Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue: What's the difference and which should you buy?
Sling Orange
The Sling Orange plan features 32 live channels, including ESPN, CNN, BBC America, and AMC. As part of this plan, you can stream only one channel on one device at a time, whether you're recording something or watching it live.
Sling Orange
Family-friendly and sports
Sling Blue
The Sling Blue plan features 47 live channels, including BET, Bravo, and Cartoon Network. It's also a multi-stream service, which means you can access the service on up to three devices at once.
Sling Blue
News and entertainment
Sling TV's Orange and Blue plans offer a solid selection of channels, depending on what your interests are. While the Orange plan includes less channels, the package is perfect for families who want to watch a variety of content together — from your favorite team's next game to the latest episode of Teen Titans Go! If staying up to date on the news or Million Dollar Listing are more your vibe, then the Blue plan may be the one for you.
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue: Sling Orange
The Sling Orange plan costs $35 per month and features 32 live channels centered mostly in family-friendly content and sports coverage. Among the channels included as part of the Orange plan are ESPN, CNN, Disney Channel, and Freeform. It should also be pointed out that the Sling Orange plan only allows you to stream one channel on one device under the Orange subscription, whether you're recording or watching something live. While some channels vary regionally, here's the full Orange lineup:
- A&E
- AMC
- AXS TV
- BBC America
- Bloomberg Television
- Cartoon Network
- Cheddar
- Cheddar Big News
- Comedy Central
- CNN
- Disney Channel
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN3
- EPIX Drive In
- Food Network
- Freeform
- Fuse
- History Channel
- HGTV
- IFC
- Lifetime
- Newsy
- TBS
- TNT
- Travel Channel
- Tribeca Shortlist
- Viceland
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue: Sling Blue
The biggest difference between the Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans is that the Blue plan gives you the ability to stream up to three channels on three devices simultaneously. You'll also find some differences in regard to the selection of channels offered.
While the Blue doesn't necessarily include every Orange channel by default, such as Disney Channel, it does give subscribers access to a handful of channels not available with the Orange subscription. These extras include NBC-owned stations like NBC, USA, Bravo, and SyFy. Another perk of the Blue plan is its inclusion of entertainment-centered channels like Bravo, Comedy Central, and E! Here's the full Blue channel lineup:
- A&E
- AMC
- AXS TV
- BBC America
- BET
- Bravo
- Bloomberg Television
- Cartoon Network
- Cheddar
- Cheddar Big News
- Comedy Central
- CNN
- E!
- EPIX Drive-In
- Food Network
- FOX News
- Fuse
- FX
- History Channel
- HGTV
- HLN
- IFC
- Lifetime
- MSNBC
- National Geographic
- NBC Select Markets
- NBC Sports Network
- Newsy
- Nick Jr.
- NFL Network
- SYFY
- TBS
- TNT
- Travel Channel
- Tribeca Shortlist
- truTV
- USA
- Viceland
Sling Orange vs. Sling Blue: Which service should you buy?
When it comes to picking which Sling TV plan is best for you, there are a few things to consider. As of January 2021, both the Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans include 50 hours of recording with Cloud DVR. If you need more space than that, you can increase your storage to 200 hours for an extra $5 per month on either plan.
Be an expert in 5 minutes
Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android
It should also be pointed out that, while Sling TV doesn't currently support 4K streaming, a majority of the channels on both the Orange and Blue plans are available in HD. Additionally, subscribers to either plan will have access to a library of rentals and special Pay-Per-View events to choose from on top of their basic channel packages.
Header Cell - Column 0 | Sling Orange | Sling Blue | Orange + Blue |
---|---|---|---|
Price | $35/mo. | $35/mo. | $50/mo. |
Concurrent streams | 1 | 3 | 4 |
Profile limit per account | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Sling TV, like YouTube TV, also offers a variety of add-ons for viewers who want more content. The Sports Extra is available for $11 per month for new customers with a subscription to either plan. If you're a fan of professional basketball, in particular, Blue or Orange plan subscribers can chose to add the NBA League Pass for an extra $29 per month.
Sling TV's other bundle options are the Comedy Extra, Kids Extra, News Extra, Lifestyle Extra, Hollywood Extra, and Heartland Extra, which start at an additional $6 per month.
Not convinced about which plan you should pick? Luckily, you don't have to choose. Sling TV subscribers can opt to subscribe to both the Orange and Blue plans, for a joint fee of $50 per month. The joint subscription gives you access to all the channels available on Sling TV, and allows you to stream or record on up to four devices simultaneously. And while the cost of some Sling Extras differ with the joint subscription, the perks might make it worth the few extra dollars.
Sports content and more
Live-streaming for the whole family
Sling Orange is an an affordable streaming option for families passionate about watching media together or catching the lastest game. With 32 channels to pick from, you'll find something for everyone.
Be entertained
The entertainment content you need
Sling Blue is a step up from Sling Orange and offers tons of content across 47 live channels. You can also choose to add on channel bundles to enhance you're viewing experience.
Keegan Prosser is a freelance contributor based in the PNW. When she's not writing about her favorite streaming apps and devices for Android Central, she's listening to a true-crime podcast, creating the perfect playlist for her next road trip, and trying to figure out which fitness tracker she should try next. You can follow her on Twitter @keeganprosser.