Find the IPTV player that's right for you
Yagi vs IPTVX, UHF, IPTV Smarters and friends.
There's never been a better time to watch IPTV on Apple devices. Here are 7 of the best-loved players for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV beside Yagi, feature by feature, with what each costs and what its privacy label says. Every one of them does something well, and we'll happily tell you when another app is the better fit.
Facts checked against the US App Store in
- 1 of 8is a native Mac app that's actively updated: Yagi, made for the Mac from the ground up.
- $9.99a year for Yagi on your iPhone, iPad and Mac together, the friendliest subscription price here.
- 0bytes of your data collected. No account, no ads, no tracking, just TV.
- 50languages, so Yagi feels at home wherever you are.
Find your player
What matters to you?
Tap the things you love to watch with. The apps line up by how many they do, and show what each one is missing.
- Yagi–
- IPTVX–
- UHF–
- Smarters Lite–
- GSE Smart IPTV–
- Purple Playlist–
- Opus–
- iPlayTV–
A paid upgrade counts as yes and a part as half. Anything a developer doesn't mention counts as no.
The full table
29 features, side by side
Every mark comes straight from the app's own App Store listing or website. Where a developer doesn't say, we don't guess: the cell simply says "not stated".
- YesYes
- Paid extraNeeds a paid upgrade
- PartlyPartly
- NoNo
- Not statedNot stated by the developer
| 29 features | YagiJoão Santos | IPTVXBending X | UHFShort Wavelength Applications | Smarters LiteWHMCS Smarters | GSE Smart IPTVdroidvision | Purple PlaylistPurple Smart TV | OpusBIEL LLC | iPlayTVAndré Silva |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devices | ||||||||
| Native Mac appBuilt for the Mac, not the iPad app run on one | Yes | PartlyThe iPad app | PartlyThe iPad app | PartlyThe iPad app | YesSeparate $5.99 app, last updated 2022 | PartlyThe iPad app | PartlyThe iPad app | No |
| iPhone and iPad | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Apple TV app | NoAirPlay from iPhone, iPad or Mac | Yes | Yes | Yes | Paid extraSeparate $4.99 app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Playlists | ||||||||
| Xtream Codes login | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| M3U playlist link | YesLive channels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Media serversPlex, Jellyfin, Emby, SMB | No | YesPlex, SMB | YesPlex, Jellyfin, Emby | Not stated | PartlyDLNA, SMB on Apple TV | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Live TV | ||||||||
| TV guide | PartlyWith Xtream, not M3U | Yes | YesScrolling limited when free | YesSince June 2026 | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Programme reminders | Yes | Yes | Paid extraPro | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Pause and rewind live TVWithout the provider's catch-up | YesUp to 2 hours back | Not stated | YesWhat is buffered | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Catch-upYour provider's archive of past programmes | No | Yes | Yes | Not stated | PartlyMac app | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Recording | No | Yes | PartlyNeeds UHF Server on a computer | Not stated | Yes | Paid extraCloud, from $9.99 a month | Not stated | Not stated |
| Several streams at once | YesA window each on Mac | YesMulti-screen | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Movies and series | ||||||||
| Movies and series | YesWith Xtream | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Yes | Yes |
| Continue watching | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| Downloads to watch offline | YesWhole seasons | YesiPhone and iPad | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | No |
| Instant SubtitlesSubtitles made on the device when a movie has none | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Subtitles translated into your language | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Subtitle files or OpenSubtitles | No | Yes | Yes | Not stated | YesSRT files | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Across devices | ||||||||
| Sync between devices | YesiCloud | YesiCloud | Paid extraPro | Not stated | Not stated | YesCloud favourites | YesOpus account | YesiCloud |
| Continue on another device | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| Handoff | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Picture in Picture | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Yes | No |
| AirPlay | Yes | Yes | Yes | YesPer reviews | Yes | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| Privacy and price | ||||||||
| No trackingPer the App Store privacy label | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Collects no data at allPer the App Store privacy label | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| No ads | Yes | PartlyPurchase prompts when free, per reviews | Paid extraPro | NoListing says it contains ads | Not stated | NoPop-ups, per reviews | Not stated | Not stated |
| Try before paying | Yes7-day trial | YesFree tier | YesFree tier | YesFree with ads | PartlyLite trial on Mac | No | YesViewing limit | No |
| Family Sharing | Yes | Paid extra$56 yearly plan | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| In 20 languages or more | Yes50 | No11 | No12 | NoEnglish only | Yes31 | Yes20 | NoEnglish only | NoEnglish only |
| Of the 29 aboveA paid extra counts as yes, a part as half | 23.5 | 21 | 19 | 7.5 | 13.5 | 8.5 | 11.5 | 11 |
On a phone, swipe sideways to see every app. The totals count only what each developer states, so an app with a short listing may well do more than it shows here.
