In the long term, DISH seems to have the top DVR and price, while DIRECTV has been the superior option for NFL football enthusiasts plus people who prefer a bundle of stations.
DISH and DIRECTV are indeed the leading satellite TV companies, but you’d be left shocked at how distinct these 2 significant satellite TV companies are.
DISH offers constant cost during your agreement, although it lacks HBO. DIRECTV offers NFL SUNDAY TICKET, but again the cost increases in the following year after your subscription, increasing the cost altogether.
Now let’s go through the specifics to see whether the satellite Television provider can be considered suitable for your family and you or not.
Given below is the basic comparison of Dish vs DirecTV
Provider | Monthly price | Available channels |
Dish | $64.99–$99.99 | 290 |
DirecTV | $64.99–$134.99 | 330 |
Dish vs DirecTV: Price Comparison
DISH’s cost is constant, while DIRECTV offers extra channels.
The bundles from DISH versus DIRECTV appear to be similar, although if you prefer a variety of stations, you’ll have to pay a little extra with DIRECTV.
DIRECTV might be our top satellite Television choice, unfortunately, they retain their 2nd-year increases in price that almost doubles your monthly payment. Believe us, and we promise that at the end of this discussion, you’ll understand whether it’s good enough to justify the extra cost for you or not.
DISH, on the other hand, will present you with stable monthly pricing during the two-year agreement and that is something we all love to see.
The table given below shows exactly how much the Dish TV will cost you.
Plan | Price | TV channel count |
America’s Top 121 | $64.99/mo. | 190 |
America’s Top 120+ | $79.99/mo. | 190+ |
America’s Top 201 | $89.99/mo. | 240+ |
America’s Top 251 | $99.99/mo. | 290+ |
Moreover, you can also make your bundle with internet and Dish TV, just head over to their website and check it out. Bundling is handy since you just have to deal with one payment, plus we will walk you through the process of determining the right package for you as well as your household’s requirements.
Among these 2 satellite TV companies, DIRECTV has the maximum number of channels. Thus, if you generally require over 330 channels, DIRECTV is now at your disposal.
The table given below shows exactly how much DirecTV will cost you.
Plan | Price | TV channel count |
Entertainment All-Included | $64.99 | 160+ |
Choice All-Included | $69.99 | 185+ |
Ultimate All-Included | $84.99 | 250+ |
Premier All-Included | $134.99 | 330+ |
Dish vs DirecTV: Contracts and Agreements
DIRECTV needs a 2-year agreement, while DISH offers both a no-contract and a 2-year contract choice. If you want to choose DISH’s no-contract option, your monthly cost might go up to$10–$15 bucks higher than promised. So, when you wish to drop, you should not be worried about breaking your path out from an agreement.
Whenever you accept an agreement you must agree to the satellite Television subscription to prevent early discontinuation costs – these costs do get expensive. Also, remember that DIRECTV increases the monthly cost of your package after the first year.
So, generally, when you go for Dish TV early termination, you will have to pay a fee of $20 bucks for each month remaining on your agreement.
Similarly, when you go for DirecTV early termination, you will have to pay a fee of up to$20 bucks per month remaining on your agreement.
Dish vs DirecTV: Hidden Charges
It doesn’t matter whether you have Dish or DirecTV because they both charge a few equipment and DVR fees.
Starting with the Dish TV as the fees of its receiver always get a bit confusing for people. You initially obtain a Hopper Duo (125 High definition hours) DVR subscription at $5 bucks monthly whenever you purchase a receiver for your household.
If you buy 3 DVRs for your household, DISH enhances your primary set-top device to Hopper 2. However, you won’t acquire the Hopper 3 unless you purchase 4 receivers for your house. Hopper 2, as well as Hopper 3, can keep 500 hours of High definition and charge 10 bucks for every month. The extra receiver people buy is known as a Joey, and it costs $5 bucks every month.
And besides, we can’t stand the way one can’t purchase the Hopper 3, which is among the finest DVRs available in the marketplace.
DIRECTV provides the Genie DVR with 200 High definition hours upon your subscription, but every extra receiver charges $7 bucks monthly. DIRECTV, on the other hand, has the nerve to demand a regional sports payment.
Fees | DISH | DIRECTV |
Activation fee | N/A | $19.95 (one-time) |
Additional DVR receivers fee | $5.00/mo. | $7.00/mo. |
First DVR receiver fee | $5.00–$10.00/mo. | Included |
Installation fee | Included | Included |
Regional sports fee | None | $3.00–8.49/mo. |
So, if you are wondering what exactly are the charges of DirecTV and Dish TV, the following table might help clear things out.
