Sling TV Price in 2026: Every Plan, What It Carries and What It Leaves Out

Sling TV plans and prices in 2026

Sling has six plan choices in 2026, from $19.99 to $60.99 a month. Three are the classic Orange and Blue setups. Three are newer, smaller plans built around one kind of viewer.

Plan	Monthly price	Streams	Best known for
Sling Essentials	$19.99	1	ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel and classic TV
Sling Select	From $19.99	3	FOX News, FS1, NFL Network, FX and National Geographic
Essentials & Select	From $34.99	Up to 4	Both lineups, 50+ channels
Sling Orange	$45.99	1	ESPN's networks, Disney, TNT, TBS and CNN
Sling Blue	From $45.99	3	FS1, NFL Network, news and locals in some cities
Orange & Blue	From $60.99	Up to 4	Both main lineups

Prices from AmericanTV's Sling price guide, updated October 12, 2026, and Cord Cutters News for the Essentials launch on April 9, 2026. "From" means the price rises in markets where Sling includes local stations.

Sling's site shows the exact price for your address at sign-up. If the number on your screen is a few dollars above these, local channels are usually the reason.

Orange or Blue: which one to buy

Pick Orange for ESPN and Disney, and Blue for FOX's sports channels, NFL Network and news. They cost the same, so the decision is only about channels and screens.

• Sling Orange is the ESPN plan. It suits college football, the NBA on ESPN and Monday Night Football. It allows only 1 stream, so it's a one-TV household plan.
• Sling Blue is the bigger, family-sized plan, with 3 streams. It carries FS1, NFL Network and FOX News, and in select markets your local ABC, FOX and NBC.
• Orange & Blue combines both for $60.99 and up to 4 streams. It saves $31 a month over buying the two separately.

One rule of thumb for football fans: if your team plays on Sunday afternoons, neither plan is enough by itself. Those games air on CBS and FOX, and Sling has no CBS anywhere.

Sling Essentials: ESPN for $19.99

Sling Essentials is the cheapest way to get the live ESPN channel in 2026, at $19.99 a month. It launched nationwide on April 9, 2026, with more than 10 channels.

The lineup is short and specific: ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, Freeform, Game Show Network, Lifetime Movies, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and a group of classic-TV channels, including MeTV, Bounce, startTV, GRIT and Heroes & Icons. It allows one stream and includes 50 hours of cloud DVR.

Our finding: ESPN Unlimited, ESPN's own app with the live channels, costs $31.99 a month. Sling Essentials carries live ESPN and ESPN2 for $19.99, $144 a year less. You give up ESPN's streaming-only events and extra networks such as SEC Network. For a fan who watches ESPN's TV broadcasts, that's a good trade.

The local channel gap

Sling doesn't carry CBS, and it carries ABC, FOX and NBC only in select markets, on Blue and Select. For most households, that is the single biggest difference between Sling and YouTube TV.

You feel it most on Sunday afternoons, when NFL games air on CBS and FOX. You also feel it at 6 p.m., because your local news lives on those four stations. PBS isn't on Sling at all.

The fix is cheap and old-fashioned. An antenna, $25 to $60 once, picks up ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS free in most US cities. Put one on the TV, put Sling on the same TV, and you have most of what a cable plan gives you. Our local channels guide shows the main station numbers state by state.

Add-ons, DVR and the extra screens

Sling's add-ons are cheap one by one, but they add up quickly. These are the main ones:

Add-on	Price	What it adds
Sports Extra	$11 a month on one plan, $15 on a combo	Extra sports networks
News Extra	$6 a month	Extra news channels
Unlimited DVR + Replays	$5 a month	No storage limit beyond the free 50 hours

A sports fan on Orange & Blue with Sports Extra and Unlimited DVR pays $80.99 a month. That's within $2 of YouTube TV, which includes the locals and unlimited DVR. Sling stays cheap only as long as you keep it simple.

Day passes and short-term options

Sling has sold Day, Weekend and Week passes for watching one event without a monthly plan. In 2026 the reports disagree on whether they are still on sale.

A Goal.com review listed passes at $4.99 for one day, $9.99 for three days and $14.99 for a week. AmericanTV's October 12, 2026 guide says the passes "are no longer available." If you only need one big game, check the sign-up page on the day. Sling has no contract, so a single month of Orange works too.

What a year of Sling costs

A year of Orange & Blue costs $731.88, and a year of Sling Essentials $239.88, before tax. The chart puts Sling's plans next to YouTube TV and IPTVZ.