Price
Great TV doesn't have to cost much
Yagi is the lowest-priced subscription here, at less than a dollar a month. If you'd rather pay once, Smarters Lite, GSE and iPlayTV are lovely options, and UHF's lifetime price matches five years of Yagi.
What it costs to keep, in US dollars
The cheapest way to keep every feature, from each app's US App Store listing. Lowest first.
- Yagi
Every price, as a table
| App | Free | Paid | 1 / 3 / 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yagi | 7-day free trial | $0.99 a month or $9.99 a year, Family Sharing | $9.99 / $29.97 / $49.95 |
| IPTVX | Free tier | $3.99 a month, $28.99 a year, $56 a year with Family Sharing | $28.99 / $86.97 / $144.95 |
| UHF | Free tier with ads | Pro: $1.99 a month, $17.99 a year or $49.99 once | $17.99 / $49.99 / $49.99 |
| Smarters Lite | Free with ads | $1.99 once for Premium | $1.99 / $1.99 / $1.99 |
| GSE Smart IPTV | None (a Lite trial on Mac) | $2.99 iPhone and iPad, $5.99 Mac, $4.99 Apple TV, each once | $8.98 / $8.98 / $8.98 |
| Purple Playlist | None stated | $5.99 for 6 months, $14.99 a year or $49.99 once; cloud recording from $9.99 a month | $14.99 / $44.97 / $49.99 |
| Opus | Free with a viewing limit | $2.99 to $9.99 a month by number of devices, $19.99 to $39.99 a year, $79.99 once | $19.99 / $59.97 / $79.99 |
| iPlayTV | None | $5.99 once, Family Sharing | $5.99 / $5.99 / $5.99 |
US prices from each app's listing. Recording, themes and other add-ons aren't counted. One Yagi plan covers your iPhone, iPad and Mac, and your family too with Family Sharing.
Privacy
Your viewing is your business
Every App Store listing has a privacy label, filled in by its developer. Each square is one kind of data the app says it collects. Yagi's is blissfully empty.
Yagi
Data Not CollectedThe developer says the app collects no data at all.IPTVX
- Used to track you 2
- Linked to you 0
- None
- Not linked to you 11
Tracking: Location, Usage Data. Not linked: Purchases, Coarse Location, Other User Content, User ID, Device ID, Product Interaction, Advertising Data, Other Usage Data, Crash Data, Performance Data, Other Diagnostic Data.
UHF
- Used to track you 0
- None
- Linked to you 0
- None
- Not linked to you 6
Not linked: Other User Content, Customer Support, User ID, Crash Data, Performance Data, Product Interaction.
Smarters Lite
- Used to track you 1
- Linked to you 0
- None
- Not linked to you 2
Tracking: Usage Data. Not linked: Advertising Data, Usage Data.
GSE Smart IPTV
- Used to track you 0
- None
- Linked to you 0
- None
- Not linked to you 3
Not linked: Precise Location, User ID, Crash Data.
Purple Playlist
- Used to track you 1
- Linked to you 1
- Not linked to you 5
Tracking: Usage Data. Linked: Usage Data. Not linked: User ID, Device ID, Diagnostics, Product Interaction, Email Address.
