Want free TV streaming? How to get more than 1000 channels

The Roku Channel vs. Google TV Freeplay: Both services offer hundreds of free channels, but one has a far better interface.

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Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form. As streaming service subscription prices continue to rise, many people are looking for other options and discovering a much cheaper alternative — free, live TV streaming channels.  If you're not aware, most smart TVs have built-in apps with free content and free live TV channels.

While most channels are ad-supported, there's no charge at all.  Two of the biggest options are The Roku Channel and Google TV Freeplay. Both have hundreds of channels available across a wide range of categories, and both are easy to use. Which service comes out on top? I can't say I'd ever truly looked at the live channels on The Roku Channel, so I was pretty surprised at how many channels there are.

According to Roku, it offers more than 500 live TV channels, including over 100 free local channels. Also: Is your Roku TV spying on you? It's possible, but here's how you can easily stop it For sports, you'll find options for all the major leagues — NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL. None of those channels had live games, but they all had classic games, studio shows, and original programming. There are CBS and NBC services, with channels dedicated to combat sports, professional wrestling, monster trucks, the X Games, boxing, motorsports, fishing, golf, pool, soccer, women's sports, competitive video gaming, and even pickleball.

I counted just over 70 sports channels. If you like to stay up to date with the news, all the national networks are available, including CNN, ABC News, NBC News, Fox News, CBS News, Scripps News, and BBC News, plus plenty of local news choices. The latter selection is interesting because Roku uses geolocation to determine which stations are close to you and shows you those channels. One thing you'll find lots of on The Roku Channel is channels dedicated to a single show.

Browsing the list, I found Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, Law & Order, Dr. Phil, Home Improvement, Judge Judy, CSI, Duck Dynasty, and dozens of other choices.  There are also multiple channels for cooking and home content, reality TV, game shows (like Family Feud, Game Show Central, The Price is Right, Deal or No Deal), documentaries, true crime (Dateline, Crime TV, Oxygen True Crime), comedy, travel, and more.

Overall, Roku's free live TV channels are pretty impressive. There are options for every category I could think of and more.  Focusing on Google TV Freeplay channels, there are over 250. But there's an important difference I'll point out at the end.  For sports, Google has channels dedicated to combat and wrestling, soccer, billiards, golf, and motorsports, plus NBC Sports now. I counted about 20 channels in all, which is significantly fewer than Roku, and only one for a major league — the NFL.

Like Roku, there are many channels dedicated to a single show. I found Saved by the Bell, Real Housewives, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Baywatch, and even a Saturday Night Live channel. The options here seemed to skew more modern, and the classic TV section was definitely a lot smaller. All the major news networks are available, but the local section was noticeably smaller.  There were several true crime channels, some documentary options, comedy and movie choices, and several game show channels.

In short, plenty to choose from, but not nearly as many as Roku.  There was some overlap, but I felt like Roku was the clear winner for volume. It had more categories and options for each category.  Right below "Google TV Freeplay" is a "Free Channels From Other Apps" section that seamlessly integrates other apps, including The Roku Channel, into the interface. The channels are broken down into categories, such as sports, news and opinion, crime, movies, game shows, classic TV, and hit TV.

There were more than 1,000 channels available in all.  A major downside is that if you click on one of these channels and don't already have the app, you'll have to download it and probably create an account. But that's only the first time, of course.  Also: Own a Samsung TV? I changed these 6 settings to make the system run like new again All of these free apps are available on Roku, but you have to head to your home screen and pick each app individually before even knowing what's on.

Google TV lets you see what's available on these apps without leaving the screen. Google TV's free channels alone are fine, but not better than Roku's. But when you consider the service implementation, Google TV is vastly better and actually gives you access to a few hundred more channels since Google's aren't available on Roku. While both are good options, you have the easiest access (and access to more channels) through Google TV.

Combining the two main options gives you an extensive library of free content.

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