Setup for 12 months	Monthly	Year
YouTube TV main plan	$82.99	$995.88
Orange & Blue + Sports Extra + Unlimited DVR	$80.99	$971.88
Orange & Blue	$60.99	$731.88
Sling Orange or Sling Blue	$45.99	$551.88
Sling Essentials	$19.99	$239.88
IPTVZ, 12 months, 1 device	One payment	$74.99

Sling prices without the local-channel surcharge in markets where Sling adds it. The IPTVZ row is the 12-month plan for one device, the same screen count as Orange or Essentials.

Three cheap Sling setups

Sling works best as one piece of a setup, not the whole thing. Here are three that cover most households:

1. The ESPN fan on a budget: Sling Essentials plus an antenna. $239.88 a year, plus the antenna once, and you have ESPN, ESPN2 and all the broadcast networks.
2. The football household: Orange & Blue plus an antenna. ESPN, FS1, NFL Network, and CBS and FOX from the antenna on Sundays, for $731.88 a year.
3. The news and family home: Sling Blue plus an antenna. Three streams, FOX News, kids' and lifestyle channels, and the free locals.

The antenna's weak spot is reception. If you live far from the towers, or in an apartment facing the wrong way, it may not pull in every station. Test one before you cancel anything. Our breakdown of how much cable costs a month shows what you'd be leaving.

When Sling isn't enough

If you need your local channels without an antenna, Sling is the wrong tool. You have three ways to get them.

• YouTube TV, $82.99, includes ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC in nearly every market. Our YouTube TV price guide covers its plans and add-ons.
• Hulu + Live TV, $99.99, adds Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Select. See the Hulu + Live TV price guide.
• IPTVZ carries local stations across the US, including CBS affiliates, plus ESPN, FS1, NFL Network, NFL RedZone, CNN, Fox News and Disney Channel. It costs $74.99 a year for one device.

Our panel catalogue of October 16, 2026 lists 803 local ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX stations in its US section. That is the gap Sling leaves open, filled without an antenna. The cheapest live TV with local channels guide compares every way to get them.

Sling is still the right call if you want a big-name app, you get good antenna reception, and one or two lineups cover your viewing. For the full yearly costs of cable, streaming and IPTV side by side, read our IPTV vs cable pillar guide.

Sling TV price FAQ

How much is Sling TV a month in 2026?

Sling Orange costs $45.99 a month, Sling Blue from $45.99 and Orange & Blue from $60.99. The smaller Essentials and Select plans start at $19.99. Taxes and local-channel pricing can add to that.

What is the cheapest Sling TV plan?

Sling Essentials and Sling Select both start at $19.99 a month. Essentials carries ESPN and ESPN2, and Select carries FOX News, FS1 and NFL Network.

Does Sling TV have local channels?

Only some. Sling has no CBS, and it carries ABC, FOX and NBC only in select markets, on Blue and Select. An antenna is the usual way to add the locals.

Is Sling Orange or Blue better?

Orange is better for ESPN and Disney, and allows 1 stream. Blue is better for FS1, NFL Network and news, allows 3 streams and may include some locals.

Does Sling TV have ESPN?

Yes, on Sling Orange and Sling Essentials. Essentials, at $19.99 a month, is the cheapest Sling plan with live ESPN and ESPN2.

How much is Sling DVR?

Every plan includes 50 hours of cloud DVR. Unlimited DVR with Replays costs $5 a month extra.

Can I cancel Sling TV anytime?

Yes. Sling is sold month to month with no contract, so you can cancel in your account settings and come back when the season you care about starts.

How does Sling work?

You pick a base plan, Orange, Blue, Essentials or Select, and watch live channels in the Sling app on a smart TV, streaming stick, phone or computer. Add-ons and an antenna fill in the channels a plan leaves out.

Does Sling still sell day passes?

Reports differ in 2026. Sling has sold Day, Weekend and Week passes from $4.99, but an October 2026 price guide says they are no longer available. Check Sling's sign-up page.

The short version

• Sling Orange and Blue cost $45.99 each, and $60.99 together.
• Sling Essentials, $19.99, is the cheapest live ESPN in 2026.
• No CBS anywhere, and ABC, FOX and NBC only in some markets.
• Pair Sling with an antenna, or pick a service with locals.
• IPTVZ includes local stations and costs $74.99 a year for one device.

Sling's whole pitch is paying for less. If the locals are what it's missing for you, try the IPTVZ free trial on the same TV. Then pick from 3, 6 or 12-month plans.