Opus
- Used to track you 1
- Linked to you 2
- Not linked to you 4
Tracking: Usage Data. Linked: Email Address, User ID. Not linked: Device ID, Product Interaction, Advertising Data, Diagnostics.
iPlayTV
- Used to track you 0
- None
- Linked to you 0
- None
- Not linked to you 2
Not linked: Usage Data, Diagnostics.
Devices
At home on every screen
On a Mac with Apple silicon, most of these apps run as their iPad app in a window. Yagi is made for the Mac, with its own window, sidebar and keyboard shortcuts. For Apple TV, Yagi sends the picture over AirPlay.
Lit: its own app. Amber: runs another way, as noted. Dim: doesn't run there.
| App | iPhone | iPad | Mac | Apple TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Yagi | Runs on iPhone | Runs on iPad | Runs on Mac | Not on Apple TV |
IPTVX | Runs on iPhone | Runs on iPad | Mac: iPad appiPad app | Runs on Apple TV |
UHF | Runs on iPhone | Runs on iPad | Mac: iPad appiPad app | Runs on Apple TV |
Smarters Lite | Runs on iPhone | Runs on iPad | Mac: iPad appiPad app | Runs on Apple TV |
GSE Smart IPTV | Runs on iPhone | Runs on iPad | Mac: Separate app, 2022Separate app, 2022 | Apple TV: Separate appSeparate app |
Purple Playlist | Runs on iPhone | Runs on iPad | Mac: iPad appiPad app | Runs on Apple TV |
Opus | Runs on iPhone | Runs on iPad | Mac: iPad appiPad app | Runs on Apple TV |
iPlayTV | Not on iPhone | Not on iPad | Not on Mac | Runs on Apple TV |
The honest picture
Where Yagi shines, and where others do
Where Yagi shines
- A true Mac app, lovingly kept up to date, with the same playlists, favourites and progress as your iPhone and iPad.
- Pause and rewind live TV by up to 2 hours, then hop back to live with one tap. Never miss the goal again.
- Instant Subtitles: subtitles made right on your device for movies and series that have none, and translated into your language.
- Nothing collected, ever. No account, no analytics, no ads. The only app here whose privacy label says Data Not Collected.
- Everything syncs through your own iCloud, reminders included, and Handoff passes a channel to your other device in a moment.
- 50 languages, right to left included, at the friendliest yearly price.
Where others shine
- Apple TV. IPTVX, UHF, Smarters, Purple, Opus and iPlayTV run right on it. Yagi gets there over AirPlay for now.
- Recording and catch-up. IPTVX, UHF, GSE and Purple record, and several play your provider's archive. Yagi doesn't do either.
- Guides for M3U playlists. Yagi brings the TV guide, movies and series with an Xtream login; an M3U link gives you the live channels.
- Plex, Jellyfin, SMB and OpenSubtitles. IPTVX and UHF bring in media servers and subtitle files. Yagi focuses on your IPTV playlist.
- Free forever or paid once. UHF and Smarters Lite have free tiers, and GSE and iPlayTV are paid once. Yagi is free for a whole week, then a small subscription.
- Older devices. Yagi is built for iOS 26 and macOS 26 and later, so several others reach further back.
App by app
Yagi beside each one
What each app does beautifully, and when it might be the right pick for you.
-
Yagi vs IPTVX
IPTVX, by Bending X
- 4.4 from 3.1K ratings
- Updated every week or so
- 11 languages
- Also on Android
A powerhouse with the longest feature list here: catch-up, recording, multi-screen, Plex and SMB sources, Apple TV and Vision Pro, and fresh updates almost every week. Its yearly plan costs about three times Yagi's, and its privacy label declares location and usage data used to track you.
