# SmallBird vs BoxPlayer

The clearest difference is price: BoxPlayer at Free against SmallBird's $1.99. BoxPlayer also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 96 months) and ratings volume (62 vs 1). SmallBird's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

BoxPlayer is free to download; SmallBird costs $1.99 up front. BoxPlayer sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. SmallBird asks for nothing beyond the download.

SmallBird holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BoxPlayer has 62 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

SmallBird ships an update every 96 months, BoxPlayer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmallBird | BoxPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallbird/id1116598912/reviews)** | [4.7 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxplayer/id6739804060/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **62** |
| Positive reviews | — | 93.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 96 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 182 MB | 149 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [ablemagic](https://appshunter.io/developer/360716777) | [三玉 高](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786938832) |

## What reviewers say

### SmallBird

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smallbird/id1116598912)

Identify birds by assembling their parts to hear their songs. Explore common garden and woodland birds with visual identification and audio recordings. Create your own unique fantasy birds by mixing and matching different avian features.

**Highlights:** Assemble bird parts to hear songs, Visual bird identification, Mix-and-match fantasy bird creation, Learn about common garden birds, Includes bird songs, English and Norwegian language support

**In-app purchases:** none


### BoxPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxplayer/id6739804060)

A versatile video player for iPhone and iPad that supports a wide range of formats and offers advanced streaming capabilities. Enjoy seamless playback with subtitle support, HDR, Dolby Vision, and Spatial Audio, all within an elegant interface. It integrates with various cloud services and media servers for a comprehensive viewing experience.

**Highlights:** Supports all video formats, HDR, Dolby Vision, Spatial Audio support, iCloud and Trakt synchronization, Emby, Jellyfin, Plex compatibility, Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.), Local video playback, Automatic metadata fetching

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BoxPlayer 月度会员 | $0.99 | per month |
| BoxPlayer 年度会员 | $4.99 | per year |
| BoxPlayer Pro tvOS LifeTime | $4.99 | one-time |
| BoxPlayer Pro macOS LifeTime | $4.99 | one-time |
| BoxPlayer Pro iOS LifeTime | $4.99 | one-time |
| BoxPlayer Pro LifeTime | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive performance
- 💡 Comprehensive network disk support
- 🔒 Reliable and secure playback

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional playback issues
- 🔋 Slightly higher battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes on older devices
- Playback stuttering with high-bitrate files

**Requested features**

- Support for VOD sources
- Integrated subtitle management
- Chromecast/AirPlay integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmallBird free?

SmallBird costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BoxPlayer free?

BoxPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, SmallBird or BoxPlayer?

SmallBird is rated higher. SmallBird averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while BoxPlayer averages 4.7 from 62 ratings.

### Do SmallBird or BoxPlayer have ads?

Neither SmallBird nor BoxPlayer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmallBird or BoxPlayer?

SmallBird ships an update every 96 months, and BoxPlayer every 3 weeks. Most recently, SmallBird was updated on November 2, 2026 and BoxPlayer on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*