U vs YouTube TV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
U
Stream live TV and on-demand content from your home network or on the go. Manage your DVR, personalize your viewing experience, and use your device as a remote control. Discover new shows and manage your recordings with ease.
- Watch Live TV
- On Demand library
- Personalized homepage
- TV programming guide
- Remote control functionality
- DVR management
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Take the U-verse experience with you with the U-verse App. Watch Live TV and On Demand shows, manage your DVR, and use the app as a remote control. Live TV Watch Live TV in the palm of your hand! Watch even more channels live when connected to your home network. On Demand Watch on your schedule! Choose from thousands of On Demand movies and shows from top networks. My U-verse Homepage Personalize your U-verse experience by adding your favorite shows, channels, and people to My U-verse Favorites. The new Homepage highlights the shows that you care about most and recommends new shows for you to discover. Guide Browse or search your personal TV programming guide to find your favorite shows. Schedule one-time or series recordings on your DVR at home. Remote Control Control your home TV receivers with the remote control feature.† Recordings Easily manage your scheduled and recorded shows on your U-verse DVR at home. Settings Set Parental Controls and Notifications, manage your receivers, find support tools and more. Requires qualifying device, U-family or higher TV plan and Wi-Fi or data connection. Content may vary by device, TV plan, and viewing location. Data charges may apply. †U-verse Internet service and qualifying device required. This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please see http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.
YouTube TV
Stream live TV from over 100 networks without a cable box. Record your favorite shows with unlimited cloud DVR storage and share accounts with family. Cancel your monthly membership anytime.
- Cable-free live TV streaming
- 100+ networks including local channels
- Unlimited cloud DVR storage
- Recordings stored for 9 months
- 6 accounts per household
- Watch on multiple devices
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YouTube TV is now the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket. Watch every out-of-market Sunday game* on your TV and supported devices. Learn more: https://yt.be/nflsundayticket Watch cable-free live TV. Download to watch & record live TV from 100+ networks, including local sports & news, as part of your monthly membership. Cancel anytime. +Cable-free live TV. No cable box required. +Stream major broadcast and cable networks, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, NFL Network, ESPN, HGTV, TNT, AMC, and more, including your local sports & news channels. +Watch on your smartphone, tablet, computer, and TV +Cloud DVR without DVR storage space limits. Each recording will be stored for 9 months. +6 YouTube TV accounts per household. Everyone gets their own login, recommendations and DVR. +Monthly pay-as-you-go membership; cancel anytime. Over 100 networks are available in YouTube TV: BROADCAST ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, NFL Network, PBS, and more SPORTS CBS Sports Network, NBC Sports RSN (regional), NFL Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, Golf Channel, NBA TV, SEC Network, and more ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, BET, Bravo, Cheddar, CMT, Comedy Central, Comet, Cozi TV, Discovery, Discovery Turbo, E!, Food Network, Freeform, FX, FXM, FXX, IFC, Investigation Discovery, HGTV, MTV, Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild, Oxygen True Crime, Paramount Network, Pop, Smithsonian Channel, SundanceTV, SyFy, TBS, TCM, TLC, TNT, Travel Channel, TruTV, TV Land, USA, VH1, WE tv, YouTube Originals, and more NEWS BBC World News, CNBC, CNN, HLN, MSNBC, and more KIDS Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, PBS Kids Availability: YouTube TV is available nationwide in the United States. For more information, please visit our Help Center. Your membership will automatically continue for as long as you choose to remain a member. Your membership is a month-to-month subscription that begins at sign up. You can easily cancel anytime, online, 24 hours a day. There are no long-term contracts or cancellation fees. Subscriptions automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings on the device. Terms of service: tv.youtube.com/tv/terms Paid terms of service: tv.youtube.com/tv/paidterms Privacy policy: tv.youtube.com/tv/privacy Enjoy cable-free live tv now! *Commercial use excluded. Locally broadcast Fox and CBS games, Sunday Night Football on NBC, select digital-only games and international games excluded from NFL Sunday Ticket.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: U at 4.7 against YouTube TV's 3.6. U also leads on monetization model (free vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). YouTube TV's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#31 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
U holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: U has 390K ratings behind it against 60K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of U's written reviews are positive against 12% of YouTube TV's.
U ships an update every 3 months, YouTube TV weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | U | YouTube TV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (390K ratings) — better | 3.6 (60K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews — better | 12.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 390K — better | 60K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | #31 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 132 MB | 152 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | AT&T Services, Inc. | |
Customer experience
U
YouTube TV
User reviews
U
From 390K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient remote control
- 🚀 Easy to schedule recordings
- 🚀 Good on-demand functionality
- 👍 Reliable service when working
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Unreliable channel access and streaming
- 🐛 Guide data not kept up-to-date
- 🐛 Inconsistent functionality across devices
- 🔒 Security and login issues
YouTube TV
From 60K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Great alternative to cable
- 👍 Lots of channel options
- 👍 Sports features like key plays
- 👍 Ability to record shows
- 👍 Ability to access on the go
Room to improve
- 🔍 Too many ads
- 🐛 Playback issues like freezing and audio problems
- 🐛 Difficulty finding and managing recorded shows
- 🐛 Inconsistent volume levels
- 🐛 Buggy app behavior on various devices
Bugs and requests
U
Reported bugs
4 issues- App frequently logs users out
- Remote control feature not working consistently
- Certain channels not available through the app
- Sync issues between app and TV experience
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to access and manage recordings remotely
- Improved guide with more future programming data
- Seamless integration with home receivers
- Support for casting to TV from mobile devices
YouTube TV
Reported bugs
5 issues- Recorded shows not marking as watched
- Playback issues like freezing and audio problems
- App crashing when trying to resume watching
- Difficulty finding recently recorded shows
- Location-based content restrictions causing issues for travelers
Requested features
5 requests- Add delete and mark as watched buttons for library
- Improve navigation and organization of recorded shows
- Add option to select preferred video quality
- Improve channel browsing and customization
- Add profile support for multiple users
In-app purchases
U
No in-app purchases
YouTube TV
No in-app purchases
