Comparison

Infuse vs iSTB

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Infuse

A versatile video player that supports a vast array of formats and streaming options. Enjoy smooth playback, HDR, and Dolby audio, with integrated subtitle downloads and Trakt sync. Stream content from various devices and cloud services without conversion.

Highlights
  • Plays virtually any video format
  • Stream from Mac, PC, NAS, and cloud services
  • Supports HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby/DTS audio
  • Integrated subtitle downloads
  • Trakt 2-way sync
  • AirPlay & Google Cast support
Features
Read full description

Ignite your video content with Infuse – the beautiful way to watch almost any video format on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, and Vision. No need to convert files! Infuse is optimized for iOS 27, with powerful streaming options, Trakt sync, and unmatched AirPlay & subtitle support. Gorgeous interface. Precise controls. And silky-smooth playback. - PLAY MORE VIDEO TYPES A powerful video player that plays just about anything, including MP4, MKV, M4V and MOV – plus many others. Includes support for HDR, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, plus Dolby and DTS audio. - STREAM FROM OTHER DEVICES Browse and play videos stored on your Mac, PC, NAS, Wi-Fi hard drive, apps like Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin, or from cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, pCloud, Yandex.Disk, MEGA, Aliyun Drive, and others – no syncing required! - AIRPLAY & GOOGLE CAST OPTIONS Stream a wide variety of videos types such as MKV, MP4, M4V, and others over AirPlay & Google Cast with full surround sound and subtitles. - TRAKT 2-WAY SYNC Connect with Trakt to sync watched history, submit ratings and post comments. - OPTIMIZED SUBTITLES POWERED BY OPENSUBTITLES Bring your own subtitles, or download them on the fly (for free) in virtually any language. ===== “Looks great, plays anything you throw at it...surprisingly powerful” - Lifehacker “The best media player for iPhone and iPad...superior to VLC.” - Cult of Mac “I can't give the UI high enough praise. It's great.” - 9to5Mac “I see no reason whatsoever to remove Infuse from my Home screen anytime soon.” - iDownloadBlog “A beautiful UI.” - Trakt co-founder “A mini Kodi!” - Infuse user ===== MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE THE BASICS - Silky-smooth video player (plays full 4K w/ HDR & Dolby Vision) - Stream from a Mac, PC, NAS or Wi-Fi enabled hard drive - Connect with Plex, Emby, Jellyfin, Kodi (XBMC), WMC and other media servers - Beautiful layout with quick access to video info - Artwork and metadata added automatically - Split View & PIP - Spatial audio SUPPORTED FORMATS - Video: 33GP, AVI, AV1, ASF, BDMV, DIVX, DVDMEDIA, DVR-MS, FLV, H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), ISO/IMG, M4V, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, MTS/M2TS, MXF, OGM, OGV, RMVB, TS, VC1, VIDEO_TS, VOB, VP9, WEBM, WMV, WTV - Audio: AAC, AC3/E-AC3, DOLBY TRUEHD, DTS, DTS-HD MA, FLAC, MP3, OGG, PCM, WMA - Subtitles: DVB, DVDSUB, MICRODVD, MPL2, PGS, SMI, SSA/ASS, SRT, SUB, SUP, TIMED TEXT, TXT, VOBSUB, VTT, XSUB PLAYER FEATURES - Multiple audio tracks - Chapters - Gesture controls - 8 video zoom options - Continuous playback - TV out via HDMI or VGA adapter - Deinterlacing EXTRAS - Folders - One-click subtitle downloads from OpenSubtitles - Scrobble plays to Trakt - Download videos from networked devices - Drag and drop uploads via web browser - Get extra onboard storage with SanDisk iXpand and other USB drives GET MORE WITH INFUSE PRO! - Play even more video formats - Stream video trailers for movies and TV shows - Enjoy high-resolution Dolby® and DTS® audio - Access videos stored in cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, pCloud, Yandex.Disk, MEGA, Aliyun Drive, and more - Stream a wide variety of video types over AirPlay and Google Cast - Sync libraries, settings, watched history, and playback progress between devices ==== Note: DRM-protected movies & TV shows purchased from the iTunes store are not supported. Metadata and artwork provided by TMDB, which is a community maintained movie and TV show database. ==== Infuse Pro is available as a optional subscription, and includes a free trial period that begins once your purchase has been confirmed with your iTunes Account. When the trial period concludes, your subscription will start and renew automatically. Your iTunes Account will be charged for the upcoming period unless you disable auto-renew or cancel your subscription in your Account Settings at least 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Visit firecore.com/terms-privacy for full terms and privacy policy.

About

iSTB

Stream IPTV content from MAC address-based providers, Xtream Codes API, and M3U playlists. Enjoy features like EPG, VOD with subtitles, multi-view, and background audio playback. Requires a valid IPTV subscription.

