# DISH Anywhere vs 123Play

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | DISH Anywhere | 123Play |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (265K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dish-anywhere/id327125649/reviews)** | [3.7 (7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/123play/id1147714737/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **265K** | 7K |
| Positive reviews | **36.1% of reviews** | 15.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 117 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [DISH Network LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/327125652) | [David Buhauer](https://appshunter.io/developer/979059591) |

## What reviewers say

### DISH Anywhere

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dish-anywhere/id327125649)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for watching shows on the go
- 🚀 Ability to transfer recordings for offline viewing
- 💡 Useful for travelers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Poor user interface and navigation
- ⏱️ Slow performance, especially with fast forward/rewind
- 🔌 Connectivity issues and unreliable streaming

**Reported bugs**

- Transferred shows not playing
- Guide/channel information not updating
- Inconsistent behavior when device is locked or goes to sleep

**Requested features**

- Bring back old app features
- Improve stability and reliability
- Add more customization options
- Optimize for larger screens


### 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is DISH Anywhere free?

DISH Anywhere is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is 123Play free?

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

### Which has better reviews, DISH Anywhere or 123Play?

DISH Anywhere is rated higher. DISH Anywhere averages 4.6 out of 5 from 265K ratings, while 123Play averages 3.7 from 7K ratings.

### Do DISH Anywhere or 123Play have ads?

Both DISH Anywhere and 123Play show ads.

### Which is updated more often, DISH Anywhere or 123Play?

DISH Anywhere ships an update every 2 weeks, and 123Play every 3 months. Most recently, DISH Anywhere was updated on October 31, 2026 and 123Play 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.*