thing it's missing is support for PlayStation consoles.
Winner: Hulu wins this one because it has a much better network of apps covering so many devices, including game consoles. fuboTV has some catching up to do.
Usability
How easy is the platform to use? Do you need a Ph.D. to figure out how to get from one channel to the next?
- fuboTV: Well, fuboTV is clearly not hard to figure out, as it comes with a simple interface and you can easily jump from one channel to the next, check the guide, and schedule what to DVR.
- Hulu: Hulu's interface is also easy to figure out by anyone, and the content can be accessed via tabs at the top of the page.
Winner: It's a draw, folks! Sorry, but we can't decide on a winner when the interfaces of all these platforms are so similar in so many ways.
fuboTV vs Hulu: Which One to Pick?
fuboTV and Hulu are both great services and offer a great collection of channels that you can enjoy, but there can only be one winner, and that's fuboTV.
Our winner offers a lot more channels, loads of customization options by adding channel packs and premium networks. Likewise, it has a great DVR package and lets you stream on multiple devices. So, go ahead and sign up for fuboTV before the next big sports event!
Final Thoughts
We hope we've been of help in directing you to one of the best options in online live TV watching.
Let us know if you went with fuboTV or if you chose Hulu instead in the comments section below. Also, please share the article online if you can. Meet us up on TechNadu's Facebook and Twitter pages.