# 123Play vs ROW8

The clearest difference is rating: 123Play at 3.7 against ROW8's 3.3. 123Play also leads on ratings volume (7K vs 48). ROW8's advantage is review sentiment (38% vs 15%) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 123Play sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ROW8 sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

123Play holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 123Play has 7K ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 15% of 123Play's written reviews are positive against 38% of ROW8's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

123Play ships an update every 3 months, ROW8 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 123Play | ROW8 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[3.7 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/123play/id1147714737/reviews)** | [3.3 (48 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/row8/id1410917025/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **7K** | 48 |
| Positive reviews | 14.8% of reviews | **37.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 25 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [David Buhauer](https://appshunter.io/developer/979059591) | [Philo](https://appshunter.io/developer/834527962) |

## What reviewers say

### 123Play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/123play/id1147714737)

Discover popular movies and TV shows available on the iTunes Store. This app provides instant access to the latest titles, including those currently in theaters. Easily explore by genre, search for specific content, and find top-rated or upcoming releases.

**Highlights:** Discover movies and TV shows, Search by genre, title, or actor, Find popular and upcoming titles, Real-time updates from TMDb, See currently playing/airing content, Check iTunes availability

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good app
- 👍 Great service
- 👍 Excellent selections

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Doesn't work as expected
- 💰 Not free, have to pay for movies
- 🚫 Doesn't allow watching movies
- 🚫 Useless, just redirects to iTunes

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch
- Doesn't load movies
- Redirects to iTunes instead of playing movies

**Requested features**

- Allow watching movies for free
- Fix crashing issues
- Improve functionality to actually watch movies


### ROW8

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/row8/id1410917025)

Access the newest movies directly from theaters, ahead of their release on subscription services. This app offers a pay-per-view model, meaning you only pay for the films you choose to watch.

**Highlights:** Latest movies from theaters, Early access before streaming, Pay-per-view model, No subscription required, Movie Love Guaranteed

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (21)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2.99 HD Movie Rental | $2.99 | one-time |
| 3.99 HD Movie Rental | $3.99 | one-time |
| 4.99 HD Movie Rental | $4.99 | one-time |
| 5.99 HD Movie Rental | $5.99 | one-time |
| 6.99 HD Movie Rental | $6.99 | one-time |
| 7.99 HD Movie Purchase | $7.99 | one-time |
| 9.99 HD Movie Purchase | $9.99 | one-time |
| 9.99 HD Movie Rental | $9.99 | one-time |
| 11.99 HD Movie Purchase | $11.99 | one-time |
| 12.99 HD Movie Purchase | $12.99 | one-time |
| 13.99 HD Movie Purchase | $13.99 | one-time |
| 14.99 HD Movie Purchase | $14.99 | one-time |
| 18.99 HD Movie Rental | $18.99 | one-time |
| 18.99 HD Movie Purchase | $18.99 | one-time |
| 19.99 HD Movie Rental | $19.99 | one-time |
| 19.99 HD Movie Purchase | $19.99 | one-time |
| 23.99 HD Movie Purchase | $23.99 | one-time |
| 24.99 HD Movie Rental | $24.99 | one-time |
| 24.99 HD Movie Purchase | $24.99 | one-time |
| 28.99 HD Movie Purchase | $28.99 | one-time |
| 29.99 HD Movie Purchase | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 123Play free?

123Play is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is ROW8 free?

ROW8 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 123Play or ROW8?

123Play is rated higher. 123Play averages 3.7 out of 5 from 7K ratings, while ROW8 averages 3.3 from 48 ratings.

### Do 123Play or ROW8 have ads?

Both 123Play and ROW8 show ads.

### Which is updated more often, 123Play or ROW8?

123Play ships an update every 3 months, and ROW8 every 2 months. Most recently, 123Play was updated on September 24, 2026 and ROW8 on September 23, 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.*