# MX Player vs BG Play

The clearest difference is ads: MX Player at none against BG Play's shown. MX Player also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.6). BG Play's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. MX Player sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BG Play sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MX Player ships an update monthly, BG Play every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MX Player | BG Play |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (4.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mx-player-video-player/id1458937973/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.3K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 34.1% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 22 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Sakib Musharraf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1458937972) | [Kano Nishida](https://appshunter.io/developer/1867667265) |

## What reviewers say

### MX Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mx-player-video-player/id1458937973)

This app is a versatile media player and manager that supports a wide range of video and audio formats. It offers features like subtitle support, multi-audio playback, and a secure media library with passcode protection. Easily play all your mobile and gallery content with an optimized user interface.

**Highlights:** Plays all video formats, Supports subtitle playback, Multi-audio format support, Media library with passcode security, Optimized user interface, Built-in music player

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad free | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Ease of use
- 🚀 Fast download and playback

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Speed control issues
- 🐛 Crashes on certain devices
- 🐛 Limited features
- 🐛 Ads interrupting playback

**Reported bugs**

- Speed control resets on rewind/skip
- Playback speed not changing as expected
- Crashes on launch for some users

**Requested features**

- Add support for more video formats
- Implement video speed control persistence
- Allow loading videos from external folders
- Add subtitle support


### BG Play

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bg-play/id6757575555)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Premium | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MX Player free?

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

### Is BG Play free?

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

### Do MX Player or BG Play have ads?

BG Play shows ads; MX Player does not.

### Which is updated more often, MX Player or BG Play?

MX Player ships an update monthly, and BG Play every 2 days. Most recently, MX Player was updated on October 29, 2026 and BG Play on October 28, 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.*