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Buyer's guide, 2026

The best IPTV player for iPhone, iPad and Mac

There's no single best one: it depends on where you watch and what you need. Here are our picks for each case, including the ones where another app beats ours.

See the full comparison

From each app's US App Store listing and its developer's site, checked in October 2026. We make Yagi, so we've tried hard to be fair.

Best on the Mac: Yagi

Most IPTV players run on a Mac as their iPad app in a window. Yagi is built for macOS: its own window and sidebar, keyboard shortcuts, an interface scale from 80% to 200%, a floating Picture in Picture window, and a channel in each window if your account allows it. GSE Smart IPTV also has a native Mac app, sold separately and last updated in May 2022.

More on Yagi for Mac

Best on Apple TV: IPTVX

IPTVX has the longest feature list here, with catch-up, recording, multi-screen, Plex and SMB sources, and apps for Apple TV and Vision Pro. Its yearly plan is $28.99 in the US. UHF is a great Apple TV pick too, with a capable free tier, and iPlayTV is a long-loved Apple TV-only player you pay for once, at $5.99.

Yagi has no Apple TV app yet; it sends the picture from an iPhone, iPad or Mac with AirPlay. How that works.

Best free to start: UHF

UHF's free tier includes catch-up, rewinding live TV, Picture in Picture and downloads, with ads. Pro removes the ads and adds sync, for $17.99 a year or $49.99 once. Smarters Player Lite is free with ads, and its Premium is $1.99 once. Yagi has no free tier: it's free for 7 days, then $0.99 a month or $9.99 a year.

Best for recording: IPTVX or GSE Smart IPTV

IPTVX and GSE Smart IPTV both record live TV. UHF records through its companion UHF Server on a computer, and Purple Playlist Player offers cloud recording as a monthly add-on from $9.99. Yagi doesn't record; it lets you pause and rewind live TV by up to 2 hours.

Best for privacy: Yagi

Going by the App Store privacy labels the developers declare, Yagi is the only one of the eight that collects no data at all. UHF, GSE Smart IPTV and iPlayTV don't track you either. IPTVX, Smarters Player Lite, Purple Playlist Player and Opus declare data used to track you.

Best for subtitles: Yagi

Yagi's Instant Subtitles write subtitles on the device for movies and series that have none, and translate them into more than 20 languages. IPTVX, UHF and iPlayTV can load subtitle files or OpenSubtitles, which Yagi doesn't.

Best value across devices: Yagi

One Yagi subscription, $9.99 a year in the US, covers iPhone, iPad and Mac and works with Family Sharing. If you'd rather pay once, Smarters Player Lite, GSE Smart IPTV and iPlayTV are one-time purchases, and UHF's lifetime price is $49.99.

The picks at a glance

If you wantOur pickAlso great
A real Mac appYagiGSE Smart IPTV
Apple TVIPTVXUHF, iPlayTV
A free startUHFSmarters Player Lite
RecordingIPTVXGSE Smart IPTV
PrivacyYagiUHF, GSE Smart IPTV, iPlayTV
Subtitles in your languageYagiIPTVX, UHF
One price for every deviceYagi–

How we picked

Every fact comes from the app's US App Store listing and its developer's own site; where a listing doesn't say, we count it as not stated rather than guess. Prices are US prices and may differ in your country. None of these apps come with channels: they all play the Xtream Codes login or M3U link from your own provider.

Questions

What is the best IPTV app for iPhone?

For a TV guide, downloads, sync with a Mac and no data collected, Yagi. For catch-up and recording, IPTVX. For a free start, UHF. They all play the same Xtream Codes or M3U playlist, so you can try more than one.

Is there a free IPTV player for iPhone?

Yes. UHF and Smarters Player Lite have free versions with ads, and Opus is free with a viewing limit. Yagi is free for 7 days, then a subscription.

Which IPTV players work on Mac and iPhone with one purchase?

Yagi covers iPhone, iPad and Mac with one subscription. Most others run on a Mac with Apple silicon as their iPad app; GSE Smart IPTV's Mac app is a separate purchase.

Do any of these apps include channels?

No. They are all players. Any app promising free channels is best avoided.

Head to head

Yagi

Try Yagi free for 7 days.

On iPhone, iPad and Mac, with the Xtream or M3U playlist from your own provider. No account, no ads, no tracking.

Download on the App Store

Free for 7 days. Then £0.99 a month or £9.99 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.

Yagi doesn't come with channels: it plays the playlist from your own provider.