IPTVX is a great pick ifyou love watching on Apple TV, record shows, use catch-up or Plex, or want several channels on one screen.You'll love Yagi ifyou want a true Mac app, Instant Subtitles, an app that collects nothing, and a third of the yearly price. -
Yagi vs UHF
UHF - Love your IPTV, by Short Wavelength Applications
- 4.7 from 2.9K ratings
- Updated this month
- 12 languages
- Built-in VPN
A beautifully polished player with a generous free tier: catch-up, rewinding live TV, PiP and downloads are all free, and Pro removes the ads and adds sync. It plays Plex, Jellyfin and Emby too. Recording works through its companion server on a computer, and on a Mac it runs as the iPad app.
UHF is a great pick ifyou want a capable free tier, Apple TV, Plex or Jellyfin, a lifetime price, or a VPN built right in.You'll love Yagi ifyou want a native Mac app, Instant Subtitles, sync and reminders in one ad-free plan, and an app that collects no data at all. -
Yagi vs Smarters Lite
Smarters Player Lite, by WHMCS Smarters
- 4.8 from 451K ratings
- English only
- Contains ads
From the makers of IPTV Smarters Pro, and the most-rated IPTV player on the App Store. It's simple and almost free, with ads, and its privacy label declares usage data used to track you. It added a TV guide in June 2026, and its listing doesn't say much about sync, PiP or downloads.
Smarters Lite is a great pick ifyou want the lowest possible price, on Apple TV too, and ads don't bother you.You'll love Yagi ifyou want a native Mac app, guide reminders, downloads, iCloud sync, Instant Subtitles, and no ads or tracking. -
Yagi vs GSE Smart IPTV
GSE SMART IPTV PRO, by droidvision
- 4.3 from 993 ratings
- Mac app last updated May 2022
- 31 languages
A veteran with a rich feature list: recording, SRT subtitles, a web interface, parental controls and 31 languages, paid once per platform. Its native Mac app was last updated in May 2022. Look for the developer droidvision, as several look-alike apps share the GSE name.
GSE Smart IPTV is a great pick ifyou like paying once, want to record live TV, or need one of its 31 languages that Yagi doesn't speak yet.You'll love Yagi ifyou want a Mac app that keeps getting better, iCloud sync, downloads, pause and rewind, and Instant Subtitles. -
Yagi vs Purple Playlist
Purple Playlist Player, by Purple Smart TV
- 4.6 from 2.1K ratings
- Last updated May 2026
- 20 languages
Runs on just about every screen, and offers cloud recording as a monthly add-on. Its listing doesn't say much about the guide, catch-up or downloads, and its terms say a paid period can't be cancelled midway. Its privacy label declares usage data used to track you.
Purple Playlist is a great pick ifyou want your recordings in the cloud, or the same player on Apple TV and other smart TVs.You'll love Yagi ifyou want a native Mac app, a friendlier yearly price, Instant Subtitles, and no tracking. -
Yagi vs Opus
IPTV Player - Opus, by BIEL LLC
- 4.3 from 927 ratings
- Updated this month
- English only
A modern Xtream and M3U player with rich movie and series pages, continue watching, and its own account to sync. Plans are priced by how many devices you use, and its privacy label declares usage data used to track you and your email linked to you.
Opus is a great pick ifyou want Apple TV too, and an account-based sync that works outside iCloud.You'll love Yagi ifyou want one price for all your devices, no account to make, a native Mac app and Instant Subtitles. -
Yagi vs iPlayTV
iPlayTV - IPTV/M3U Player, by André Silva
- Apple TV only
- Last updated September 2025
- English only
A long-loved Apple TV player, paid once, with a full XMLTV guide, Xtream catch-up and OpenSubtitles. It lives on Apple TV only, and its latest update was in September 2025.
iPlayTV is a great pick ifyou watch only on Apple TV and like paying once.You'll love Yagi ifyou watch on a Mac, iPhone or iPad, and want sync, downloads and Picture in Picture.
Switching
Up and running in a minute
Your playlist comes from your provider, so it comes with you to any player. Bring it along.
Find your login
In your old app's playlist settings, or the email from your provider: an Xtream server, username and password, or an M3U link.