Highlights
  • Add/remove unlimited portals
  • Connect to multiple portals
  • Search channels and genres
  • Electronic programming guide (EPG)
  • View & download VOD content
  • Watch VOD with subtitles
  • Multi View and Picture in Picture
Features
Read full description

iSTB allows you to watch IPTV from MAC address based providers which use Stalker Middleware, providers using the Xtream Codes API and M3U playlists. **Please use the iSTB Lite app to check if your provider is supported** **Some providers are not supported** Features: - Add/remove unlimited portals - Connect to multiple portals at once with profile groups - Search genres by name - Search channels by name - Add channels to a favorites list - Full electronic programming guide or EPG (dependent on your provider) - View & download VOD content (dependent on your provider) - Catch up on past programs (dependent on your provider) - Watch VOD with subtitles from OpenSubtitles - Resuming of VOD and catch up content - Play audio in background - Watch multiple streams at once with Multi View (dependent on your provider) - Play picture in picture (supported devices) - Cast to TV (May not work with all providers. Requires VLC app to be installed and a Chromecast.) - Watch content in portrait or landscape - Dark theme - And more! Please note: - This app works with MAC address & Xtream Codes based IPTV providers and M3U playlists only. Download the iSTB Lite app to check if your provider is supported. - You will need a valid subscription with an IPTV provider to watch content. This app does not offer any video or audio content itself. - All content is provided by your IPTV provider. If you have any questions or problems regarding the content or your subscription, please contact your IPTV provider directly. - You will need an active internet connection to watch content. Data charges may apply. Please check with your internet provider directly. - By using this app, you acknowledge and agree that you have the legal right to access and view the content provided by you. The app does not host, store, or distribute any copyrighted content. Users are solely responsible for ensuring that they comply with applicable laws, regulations, and copyright agreements when accessing and streaming content. The app and its developers assume no liability for any misuse of the service. If you do not have the necessary rights to access certain content, you must refrain from using the app for such purposes.

Screenshots

Infuse4 screens
iSTB4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Infuse at Free against iSTB's $14.99. Infuse also leads on ratings volume (28K vs 1.8K). iSTB's advantage is chart position (#8 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Infuse is free to download; iSTB costs $14.99 up front. Infuse sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and iSTB sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Infuse against 4.6 for iSTB. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Infuse has 28K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Infuse's written reviews are positive against 59% of iSTB's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Infuse ships an update fortnightly, iSTB every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Infuse versus iSTB: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInfuseiSTB
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.7 (28K ratings) — better4.6 (1.8K ratings)
Positive reviews60.5% of reviews — better58.9% of reviews
Number of ratings28K — better1.8K
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#8 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision ProiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS18.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size197 MB117 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperFirecore, LLCNihal Ahmed

Customer experience

Infuse

All ratings28,414 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.1%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews2,695 reviews
Positive60.5%
Neutral8.1%
Negative31.4%

iSTB

All ratings1,768 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.9%
Written reviews462 reviews
Positive58.9%
Neutral10.8%
Negative30.3%

User reviews

Infuse

From 28K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent video playback
  • 🔍 Automatic metadata fetching
  • 👍 Seamless integration with Apple devices
  • 🔊 Supports high-quality audio formats
  • 📂 Easy file management and organization

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Subscription model
  • 🐛 Metadata issues and incorrect tagging
  • ⏱️ Slow library loading and indexing
  • 🔍 Limited customization options
  • 🤔 Confusing user interface

iSTB

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly app
  • 🚀 Smooth streaming
  • 🔒 Reliable service
  • 💡 Useful features like EPG and favorites
  • 🎨 Good interface design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🔍 Difficult navigation and search
  • 📺 Compatibility problems on some devices
  • 💸 Expensive for some users

Bugs and requests

Infuse

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent crashes and freezes
  • Connectivity issues with network shares
  • Playback problems with certain video formats
  • Sync issues between devices
  • Unreliable subtitle downloads

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to edit metadata manually
  • Support for more media file types (photos, music)
  • Improved TV show organization and episode handling
  • Picture-in-picture controls and gestures
  • Customizable library views and sorting options

iSTB

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Xtream codes not working
  • Catchup TV not functioning
  • Channels not loading or buffering
  • Sync issues across devices
  • Playback problems on specific networks

Requested features

5 requests
  • Picture-in-Picture mode
  • Chromecast/AirPlay support
  • More customization options
  • Improved EPG and channel organization
  • Background playback and multi-tasking

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Infuse

Subscriptions4
  • Infuse Pro - Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Infuse Pro - Monthly1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Infuse Pro - Yearly7 Days trial$16.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Infuse Pro - Yearly1 Year trial$16.991 Year
One-time3
  • Dolby AudioFree
  • DTS AudioFree
  • Infuse Pro - Lifetime$99.99
7 purchases

iSTB

One-time7
  • Starter Pack$0.99
  • Supporter$0.99
  • Regular Pack$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Silver Booster$2.99
  • Binge Pack$4.99
  • Gold Patron$4.99
  • Top Donor$9.99

Questions

Is Infuse free?
Infuse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is iSTB free?
iSTB costs $14.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Infuse or iSTB?
Infuse is rated higher. Infuse averages 4.7 out of 5 from 28K ratings, while iSTB averages 4.6 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Infuse or iSTB have ads?
Neither Infuse nor iSTB shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Infuse or iSTB?
Infuse ships an update fortnightly, and iSTB every 9 days. Most recently, Infuse was updated on October 16, 2026 and iSTB on October 14, 2026.

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