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Editorial Team · 2026-10-11
Best Sports Apps for Scores and Live Games, Ranked
By Editorial Team · published 2026-10-11 · updated 2026-10-11
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ESPN is the best sports app for most fans: scores, news, alerts and radio for every sport are free, and one plan, ESPN Unlimited at $31.99 a month, puts every ESPN network in the app without cable. We ranked the sports apps in our catalogue on what each shows for free, what the paid tier unlocks, and the blackout rules that decide what you can watch. Add your league's own app for its extras, such as MLB's $5.99 radio pass. Prices are as of October 2026.
How we picked
Sports apps answer two questions: what is the score, and where can I watch. The first is free almost everywhere; the second is where the money and the confusion are, because live rights in the US are split between leagues, networks and streaming services. We ranked the sports apps in our catalogue on what they show for free, what the paid tier actually unlocks, and the rules, such as blackouts, that decide what you can watch. Prices are US figures as of October 2026 and come from each company's own pages.
League apps such as the NBA's score higher for their one sport, but for most fans the first install should cover every sport at once.
1. ESPN — every sport's scores free, every ESPN network in one plan
ESPN wins because it is the one app that follows all your teams across leagues: scores, news, alerts, ESPN Radio and a vertical video feed are free. When you want live games, ESPN Unlimited puts the cable networks, ESPN on ABC, ESPN+ and now NFL Network in the same app without a cable subscription.
Since September 17, 2026, Unlimited costs $31.99 a month and still shows ads; the $35.99 Disney bundle is the better buy if you also want Disney+ and Hulu. ESPN Select, the cheaper tier, is ESPN+ content only. Streams can be shaky, and data collection is heavy. Our score: 6.9.
2. NBA — the broadcaster on every game
NBA solves the real problem of a season scattered across services: every game in the free scoreboard is labelled with the network carrying it. A vertical highlights feed and live channels come with it.
League Pass costs $16.99 a month and shows out-of-market games only; blackouts still apply to the team where you live, so it suits a fan who moved away from their team. Note the tracking listed on its privacy label before handing it to a child. Our score: 7.2.
3. MLB — Gameday and every team's radio call
MLB has the best free tool of any league app: Gameday pitch tracking, with scores, in-game highlights and some Minor League games. MLB+ at $5.99 a month adds every team's radio broadcast with no blackouts, the best value in sports streaming if you listen more than you watch.
MLB.TV costs $149.99 a season for out-of-market games, blackouts still apply, and the daily Game of the Day moved to ESPN Unlimited in 2026. Our score: 6.7.
4. NFL — the cheapest official way to watch your team
NFL pairs a free scoreboard and highlights with NFL+, which streams live local and primetime games for $6.99 a month. Premium adds RedZone and All-22 film.
The rules are narrow: live games play only on a phone or tablet, not on the living-room TV, and out-of-market Sunday afternoon games are excluded at every tier. Login and streaming failures dominate recent Play reviews. Our score: 6.2.
5. CBS Sports — free 24/7 channels
CBS Sports is free for scores, news and GameTracker play-by-play, and it streams two 24/7 channels at no cost: CBS Sports HQ and the soccer-focused CBS Sports Golazo Network. Its Picks tab runs free bracket and Pick'em contests.
NFL on CBS and the Champions League need a TV provider or Paramount+ sign-in, ads cannot be removed, and season-long fantasy lives in a separate app. Our score: 6.9.
6. DAZN — boxing's home, at a price
DAZN is built around boxing, with cards from Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy and BKFC, more than 185 fights a year, plus Spanish-language Champions League and Serie A coverage in the US. For a boxing fan there is no substitute, because those promoters do not sell their cards elsewhere.
It is the most expensive app in our catalogue at $34.99 a month, major fights are still sold as pay-per-view up to $88.99, and the paid product still carries ads. If you buy several cards a year, the Ultimate tier, which bundles pay-per-views, is the only version that adds up. Our score: 6.9.
7. UFC — free cards and results, but not the fights
UFC is free for fight news, cards, results and rankings without ads, and it sells UFC Fight Pass, a $9.99 monthly archive of decades of combat sports, from PRIDE to Strikeforce.
The numbered UFC events moved to Paramount+ in 2026 under a seven-year US rights deal, so this app is no longer where you buy them. Know that before searching for a pay-per-view here. Our score: 7.3.
8. GameChanger — for youth and amateur teams
GameChanger is free for coaches and team staff, who can score games, stream in 1080p and see every stat and clip for their teams, even offline. Families following basketball or soccer get scores, alerts and unlimited live video for free.
Baseball and softball streams stop after five free games for fans, and ads now appear during live streams even for subscribers. It is owned by DICK'S Sporting Goods, and baseball families who hate ads during at-bats should price a Team Pass first. Our score: 7.3.
Tickets and gear
MLB Ballpark is the ticket wallet at all 30 ballparks and the only digital entry at some, with barcodes that rotate so screenshots fail; it forwards tickets to friends, hands resale to SeatGeek and, at 10 clubs, runs face-scan entry. Seven clubs route sign-in through Ticketmaster. Fanatics sells licensed gear with a 365-day return window on most items, but its FanCash rewards start at 1% back.
Bottom line
Install ESPN first for free scores across every sport, and pay for Unlimited only if you want the ESPN networks without cable. Then add the app of your main league: NBA for its broadcaster labels, MLB for Gameday and $5.99 radio, NFL+ at $6.99 for local games on your phone. Boxing fans need DAZN; UFC fans now need Paramount+ for the numbered events.