Add it to Yagi
Open Yagi and enter it. Channels, movies, series and the guide load by themselves, and appear on your other devices through iCloud.
Make it yours
Star your favourite channels, rename or hide groups, and set reminders for the shows you love. Free for 7 days, then $0.99 a month or $9.99 a year.
Questions
Questions people ask
What is the best IPTV player for Mac?
It depends on how you love to watch. Yagi is built for the Mac itself, with its own window, keyboard shortcuts, sidebar and Picture in Picture, and runs on iPhone and iPad as well. IPTVX, UHF, Smarters Player Lite, Purple and Opus run on a Mac as their iPad apps. GSE Smart IPTV has a native Mac app too, sold separately and last updated in May 2022.
Is there a cheaper alternative to IPTVX?
Yes, several. Yagi is $9.99 a year, about a third of IPTVX's $28.99, and you can try it free for a week. UHF Pro is $17.99 a year or $49.99 once, and Smarters Player Lite is $1.99 once, with ads. IPTVX shines on Apple TV and records, so the table is a great place to match features to what you need.
Can I use the playlist from IPTV Smarters, IPTVX or UHF in Yagi?
Absolutely. Your playlist belongs to your provider, not to the player. Enter the same Xtream Codes server, username and password, or paste the same M3U link, and Yagi loads your channels; with Xtream it loads movies, series and the TV guide as well. Many providers allow one or two streams at a time, so stop playback in the other app first.
Does Yagi work on Apple TV?
Not as its own app yet. Yagi runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and sends the picture to your Apple TV with AirPlay. If you mostly watch on Apple TV, IPTVX, UHF and iPlayTV are wonderful choices today.
Can Yagi record or play catch-up?
Not today. Yagi lets you pause and rewind live TV by up to 2 hours, so you can step away and come right back, but it doesn't record or play your provider's catch-up archive. IPTVX, UHF (with its UHF Server), GSE Smart IPTV and Purple's cloud recording do.
Which IPTV players don't track you?
Going by the App Store privacy labels the developers declare, UHF, GSE Smart IPTV, iPlayTV and Yagi don't track you, and Yagi is the only one that collects no data at all. IPTVX, Smarters Player Lite, Purple Playlist Player and Opus declare data used to track you.
Which IPTV player makes subtitles for movies that have none?
Yagi does. When a movie or episode has no subtitles in your language, Yagi makes them as it plays, right on your device, and translates them with Apple Translation. Nothing ever leaves your device, and it's a first among the apps here.
Do any of these apps come with channels?
No. They are all players: you bring an Xtream login or an M3U link from a provider you're entitled to use. Any app promising free channels is best avoided.
How we compared
Method and sources
Yagi is made by the people who wrote this page, so we took extra care to be fair. Every fact about another app comes from its US App Store listing (description, version history, in-app purchases and privacy label) or the developer's own website, read in October 2026. Where a listing doesn't mention a feature, the table says "not stated" rather than no, and the totals count it as missing, which can undercount an app with a short listing. Review impressions are marked as such.
Privacy labels are written by each developer and aren't verified by Apple. Prices are US prices and differ by country. These apps keep getting better: if something here is out of date, write to [email protected] and we'll gladly update it.
All product names and trademarks belong to their owners. Yagi isn't affiliated with any of these apps.
- Yagi IPTV Player on the US App Store
- IPTVX on the US App Store, and iptvx.app
- UHF - Love your IPTV on the US App Store
- Smarters Player Lite on the US App Store
- GSE SMART IPTV PRO on the US App Store
- Purple Playlist Player on the US App Store
- IPTV Player - Opus on the US App Store
- iPlayTV - IPTV/M3U Player on the US App Store
Your channels, beautifully at home.
Bring the Xtream login or M3U link you already use, and see how good it looks on your Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree for 7 days. Then $0.99 CAD a month or $12.99 CAD a year, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Cancel any time in your App Store settings. Prices in your App Store may differ by country. Works with Family Sharing.