Philo starts at $25 a month, while Bundle+ costs $33 and adds HBO Max Basic with Ads, AMC+, and discovery+.
Philo now has two paid plans, plus a free channel area. So the price question is not just one line on a sales page. It is the base plan, the add-ons, the tax, and the type of viewing you want week after week.
If you want live entertainment channels without the usual cable bill, Philo still sits near the low end of the market. The catch is simple: the low price only works if the channel list matches what you watch. If you want sports, local stations, or heavy news coverage, you may need another service on top.
Right now, the plain answer is $25 per month for Essential and $33 per month for Bundle+, before tax when billed through Philo. Add-ons sit on top of that. Some outside billing setups can show different pricing while Philo rolls out its newer plan setup, so the amount on your checkout page matters more than an old roundup post.
What You Pay Right Now
Essential is the entry plan. It includes 70+ live channels, a 7-day free trial for new customers, and a 1-year DVR. Bundle+ costs $8 more each month and folds in the same live TV base with extra viewing through AMC+, HBO Max Basic with Ads, and discovery+.
If your house mostly watches channels like HGTV, TLC, AMC, Hallmark, MTV, History, and Food Network, Essential may be enough. If you already pay for Max or want a wider on-demand bench, Bundle+ can cut down the total bill by folding more into one subscription.
Philo also has a free channel area. It is not the same as the paid service. You get a lighter setup, channels with ads, and shorter saved-content access. It works as a no-cost sample, not a full replacement for the paid plans.
Philo Streaming Service Cost By Plan And Add-On
The full price picture gets clearer when you line up the base plans and the paid extras in one place. On Philo’s pricing page, the service lists the current monthly rates and the extra channels you can stack on top.
| Option | Monthly Price | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Free Channels | $0 | 100+ channels with ads, select saving for up to 30 days |
| Essential | $25 | 70+ live channels, 75,000+ on-demand titles, 1-year DVR, 7-day free trial for new customers |
| Bundle+ | $33 | Everything in Essential, plus AMC+, HBO Max Basic with Ads, and discovery+ |
| Movies & More | $3 | Extra movie channels like HDNet Movies, REELZ, Sony Movies, and Fandor |
| AMC+ Ad-Free | $4 | Ad-free AMC+ content for Bundle+ subscribers |
| ALLBLK | $7 | Ad-free ALLBLK originals, films, and series |
| Hallmark+ | $8 | Ad-free Hallmark+ movies, series, and specials |
| MGM+ | $8 | MGM+ live channels and movies and series |
| STARZ | $12 | STARZ live channels and ad-free movies and original series |
That table shows both sides of Philo. The entry point stays low if you skip extras. It also shows how the bill can creep. Stack Bundle+, STARZ, and MGM+, and your monthly total hits $53 before tax. That is still below plenty of live TV rivals, but it is no longer the ultra-cheap pick people remember from older Philo reviews.
What Changes The Real Monthly Bill
The base rate is only part of the story. Three things push the final number up or down: plan choice, paid extras, and where you pay your bill.
Add-Ons Can Shift The Value
Philo keeps its paid extras separate, which works well if you only want one or two for a busy month. The official add-on subscriptions page lists 7-day trials for add-ons and notes that outside billing through Amazon, Apple, Google, Roku, Samsung, or Vizio can block add-on purchases until you switch billing back to Philo.
That point matters. A low sticker price feels nice, then you add STARZ for a movie run, Hallmark+ during the holidays, and AMC+ ad-free because you hate ad breaks. One month later, your cheap TV setup is not so cheap.
When Add-Ons Make Sense
- Pick one add-on for a month when you have a show or movie list ready.
- Drop it as soon as you finish that batch.
- Skip overlapping services. Bundle+ already includes content with ads from AMC+, plus Max and discovery+ access.
- Check whether an add-on is tied to direct Philo billing before you sign up through a device store.
Taxes And Store Billing Matter
Philo’s own help pages say pricing can vary through third-party billers. Taxes can also land on top of the listed monthly rate. That means two people can read the same “$25 a month” pitch and still see different totals at checkout.
If you want the cleanest read on cost, sign up on Philo’s own site, then review the charge before you lock it in. That cuts down the odds of device-store markups or plan labels that lag behind the newest setup.
Channel Mix Still Decides The Deal
Price only tells half the story. A cheaper service is a bad buy if it misses the channels you turn on each week. On Philo’s official channel lineup page, you can check whether your regular watch list is covered before you spend a dollar.
Philo is strong for entertainment, lifestyle, and reality TV. It is weak for sports and local broadcast viewing. So if your house wants NFL Sundays, live ABC, or a news-heavy lineup, the low bill may not help much because you will need another service.
| Setup | Monthly Total Before Tax | Who It Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Essential only | $25 | Viewers who want cable-style entertainment without extras |
| Bundle+ only | $33 | Homes that already watch Max, AMC+, and discovery+ content |
| Essential + STARZ | $37 | Movie fans who do not need Max or discovery+ |
| Bundle+ + MGM+ | $41 | Fans of prestige series and a larger movie shelf |
| Bundle+ + STARZ + MGM+ | $53 | Homes replacing several paid apps with one main bill |
| Free Channels | $0 | People who want a test run before paying for live TV |
Where Philo Feels Cheap And Where It Does Not
Philo feels cheap in the good way when you stick close to its lane. That lane is entertainment-first TV. You get a broad mix of popular cable channels, a long on-demand shelf, and a DVR that stores recordings for a year. For homes that do not care about sports, locals, or cable news, $25 is still a sharp price.
It feels less cheap when you treat it like a full cable swap. Philo is not trying to be every channel for every person. It is a stripped-down live TV bundle with a strong entertainment bend. If that is what you want, the price lands well. If not, you may end up paying for Philo plus another app for sports or local channels.
Who Usually Gets The Most For The Money
- Households that watch lifestyle, true crime, reality, and movie channels most nights.
- Cord-cutters who want live TV but do not want a triple-digit monthly bill.
- People who like recording shows and skipping ad breaks later.
- Viewers who rotate add-ons instead of carrying five paid apps all year.
Who May Need A Different Setup
- Sports fans who need ESPN, league channels, or regional games.
- Homes that rely on local ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC feeds.
- News-first viewers who want a broader live news lineup.
- Anyone who signs up for three or four paid extras and expects the bill to stay tiny.
Should You Pick Essential Or Bundle+?
Pick Essential if your target is a low monthly bill and you mainly want Philo’s live entertainment lineup. It is the cleaner buy for most people because you can still add one add-on later if you miss something.
Pick Bundle+ if you were already paying for Max or wanted more on-demand depth anyway. The extra $8 can be easier to justify than adding separate apps one by one. Still, that only works if you will use those extra libraries often enough to notice them.
So, how much is Philo streaming service? Right now, the straight answer is $25 per month for Essential or $33 per month for Bundle+, before tax, with optional add-ons from $3 to $12. That keeps Philo in the low-cost tier of live TV, as long as you choose the plan that fits your watch list instead of paying for extras you will barely open.
References & Sources
- Philo.“Pricing, Packages & Add-Ons.”Lists current base plan rates and add-on pricing.
- Philo Help Center.“Add-on subscriptions.”Shows add-on trial terms, pricing notes, and billing limits tied to outside app stores.
- Philo Help Center.“Channel lineup.”Confirms channel count, plan pricing, and the add-ons tied to each plan.
