Comparison

8player vs Smart IPTV Player

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

8player

This versatile media player allows you to stream, download, and enjoy videos, music, and photos from various sources. It offers a clean interface, offline playback, and supports a wide range of file formats across iOS and Apple TV devices.

Highlights
  • Stream from cloud and network services
  • Download for offline playback
  • Supports DLNA/UPnP, SMB, FTP
  • Wide range of video, audio, and image format support
  • Create and manage music playlists
  • Cast to DLNA and Chromecast devices
Features
Read full description

Enjoy your media, your way. 8player is an all-in-one video, music and photo player for iPhone and iPad. Stream, download and enjoy your favorite media anytime, anywhere. Available on the App Store since 2010, 8player combines powerful playback, flexible connectivity and a clean, intuitive design. WHY 8PLAYER? • Beautiful and intuitive interface • Smooth streaming from cloud storage, NAS devices and network servers • Available on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV • Your media stays private. 8player does not collect your data PLAY FROM ALL YOUR SOURCES • DLNA/UPnP media servers • SMB network shares • FTP and SFTP servers • Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive • Local files on your device PACKED WITH FEATURES • Download files for offline playback • Play on TVs and other devices using DLNA, Chromecast and AirPlay • Create and manage music playlists • Use subtitles and switch between multiple audio tracks • Adjust playback speed • Continue watching with Picture in Picture • Use intuitive gesture controls • Access compatible DLNA/UPnP servers remotely over mobile networks or through a VPN Remote access setup guide: https://08software.com/8player-remote-access SUPPORTED FORMATS • Video: mp4, mkv, avi, mov, ts, webm and more • Audio: mp3, flac, aac, alac, wav and more • Images: heic, jpeg, png, gif, tiff and more Your media. Your device. Your control. Standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Smart IPTV Player

This app allows you to stream live TV, movies, and series from your IPTV provider. It offers a cinema-grade experience with features like EPG, VOD details, and cross-device syncing. Manage multiple playlists and enjoy a privacy-focused, ad-free interface.

Highlights
  • Live TV channel browsing with EPG
  • Movies and series VOD library with details
  • Continue watching across devices via iCloud
  • Favorites and multi-playlist management
  • Native Apple TV interface
  • Multiple audio and subtitle support
Features
Read full description

BigPlay is a powerful IPTV player and M3U stream player built for people who actually use their iPhone and iPad every day. Connect your Xtream Codes service or load an M3U / M3U8 playlist and get a clean, fast, native experience for live TV, movies and series, the way Apple apps are supposed to feel. CAST TO CHROMECAST Stream what you're watching to the big screen. Cast live channels, movies and episodes to any Chromecast device, then control playback from a beautiful Now Playing screen — seek, change volume, switch tracks, and keep browsing your library while it plays. LIVE TV, REINVENTED A fully redesigned live TV experience. Browse channels faster, switch instantly, and never lose your place. Full EPG (Electronic Program Guide) support lets you: - See what's on now and what's next - Explore full schedules across channels - Navigate live TV like a modern streaming app MOVIES & SERIES, UPGRADED Your provider's VOD library, finally done right. Every movie and show is enriched with: - High-quality posters and artwork - Detailed descriptions - Cast and crew info - Trailers powered by TMDB DOWNLOAD & WATCH OFFLINE Take your content anywhere. Download movies and episodes to your device and watch later — no Wi-Fi, no buffering, no excuses. CONTINUE WATCHING, EVERYWHERE BigPlay remembers exactly where you left off and syncs progress through iCloud. Start an episode on iPhone, finish it on Apple TV without missing a second. FAVORITES & LIBRARY Save channels, movies and series for one-tap access. Everything stays in sync across your devices. MULTI-PLAYLIST SUPPORT One app, all your IPTV services. Add multiple playlists and switch providers in seconds. Supports M3U, M3U8 and the Xtream Codes API. BUILT FOR APPLE TV Not a quick port — a true tvOS app. - Smooth focus-based navigation - Siri Remote gestures - Cinematic big-screen UI POWERFUL PLAYBACK - Multiple audio track selection - Full subtitle support - Adaptive streaming (HLS, M3U8, RTMP) SMART INSIGHTS & MONETIZATION BigPlay uses analytics to improve performance and may show ads in certain parts of the app to support ongoing development. Your playlists and credentials always stay private on your device and in iCloud. PLEASE NOTE BigPlay is a media player. It does not provide, host or distribute any content. A valid IPTV subscription from a third-party provider supporting Xtream Codes API or M3U is required. Terms of Use: https://bigplayhd.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://bigplayhd.com/privacy

Screenshots

8player4 screens
Smart IPTV Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Smart IPTV Player at 4.8 against 8player's 2.8. Smart IPTV Player also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 43%) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). 8player's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 8player sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year and Smart IPTV Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smart IPTV Player holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 173 and 68 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of 8player's written reviews are positive against 82% of Smart IPTV Player's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

8player ships an update fortnightly, Smart IPTV Player weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
8player versus Smart IPTV Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter8playerSmart IPTV Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (173 ratings)4.8 (68 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.3% of reviews82.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings173 — better68
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size96 MB157 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer8soft LtdIrfan Shah

Customer experience

8player

All ratings173 ratings
Positive42.8%
Neutral5.2%
Negative52.0%
Written reviews945 reviews
Positive43.3%
Neutral9.9%
Negative46.8%

Smart IPTV Player

All ratings68 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.9%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive82.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative17.6%

Bugs and requests

8player

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • SMB connectivity issues after recent updates
  • Subtitles not displaying correctly for some video files
  • Playback freezes or stops when minimizing the app
  • Inconsistent behavior when playing next/previous tracks

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add gapless playback for music
  • Implement a more robust file sorting/browsing system
  • Integrate Chromecast support
  • Introduce an equalizer for audio customization
  • Add password/security protection options

Smart IPTV Player

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

8player

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year
3 purchases

Smart IPTV Player

Subscriptions2
  • BigPlay Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • BigPlay Pro Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • BigPlay Pro Lifetime$39.99

Questions

Is 8player free?
8player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Smart IPTV Player free?
Smart IPTV Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 8player or Smart IPTV Player?
Smart IPTV Player is rated higher. 8player averages 2.8 out of 5 from 173 ratings, while Smart IPTV Player averages 4.8 from 68 ratings.
Do 8player or Smart IPTV Player have ads?
Smart IPTV Player shows ads; 8player does not.
Which is updated more often, 8player or Smart IPTV Player?
8player ships an update fortnightly, and Smart IPTV Player weekly. Most recently, 8player was updated on October 27, 2026 and Smart IPTV Player on October 23, 2026.

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