How to get a Sling TV free trial
A Sling TV free trial gives you time to kick the tires on the streaming service
Looking for how to score a Sling TV free trial? I don't blame you. They are few and far between, and if they weren't digital, they'd be worth their weight in gold.
That's because Sling TV might be the cable TV alternative that merits a free trial more than any of its competitors. Not because it's bad — far from it. It's our pick for the best live TV streaming service you can get.
But Sling does come with some drawbacks. At a starting price of $46 a month, it's cheaper than most alternatives, but you do have to make some sacrifices to get that cheaper price.
Namely, Sling has fewer channels than competitors like YouTube TV and Hulu With Live TV. It also lacks unlimited DVR, though you do get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage included and can pay $5 a month extra to get an additional 150 hours of storage with DVR Plus.
Get up to 50% off your first month of Sling TV
New and returning customers can sign up for either the Orange or Blue plan (or the combo plan) and save up to 50% off one of the best cable TV alternatives.
Preferred partner (What does this mean?)
So with tradeoffs like that, it'd make sense to try it out first if you can. Unfortunately, a Sling TV free trial isn't available right now.
It is available at a discount though — right now your first month is half off. If you're looking to save the most money possible, you can also check out our Sling TV promo codes, which may include better offers.
Even though it has a budget price, Sling still gives you access to popular networks. That includes ESPN and Disney Channel with Sling Orange or Bravo, FX and USA with Sling Blue. It also offers local ABC, Fox and NBC affiliates on Sling Blue in certain markets. You can even sign up for additional extras like Showtime and Starz.
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For more details about the service, read our Sling TV review. Otherwise, read on to see how to sign up for a Sling TV free trial when it's available, as well as what free add-ons are currently available.
Sling TV free trial: How to sign up
The following step only work when a Sling TV free trial is available. Currently, it is not.
Sling TV free trial: How to sign up
1. On Sling.com, scroll down to Sling Orange, Blue and Orange & Blue, hover over an option and click the orange "Try Us Free" button. Note that Sling's terms of trial length are constantly changing, and it may also say "Get This Offer." If it says "Try Us Today", this is not a link to a trial signup page and it is instead for subscribing to the full-priced service.
2. Enter your email address, a new password and click Register.
3. Select a service package. Your options are Sling's Orange, Blue, or Orange-and-Blue combo pack. Here's a rundown of Sling Orange vs Blue. Note the price differences: Orange gives you 35 channels for $46 a month, Blue packs 43 channels starting at $46 per month, and the combo, which offers more than 46 channels, starts at $61 per month. Right now, all of the plans are available for 50% off if you choose to subscribe.
Again, the duration of the trial is always changing, so the Sling signup page may look slightly different.
4. Now, scroll through the extra channel options are. Here, you can choose whether to get more channels for an additional fee, like Epix, CMT, and others. You can also choose to sign up for Showtime and Starz. Each plan also has a special Sports Extra add-on package. But be careful — the two Sports Extra packages do not have the same channels. Finally, Sling lets you upgrade to 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (10 hours come free) when selecting extras. When you're ready, click Continue.
5. Enter your credit card and move on. If I were you, I'd set a reminder that reads "Make sure you want to pay for Sling," set to a few hours (at least) before the date and time listed at the top of this page. After that point in time, Sling will begin charging your credit card automatically.
At long last, you've made it through the subscription process and you're ready to start watching content. If you're on a computer, Sling TV can either be used in Chrome, or you'll want to download its app to your machine. If you prefer to watch it on the Apple TV or another device, just download the app from the gadget's app store and input your credentials. If you decide you don't want to continue the free trial, here's info on how to cancel Sling.
Sling TV free trial: Add-on services
While you can't score a Sling TV free trial at the moment, sometimes you can add some premium add-on services for free at checkout. Any add-ons available for free trials still have to be added in checkout to get them. They are not automatically applied.
Sling TV add-on services free trials
Here's the list of all the Sling TV add-on services for which we've currently seen a one-month free trial offer.
- DVR Plus (up to 200 hours DVR storage)
- Paramount Plus with Showtime (9 channels)
- Starz (19 channels)
- AMC Plus (8 channels)
- MGM Plus (4 channels)
More from Tom's Guide
Malcolm McMillan is a senior writer for Tom's Guide, covering all the latest in streaming TV shows and movies. That means news, analysis, recommendations, reviews and more for just about anything you can watch, including sports! If it can be seen on a screen, he can write about it. Previously, Malcolm had been a staff writer for Tom's Guide for over a year, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), A/V tech and VR headsets.
Before writing for Tom's Guide, Malcolm worked as a fantasy football analyst writing for several sites and also had a brief stint working for Microsoft selling laptops, Xbox products and even the ill-fated Windows phone. He is passionate about video games and sports, though both cause him to yell at the TV frequently. He proudly sports many tattoos, including an Arsenal tattoo, in honor of the team that causes him to yell at the TV the most.
- Kelly WooStreaming Editor