# Astound TV+ vs Starting Gate

The clearest difference is update cadence: Starting Gate at every 8 days against Astound TV+'s every 12 months. Astound TV+'s advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Astound TV+ ships an update every 12 months, Starting Gate every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Astound TV+ | Starting Gate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.6 (78 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astound-tv-plus/id1556514677/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **78** | — |
| Positive reviews | 13.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 12 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 343 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [RCN Telecom Services, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/610411417) | [SwanPowers, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1001043428) |

## What reviewers say

### Astound TV+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astound-tv-plus/id1556514677)

Stream live TV, cloud DVR recordings, and on-demand content from your home network or on the go. Access thousands of shows and movies, restart programs aired up to three days ago, and record multiple shows simultaneously. Integrated search helps you find content across all your sources.

**Highlights:** Watch live TV and recordings anywhere, Restart shows from the past 3 days, Cloud DVR with 125 hours storage, Integrated search across content sources, Simultaneous viewing on up to 5 devices

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ❤️ Love this app
- 📺 TV in my pocket
- 🚀 Awesome streaming
- 👍 Works fine

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes constantly
- ⏳ Takes forever to load
- ❌ Not usable on older devices
- 🚫 Can't stream outside home
- 👎 Low picture quality

**Reported bugs**

- Stopped signing in and working on iPad
- App never logs you in on older devices
- Error signing into 5th generation iPad
- App sits on loading screen forever
- Cannot stream when connected to TV via HDMI

**Requested features**

- Picture-in-picture option
- Casting ability
- Stream on laptop/PC
- Remote function
- Download option for offline viewing


### Starting Gate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/starting-gate/id6820213033)

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Astound TV+ free?

Astound TV+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Starting Gate free?

Starting Gate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Astound TV+ or Starting Gate have ads?

Neither Astound TV+ nor Starting Gate shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Astound TV+ or Starting Gate?

Astound TV+ ships an update every 12 months, and Starting Gate every 8 days. Most recently, Astound TV+ was updated on November 3, 2026 and Starting Gate on November 13, 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.*