You can watch ESPN live without cable in 2026 through the new standalone ESPN app, which costs $29.99 a month for ESPN Unlimited (every ESPN network plus ESPN+) or $12.99 a month for the cheaper ESPN Select tier. Live TV streamers also carry the full channel: Sling Orange runs about $45.99 a month, Sling’s newer Essentials pack is $19.99, and Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream all include ESPN at higher prices. No service gives you the full ESPN channel free, but a Sling day pass from $5, a Fubo or DirecTV free trial, or ESPN’s Monday Night Football simulcasts on ABC with an antenna are the cheapest legitimate ways in.
Last updated: July 2026. We checked each service’s live ESPN lineup and published price in July 2026.
The New Standalone ESPN App: Unlimited vs Select
The biggest change for cord-cutters is that ESPN now sells its flagship channel directly, no cable or live TV bundle required. The direct-to-consumer ESPN app launched in 2025 and comes in two tiers, and the difference between them matters because only one carries the live ESPN channel you are probably looking for.
ESPN Unlimited is the full experience at $29.99 a month or $299.99 for the year. According to ESPN’s own plans page, Unlimited includes the live linear networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network and ACC Network), ESPN on ABC, and the entire ESPN+ library. This is the tier that streams Monday Night Football, NBA games and college football as they air.
ESPN Select costs $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year, and this is where people get caught out. Select gives you ESPN+ content only (UFC, some soccer, PGA Tour coverage, out-of-market events and originals). It does not include the live ESPN flagship channel. If your goal is to watch the main ESPN broadcast, Select is not enough and you need Unlimited or a live TV service below.
One route can bring the price down. The Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited bundle starts at $35.99 a month for the ad-supported version, which is a small step up from Unlimited on its own and folds in two full streaming libraries. Neither ESPN app tier offers a free trial, so if a trial matters to you, look at the live TV services instead.
Live TV Streaming Services That Carry ESPN
Every major live TV streamer still carries ESPN, and most bundle it with dozens of other channels, so this is the better path if you want more than sports. Here is what each one costs and includes as of July 2026.
- Sling Orange: about $45.99 a month, carries ESPN and ESPN2. The newer Sling Essentials pack drops the price to $19.99 a month and also includes ESPN, making it the cheapest ongoing subscription with the channel.
- Fubo: the Pro plan is $73.99 a month and the Elite plan $83.99, both with ESPN. Fubo starts new members with a 7-day free trial, the most generous trial that includes ESPN.
- YouTube TV: $82.99 a month for the base plan, which includes ESPN, ESPN2 and unlimited DVR. Promotional pricing sometimes cuts the first few months.
- Hulu + Live TV: $89.99 a month with ESPN plus the Disney+ and Hulu on-demand libraries built in. No standard free trial.
- DirecTV Stream: the Entertainment plan is $89.99 a month with ESPN, and new customers get a 5-day free trial.
| Service | Monthly price | Carries live ESPN channel | Free trial or pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sling day pass | From $5 (1 day) | Yes (Orange) | Pay-as-you-go |
| Sling Essentials | $19.99 | Yes | No |
| ESPN Select (app) | $12.99 | No (ESPN+ only) | No |
| ESPN Unlimited (app) | $29.99 | Yes | No |
| Sling Orange | $45.99 | Yes | Day passes |
| Fubo Pro | $73.99 | Yes | 7-day trial |
| YouTube TV | $82.99 | Yes | Promos only |
| Hulu + Live TV | $89.99 | Yes | No |
| DirecTV Stream | $89.99 | Yes | 5-day trial |
The Cheapest Legit Ways to Stream ESPN
Be honest with yourself first: there is no fully free legal way to stream the entire ESPN channel. Anything advertising a permanent free ESPN feed is a pirate stream, and those are unreliable and risky. That said, a few genuinely cheap and legitimate paths exist, and one of them is actually free for certain games.
- Sling day passes. If you only need ESPN for one big game or weekend, Sling’s day passes cost $5 for one day, $10 for three days and $15 for seven days. That is the cheapest way to watch a single event on the real ESPN channel.
- Free trials. Fubo’s 7-day trial and DirecTV Stream’s 5-day trial both include ESPN. Time a trial around a specific game or tournament and you pay nothing for that window, as long as you cancel before it renews.
- ABC over the air. ESPN simulcasts a good chunk of its marquee content on ABC, including many Monday Night Football games and College Football Playoff matchups. ABC is a free broadcast network, so a $20 antenna gets you those games in HD with no subscription at all.
If you are weighing all of these against each other, our rundown of the best ways to watch live TV without cable compares the same services across news, entertainment and sports so you can pick one subscription that covers everything you watch.
What You Can Watch on ESPN Right Now
ESPN’s live schedule shifts with the sports calendar, but the tentpoles stay consistent year to year. Through the fall, Monday Night Football is the flagship draw, running alongside a heavy slate of college football on Saturdays. Winter brings NBA regular season and playoff coverage shared with ABC, plus college basketball leading into March. Spring and summer lean on MLB, the NBA Finals window, and Grand Slam tennis, with PGA Tour golf, UFC and international soccer scattered across the year on ESPN and ESPN+.
For the exact lineup on any given day, the live schedule inside the ESPN app and on espn.com is the reliable source, since rights and start times change week to week.
Watching ESPN on Roku, Fire TV, Phones and Consoles
ESPN runs on nearly every device you already own, and setup takes a couple of minutes. On Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung, LG, Vizio, PlayStation and Xbox, install either the ESPN app or the app for whichever service you subscribed to (Sling, Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu or DirecTV), sign in, and open the live ESPN channel. On a phone or tablet, the ESPN app for iOS and Android does the same job, and you can also stream in a browser at espn.com by signing in with your ESPN account or your live TV provider credentials.
For smooth HD, plan on roughly 10 to 15 Mbps of download speed, or 25 Mbps and up if you want the 4K feeds that some providers carry for select events. One login usually covers several devices, so you can start a game on the TV and pick it up on your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Watch ESPN Live for Free?
Not the full channel. There is no legal, permanently free stream of ESPN. You can watch ESPN’s ABC simulcasts (including many Monday Night Football games) free with an antenna, or use a Fubo or DirecTV Stream free trial to watch the real ESPN channel for a few days without paying.
How Much Is the ESPN App per Month?
The standalone ESPN app is $29.99 a month for ESPN Unlimited, which includes the full ESPN networks plus ESPN+. The cheaper ESPN Select tier is $12.99 a month but carries ESPN+ content only, not the live ESPN channel.
How Do I Watch ESPN Without Cable?
Subscribe to the ESPN Unlimited app, or to a live TV streamer that carries ESPN such as Sling, Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV or DirecTV Stream. Install the app on your TV, phone or streaming stick, sign in, and open the live ESPN channel.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Stream ESPN?
For a single game, a Sling day pass from $5 is the cheapest option. For an ongoing subscription, Sling’s Essentials pack at $19.99 a month is the lowest-priced plan that includes the live ESPN channel.
Does Sling TV Have ESPN?
Yes. ESPN and ESPN2 are on Sling Orange (about $45.99 a month) and on the newer Sling Essentials pack ($19.99 a month). Sling also sells short-term day passes if you only need the channel briefly.
Is ESPN on YouTube TV, Fubo and Hulu?
Yes. ESPN is included on YouTube TV ($82.99 a month), Fubo (from $73.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial) and Hulu + Live TV ($89.99 a month). All three carry the live ESPN channel, and Fubo is the only one of the three with a standard free trial.