Which Channels Are Available On DISH and DIRECTV?
By now we all know that having a satellite TV is a win-win because you get a huge number of channels that are both popular and useful straight to your living room TV.
The best part is that you’ll be able to watch the vast majority of your favorite channels, including
- → CNN
- → Comedy Central
- → Disney Channel
- → NFL Network
with any satellite Television service.
We understand that you want CNN Headlines Live every day, as well as if you want to entertain the kids, switch on Sofia the First.
DISH provides the max amount of sports channels, including the NFL Network, SEC Network, as well as Tennis Channel. However, DIRECTV offers an NFL SUNDAY TICKET feature which includes all those off-market NFL football matches. So, you get a front seat ticket to loads of games while sitting on your comfy couch.
You will need to evaluate the station lineups of DISH vs DIRECTV yourself to see which one best meets your leisure, sporting, lifestyle, and TV Reality requirements.
For your convenience, we have prepared another table for you. Take a look and decide for yourself.
Channel | DISH | DIRECTV |
CNN | All packages | All packages |
Disney Channel | All packages | All packages |
ESPN | All packages | All packages |
Food Network | All packages | All packages |
Fox News | All packages | All packages |
Hallmark Channel | America’s Top 200 and up | All packages |
HGTV | All packages | All packages |
MSNBC | All packages | All packages |
Nickelodeon | All packages | All packages |
TNT | All packages | All packages |
Univision | America’s Top 200 and up | ULTIMATE and PREMIER |
USA | All packages | All packages |
Dish vs. DirecTV: Premium Stations
Let’s just be truthful: DISH’s premium network offering is lackluster. DISH does not provide HBO or CINEMAX. DIRECTV also casts all such premium networks as extras.
Most DIRECTV bundles include a free membership to SHOWTIME, STARZ, CINEMAX, and 90 days’ membership for EPIX, as well as a one-year membership for HBO Max and other HBO networks. Just ensure you cancel these before the completion of the free trial, or you’ll be billed.
However, if you currently got HBO Max and therefore don’t dig CINEMAX, DISH would still be a viable option. DISH also provides most of its premium networks free for the first 3 months.
Now, if you want to compare the prices of premium channels side by side, take a look at the table below.
Channel | DISH price | DIRECTV price |
CINEMAX® | N/A | $13.99/mo. |
DISH Movie Pack | $10.00/mo. | N/A |
EPIX® | $7.00/mo. | $5.99/mo. |
HBO® | N/A | $14.99/mo. |
SHOWTIME® | $10.00/mo. | $13.99/mo. |
STARZ ENCORE® | $6.00/mo. | N/A |
STARZ® | $10.00/mo. | $13.99/mo. |
Data effective 5/20/2021. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
A word of advice for moviegoers thinking about getting DISH:
The DISH Cinema Pack contains:
- → EPIX
- → Sony Movie Channel
- → MGM HD
And much more among the leading 15 film networks.
Dish vs DirecTV: Sports Channels?
When it comes to the sports channels, DirecTV takes the title of being the best option for it. The main reason behind it is its one biggest feature: the NFL Sunday Ticket.
If you want to watch all the NFL games (even the ones that don’t show up on your local networking stations). NFL Sunday Ticket is your answer. And the good news is that NFL Sunday Ticket is now a part of the 4 top DirecTV packages that you select for your 1st year. Now that’s what we call a WIN.
But, the NFL Sunday ticket is one side of the story, DirecTV has even more sports channels for their customers. The list given below includes all the sports channels that come under DirecTV.
- → Big Ten Network
- → ESPN Classic
- → ESPNU
- → ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3
- → ESPNews
- → Fox Deportes
- → Golf Channel
- → MLB Network
- → NBA TV
- → NBC Sports Network
- → NFL Network
- → NHL Network
- → Paramount Network
- → Sportsman Channel
- → Tennis Channel
- → Universal Sports
However, make certain that the bundle you want to buy includes the sports networks you desire. Also, if you want ESPN Classic or Fox Deportes, you will have to buy the most-pricey DirecTV package.
Coming over to the Dish TV, let’s make one thing clear; if by any chance you are not one of those hardcore TV football fanatics? You will live happily with Dish TV. Having to pay around $89.99 bucks monthly, you will be getting most of the major sports channels.
