U vs Apple TV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
U
Stream live TV and on-demand content from your home network or on the go. Manage your DVR, personalize your viewing experience, and use your device as a remote control. Discover new shows and manage your recordings with ease.
- Watch Live TV
- On Demand library
- Personalized homepage
- TV programming guide
- Remote control functionality
- DVR management
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Take the U-verse experience with you with the U-verse App. Watch Live TV and On Demand shows, manage your DVR, and use the app as a remote control. Live TV Watch Live TV in the palm of your hand! Watch even more channels live when connected to your home network. On Demand Watch on your schedule! Choose from thousands of On Demand movies and shows from top networks. My U-verse Homepage Personalize your U-verse experience by adding your favorite shows, channels, and people to My U-verse Favorites. The new Homepage highlights the shows that you care about most and recommends new shows for you to discover. Guide Browse or search your personal TV programming guide to find your favorite shows. Schedule one-time or series recordings on your DVR at home. Remote Control Control your home TV receivers with the remote control feature.† Recordings Easily manage your scheduled and recorded shows on your U-verse DVR at home. Settings Set Parental Controls and Notifications, manage your receivers, find support tools and more. Requires qualifying device, U-family or higher TV plan and Wi-Fi or data connection. Content may vary by device, TV plan, and viewing location. Data charges may apply. †U-verse Internet service and qualifying device required. This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which will allow you to contribute to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please see http://www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.
Apple TV
This app is a central hub for exclusive original series, movies, and live sports like Formula 1 and MLB. It also aggregates content from your favorite streaming services, allowing you to buy or rent titles and discover new shows.
- Exclusive Apple Originals
- Live Formula 1 & MLB
- Buy or rent movies
- Aggregate streaming services
- Personalized recommendations
- Continue Watching feature
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Apple TV is the home of exclusive Apple Original shows and movies, Formula 1®, MLS, Friday Night Baseball, thousands of movies to buy or rent, and all the best programming from your favorite streaming services — all in one place. With an Apple TV subscription: • Stream thousands of hours of Apple Originals—thrilling dramas, epic sci-fi, and feel-good comedies, all with no ads—including Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Silo, Shrinking, Slow Horses, and F1 The Movie. • Enjoy new releases weekly, with no ads. • Watch every Formula 1 Grand Prix™ live—with all-access coverage for every practice, qualifying, Sprint, and race. • Watch Friday Night Baseball, with live MLB matchups every Friday of the regular season. • Watch every Major League Soccer match live throughout the regular season, the entire playoffs, and Leagues Cup, all with no blackouts. Discover more to watch: • Buy or rent newly released movies, and browse the Apple TV Store with over 100,000 movies and shows—including the largest selection of 4K HDR titles. • Add Apple TV Channels subscriptions and stream seamlessly in the Apple TV app — no additional apps, accounts, or passwords needed. • Connect over 100 video streaming apps to access all your favorite shows and movies in one place. Apple TV app makes all your TV watching easier: • Get personalized recommendations across everything you watch. • With Continue Watching, pick up where you left off across all your subscriptions and devices. • Add to Watchlist to keep track of what you want to watch later. • Browse sports to see live and upcoming matchups, and choose your favorite teams to automatically add games to Continue Watching and receive notifications for close games and more. • Easily find all of your purchased movies and shows in the Library. • Enjoy the best picture and sound quality in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos when available. • Stream over a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, or download to watch offline. • Find the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, as well as smart TVs and streaming devices. Requirements: • iOS devices using iOS 12.3 or later • Some features require internet access over a Wi-Fi or cellular data connection • HDR video playback may not be available for all content or on all devices Apple TV subscription does not include third party-branded subscription services or content available for rental or purchase in the Apple TV app. In select regions, an Apple TV subscription may only be available as part of an iCloud+ subscription. If you subscribe to any Apple TV channels, payment will be charged to your Apple Account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless they are canceled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Simultaneous streams may be limited on a per-subscription basis. The availability of Apple TV features, channels, and related content may vary depending on the country or region from which you attempt to access them. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your Settings on the Apple TV app after purchase. See https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/en-ww for the Privacy Policy. Apple TV app Terms and Conditions can be found at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/us/terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: U at none against Apple TV's shown. U also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Apple TV's advantage is review sentiment (43% vs 14%) and ratings volume (1.9M vs 390K). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for U against 4.8 for Apple TV. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 390K and 1.9M respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 14% of U's written reviews are positive against 43% of Apple TV's.
U ships an update every 3 months, Apple TV every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | U | Apple TV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (390K ratings) | 4.8 (1.9M ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 14.3% of reviews | 43.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 390K | 1.9M — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 10.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 132 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | AT&T Services, Inc. | Apple |
Customer experience
U
Apple TV
User reviews
U
From 390K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient remote control
- 🚀 Easy to schedule recordings
- 🚀 Good on-demand functionality
- 👍 Reliable service when working
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Unreliable channel access and streaming
- 🐛 Guide data not kept up-to-date
- 🐛 Inconsistent functionality across devices
- 🔒 Security and login issues
Apple TV
From 1.9M App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Decent quality viewing experience
- 👍 Impressive 4K and audio quality
- 🤩 Fantastic original content
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app
- 🤯 Confusing and unintuitive interface
- 💰 Misleading pricing and pay-to-watch content
- 🤔 Lack of user-friendly features
- 😡 Terrible customer support
Bugs and requests
U
Reported bugs
4 issues- App frequently logs users out
- Remote control feature not working consistently
- Certain channels not available through the app
- Sync issues between app and TV experience
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to access and manage recordings remotely
- Improved guide with more future programming data
- Seamless integration with home receivers
- Support for casting to TV from mobile devices
Apple TV
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes frequently
- Playback issues and random freezes
- Incorrect episode/content display
- Syncing problems across devices
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to save/bookmark content for later
- Improved content organization and navigation
- Sync playback progress across devices
- Chromecast/casting support
- User profiles and personalized recommendations
In-app purchases
U
No in-app purchases
Apple TV
No in-app purchases








