DISH Anywhere vs 123Play
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DISH Anywhere
Stream live and recorded TV channels from your home receiver to your iPhone or iPad. Manage your DVR, access thousands of On Demand titles, and follow your favorite sports teams with live scores. Download content for offline viewing.
- Stream live TV channels
- Watch recorded DVR shows
- Manage DVR recordings
- Access On Demand content
- Download shows for offline viewing
- Sports scores and game info
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With DISH Anywhere, you can watch the TV you love on your favorite devices. Enjoy your live and recorded programs anytime, anywhere, at home or on the go. Access your full DVR library and browse your favorite live shows with an intuitive, searchable program guide. This is a must-have app for DISH subscribers. Watch all your favorite sports, news, TV shows, and movies from your Hopper. Schedule recordings from anywhere, manage your DVR library, and set recording priorities to ensure you never miss your favorite content. Search the program guide to find shows by title, genre, network, keyword, or actor. A high-speed Internet connection is required for streaming from a Hopper. Regardless of your receiver, all DISH Network customers can watch a selection of streaming and on-demand content. This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software, which will allow you to contribute to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please see www.nielsen.com/digitalprivacy for more information.
123Play
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.
- 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
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123Play - Movies & TV Shows: Find Your Favorite Entertainment Instantly! 123Play is your ultimate guide to discovering the best movies and TV shows on the iTunes Store. With just a click, you can access the latest, most popular titles, including movies currently in theaters. Green Play Button means availability on iTunes. Key Features: Explore movies & TV shows by genre Search for movies, series, or actors Discover top-rated, upcoming, and popular titles Real-time updates from TMDb service Now playing & airing TV shows Start streaming now! Download 123Play today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: DISH Anywhere at 4.6 against 123Play's 3.7. DISH Anywhere also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, monetization model and device support 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. 123Play sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. DISH Anywhere asks for nothing beyond the download.
DISH Anywhere holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DISH Anywhere has 265K ratings behind it against 7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of DISH Anywhere's written reviews are positive against 15% of 123Play's.
DISH Anywhere ships an update every 2 weeks, 123Play every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DISH Anywhere | 123Play |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (265K ratings) — better | 3.7 (7K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews — better | 15.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 265K — better | 7K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 117 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | DISH Network LLC | David Buhauer |
Customer experience
DISH Anywhere
123Play
User reviews
DISH Anywhere
From 265K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great app for watching shows on the go
- 🚀 Ability to transfer recordings for offline viewing
- 💡 Useful for travelers
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Poor user interface and navigation
- ⏱️ Slow performance, especially with fast forward/rewind
- 🔌 Connectivity issues and unreliable streaming
123Play
From 7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good app
- 👍 Great service
- 👍 Excellent selections
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Doesn't work as expected
- 💰 Not free, have to pay for movies
- 🚫 Doesn't allow watching movies
- 🚫 Useless, just redirects to iTunes
Bugs and requests
DISH Anywhere
Reported bugs
3 issues- Transferred shows not playing
- Guide/channel information not updating
- Inconsistent behavior when device is locked or goes to sleep
Requested features
4 requests- Bring back old app features
- Improve stability and reliability
- Add more customization options
- Optimize for larger screens
123Play
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on launch
- Doesn't load movies
- Redirects to iTunes instead of playing movies
Requested features
3 requests- Allow watching movies for free
- Fix crashing issues
- Improve functionality to actually watch movies
In-app purchases
DISH Anywhere
No in-app purchases
123Play
- Remove Ads$1.99
Questions
Is DISH Anywhere free?
Is 123Play free?
Which has better reviews, DISH Anywhere or 123Play?
Do DISH Anywhere or 123Play have ads?
Which is updated more often, DISH Anywhere or 123Play?
Other comparisons