The $89.99 bucks monthly plan is too good to be true and that is the reason it is our personal favorite too.
The list below has the sports channels which are included under Dish TV:
- → Zona Fútbol
- → TUBExtra 1–11
- → TUDN
- → Tennis Channel
- → SEC Network
- → Pac-12 Network
- → NHL Network
- → NHL Center Ice
- → NFL Network
- → NBC Sports Network
- → NBA TV
- → MLB Network
- → MLB Extra Innings
- → Longhorn Network
- → Golf Channel
- → FS1, FS2
- → ESPNews
- → ESPN, ESPN2
- → ESPNU
- → CBS Sports Network
- → Big Ten Network
- → ACCN
Dish vs DirecTV: DVR Comparison
Well, although the Genie and Hopper do come with their pros and cons but still the best DVRs in the market as of right now are offered by both DirecTV and Dish.
Take a look at the table below to compare the price of Dish and DirecTV DVR.
Provider | DISH | DIRECTV |
Additional DVR receivers fee | $5.00/mo. | $7.00/mo. |
DVR fee | Hopper Duo ($5.00/mo.), Hopper 2 and 3 ($10.00/mo.) | The first receiver included |
DVR storage | 125–500 HD hrs. | 200 HD hrs. |
The memory capacity of DISH’s Hopper DVR appealed to us the most. But we are not fans of their revised, muddled price.
Once you buy a single set-top device for your household, you will receive DISH’s Hopper Duo, which also provides 125 High definition recording hours for just $5 bucks monthly (a very decent value).
Once you buy triple receivers, you will have the Hopper 2, however, it is uncertain how much storage hours people will gain through its DVR. This implies you will receive 1 Hopper 2 plus two Joeys, for a total monthly cost of $20 bucks.
Lastly, if you buy 4 or even more receivers, Dish TV will let users grab the Hopper 3 as well as triple Joeys for just an overall cost of $25 bucks.
Hopper 3 should provide you with five hundred hours of recording time. You will be having enough space to tape those 201 installments of The Office, the week’s Sixteen NFL football matches, plus around 170 flicks, and even after that, you will have ample storage to spare.
In addition, DIRECTV generously provides the Genie DVR with every subscription, providing you nearly 200 High definition recording hours. When you lay down on the sofa for your binge-watch session, you’ll be ready to capture the full 130 episodes from Brooklyn Nine-Nine plus 120 episodes from Saturday Night Live.
Dish vs DirecTV: Who is the Winner?
Well, we have seen in the tables above that Dish TV gives you a better and reasonable value, on the other hand, DirecTV offers NFL Sunday Ticket plus HBO.
When pricing, agreements, total channel number, sports network availability, as well as DVR storage are all considered, DISH takes the lead among these 2 satellite TV companies.
DIRECTV also includes HBO plus NFL Sunday Ticket, however, DISH provides a more affordable price that remains steady all across the agreement. It also offers a variety of famous networks, including excellent sporting events coverage.
Pricing: DISH provides better value for your bucks throughout the long haul because there are no second-year cost increases. You have the option of going without an agreement or paying $10 to $15 bucks less for a two years’ contract. If you’d like more than 330 stations, plan for DIRECTV’s second-year pricing.
Stations: Both companies provide almost all of your favorite live Television stations, and both offer free deluxe channel subscriptions for a limited time. Unless you want HBO because that is only available on DIRECTV.
Sports Stations: Although DISH offers the greatest sports networks, DIRECTV includes NFL SUNDAY TICKET exclusively for football supporters. If you reside in Miami, Florida, and yet are a Washington Redskins lover and would like to see all complete games, you’ll need the NFL TICKET.
DVR: DISH’s Hopper 3 has five-HUNDRED hours of recording capacity however you’ll need to buy 4 receivers if you want to get this fantastic set-top device. If you’ve got a packed deck, this may not be an issue for you. The DVR from DIRECTV has around two hundred hours of memory, however, the initial receiver comes complimentary – plus 200 hours is more than enough.
The Full and Final Price of Dish?
- → America’s Top 120: $64.99/mo., 190 channels
- → America’s Top 120+: $79.99/mo., 190+ channels
- → America’s Top 200: $89.99/mo., 240+ channels
- → America’s Top 250: $99.99/mo., 290+ channels
Dish vs DirecTV: Your Opinion?
Have you had DIRECTV or DISH? What has your recent experience been like with it? And would you prefer a different service provider? Please leave a message!