Die-hard multi-sport fans Live ESPN event viewers Fans tracking many teams at once Disney+/Hulu bundle households

Casual fans who only need scores Budget streamers wary of price hikes Non-sports households buying bundles for one league Anyone expecting smooth billing and support

ESPN Review

Depends

Should I use ESPN?

Not disclosed - espn.com

Analyzed September 21, 2026 · 1 month ago

Buy it only if you're a serious fan who will watch ESPN live events weekly — the catalog is unmatched. Casual users should stick to the free scores app; the paid tier draws harsh reviews and rising prices.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources: app stores, Reddit, PissedConsumer, Trustpilot, security research, and official pricing pages.

Ratings

Value for money
Ease of use
Feature depth
Support quality
Security posture

Pricing

Free app/website

ModelNot disclosed

Monthly feesNot disclosed

HardwareNot disclosed

Free tierYes

ESPN SelectNot stated in reviewed sources

ESPN Unlimited$31.99/mo (was $29.99)

Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundleBundle pricing varies

Best for

Die-hard multi-sport fans
Live ESPN event viewers
Fans tracking many teams at once
Disney+/Hulu bundle households

Not for

Casual fans who only need scores
Budget streamers wary of price hikes
Non-sports households buying bundles for one league
Anyone expecting smooth billing and support

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Subscribers report finger-pointing between ESPN and DIRECTV over paid access

medium

Unlimited rose $29.99 to $31.99 — first reported hike, likely not the last

medium

Free app gates most live content; check whether your leagues are included before paying

medium

Carriage disputes can black out content you already paid for

Pros

Free app delivers fast real-time scores
App store reviewers call the app excellent
Large live-event and originals streaming catalog
Bundles with Disney+ and Hulu cut effective cost
Runs a public bug bounty program via HackerOne

Cons

1.7/5 rating across roughly 1,400 consumer complaints
Unlimited price rose from $29.99 to $31.99
Reddit users call ESPN+ 'terrible' and 'worthless'
Faces privacy lawsuits over alleged Meta data sharing
App flagged in Zscaler mobile privacy research

Sources & method

Analyzed September 21, 2026 - 12 sources - Active HackerOne bug bounty and vendor security ratings exist; app flagged by Zscaler research and multiple privacy lawsuits filed.

official x2review x6security x3news x1

App listed on Zscaler 'Wall of Shame', Zscaler research flagged the ESPN ScoreCenter app over mobile privacy practices.
Privacy lawsuits over data sharing, Class actions allege ESPN+ shared viewer data with Meta; Eichenberger v. ESPN is also cited.
Malicious-code report on lookalike package, Threat feed MAL-2026-10401 flags an '@espn-pingreact' package; likely a lookalike, not official ESPN — verify before use.

Key stats

Value for money: 2/5
Rating
$0
Starting price
12
Sources
September 21, 2026
Analyzed

Value for money: 2/5. Users call paid tier poor value; prices rising
Ease of use: 4/5. App store reviews praise fast, simple scores
Feature depth: 4/5. Scores, news, live events, originals, bundles
Support quality: 2/5. 1.7/5 consumer rating cites billing fights
Security posture: 3/5. Bug bounty exists; privacy lawsuits and app flags

1.7/5 PissedConsumer rating ~1,400 reviews
$31.99/mo Unlimited plan price up from $29.99
Yes Free app tier scores and news without a sub
1979 Founded legacy sports media brand

Pricing

Free app/website

Scores, news, alerts
Live content gated behind subs

ESPN Select

Not stated in reviewed sources

Entry streaming tier
See ESPN support for current price

ESPN Unlimited

$31.99/mo (was $29.99)

Full live and originals lineup
Price increased per subscriber reports

Disney+/Hulu/ESPN bundle

Bundle pricing varies

ESPN Select or Unlimited with Disney+ and Hulu

Security

Active HackerOne bug bounty and vendor security ratings exist; app flagged by Zscaler research and multiple privacy lawsuits filed.

App listed on Zscaler 'Wall of Shame'Zscaler research flagged the ESPN ScoreCenter app over mobile privacy practices.¹⁰
Privacy lawsuits over data sharingClass actions allege ESPN+ shared viewer data with Meta; Eichenberger v. ESPN is also cited.¹¹

Malicious-code report on lookalike packageThreat feed MAL-2026-10401 flags an '@espn-pingreact' package; likely a lookalike, not official ESPN — verify before use.

What users say

App-store users praise the fast scores, while Reddit and PissedConsumer reviewers slam the subscription's value and billing experience.

“ESPN is an excellent app”

Apple App Store review

“Espn is absolutely trash”

Reddit, r/ESPN

“ESPN Plus is worthless”

Reddit, r/ESPN (thread title)

Alternatives

Compare ESPN with each alternative.

Apple Sports
Free, minimal live scores without the noise
ESPN vs Apple Sports
The Athletic
Deeper written sports journalism, fewer hot takes
CBS Sports app
Free scores and streaming for many leagues
ESPN vs CBS Sports app

League-native apps (NBA, NFL)
Guess: better single-league depth if you follow one sport
ESPN vs League-native apps (NBA, NFL)

Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources: app stores, Reddit, PissedConsumer, Trustpilot, security research, and official pricing pages.

Free scores app is great; paid streaming is for serious fans — expect price hikes and polarized reviews.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources: app stores, Reddit, PissedConsumer, Trustpilot, security research, and official pricing pages.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

ESPN - Apps on Google Playplay.google.com
review
ESPN: Live Sports & Scores - App Store Reviewsapps.apple.com
review
ESPN Reviews - PissedConsumerespn.pissedconsumer.com
review
Read Customer Service Reviews of espn.com - Trustpilottrustpilot.com
review
Is ESPN plus worth it? - Redditreddit.com
review
ESPN+ is Terrible - Redditreddit.com
review
ESPN Select or Unlimited Plans and Pricessupport.espn.com
official
ESPN Unlimited price increasesportsmediawatch.com
news
Disney+, Hulu, ESPN Bundledisneyplus.com
official
Mobile App Wall Of Shame: ESPN ScoreCenter - Zscalerzscaler.com
security
ESPN+ Privacy Lawsuits - ClassAction.orgclassaction.org
security
ESPN | Response Policy - HackerOnehackerone.com
security

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ESPN Review

Confidence

Ratings

Pricing