Comparison

8player vs nPlayer Plus

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

nPlayer Plus

This app plays virtually any video and audio format without conversion. Stream media from various network sources and cloud services. Offers extensive subtitle support and playback controls for a personalized viewing experience.

Highlights
  • Plays all video and audio formats without conversion
  • Stream media from network devices and cloud services
  • Extensive subtitle format and customization support
  • Playback speed control and AB repeat
  • Hardware acceleration for H.264, HEVC, and AV1
  • File and playlist management
  • Gesture controls for playback and settings
Features
Read full description

** nPlayer officially supports DTS (DTS HD ), DTS Headphone:X, Dolby (AC3, E-AC3). ** nPlayer is the universal app. You can install it in any other iOS device without additional purchase. ** nPlayer Plus officially supports Dolby Audio codec and Dolby Sound Effect. But if you don't mind using Dolby Audio codec embedded in iOS, please update your iOS to 9.3 version or later and purchase nPlayer in the lower price. - You don't need to convert video files to MP4 to play them in your mobile device. nPlayer enable you to play all kinds of video formats and codecs without file converting efforts. - You don't need to store video files in your device with limited storage space. nPlayer's powerful and various network technologies will help you to stream them from remote devices. - With your finger tip, you can adjust playback position, move to previous and next subtitle position, adjust location and font size of subtitles, control volume and brightness. - Experience nPlayer, thousands of users recommendations. * Features - Supports officially DTS audio codec (DTS HD) - Supports officially Dolby audio codec (AC3, E-AC3) - Supports Dolby Mobile Surround Sound - Supports iXpand Drive - Supports Chromecast - Supports video cast for Smart TV - Supports HDMI output - Supports video files : MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WMV, ASF, FLV, OGV, RMVB, TP etc. - Supports audio files : MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, APE etc. - Supports subtitle files : SMI, SRT, SSA, IDX, SUB, LRC, SUP, MLP2 etc. - Supports image files : JPG, PNG, BMP, GIF, TIFF etc. - Supports playlist files : CUE, M3U, PLS - Supports WebDAV, FTP, SFTP, HTTP, SMB/CIFS, NFS - Supports UPnP/DLNA (supports subtitles if DLNA server provides subtitles information.) - Supports cloud service (Box, Dropbox, OneDrive, Yandex.Disk) - Supports in-app web browser - Supports iTunes video/audio play (except for DRM contents) - Supports videos and pictures in Album - Playback speed control : 0.5x ~ 4.0x - Resume playback - AB repeat(specific section repetition) - Screen lock - Supports AV1/HEVC/H.264/MPEG4 Hardware acceleration - Supports 3D video mode - Screen flip horizontally, vertically. brightness and saturation control - Aspect ratio : Default, 1:1, 3:2, 4:3, 5:3, 16:9, 1.85:1 etc - Supports multi-track audio - Supports audio boost - Supports audio sync - Supports lyrics display - Supports Dolby, DTS HDMI Bitstream (Passthru) - Supports embedded subtitles - Supports multi-track subtitles - Supports user’s selection of subtitle files - Supports addition of optional subtitle files while playback - Supports subtitles font, color, shadow, outline customization - Supports subtitles sync - Supports external subtitle fonts - Supports SAMI(SMI) tag - Supports SSA/ASS with full styling, embedded subtitles - File management : Delete, Move, Rename, Create a folder - Playlist management : Add, Delete, Modify - Supports recently played list - Folder lock - Supports Open-in - Supports UI theme * Gesture Features - Tap : Menu - Double tap : Pop-up play - Drag horizontally : Playback position adjustment - Drag vertically on right half of the screen : Volume control - Drag vertically on left half of the screen : Brightness control - Pinch on the screen : Screen size adjustment - Drag horizontally on subtitle text : Move to previous/next subtitle text - Drag vertically on subtitle text : Subtitle position adjustment - Pinch on subtitle text : Subtitle font size adjustment - Supports finger gesture customization

Screenshots

8player4 screens
nPlayer Plus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: 8player at Free against nPlayer Plus's $8.99. nPlayer Plus's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 2.8) and review sentiment (61% vs 44%). On update cadence, ads, 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

8player is free to download; nPlayer Plus costs $8.99 up front. 8player sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year and nPlayer Plus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

nPlayer Plus holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: nPlayer Plus has 2.5K ratings behind it against 167, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of 8player's written reviews are positive against 61% of nPlayer Plus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

8player ships an update fortnightly, nPlayer Plus every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 1, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
8player versus nPlayer Plus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter8playernPlayer Plus
PriceFree — better$8.99
Rating2.8 (167 ratings)4.7 (2.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.7% of reviews60.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1672.5K — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#133 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB62 MB
Age rating4+17+
Developer8soft LtdNewin Inc.

Customer experience

8player

All ratings167 ratings
Positive43.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative51.5%
Written reviews933 reviews
Positive43.7%
Neutral10.1%
Negative46.2%

nPlayer Plus

All ratings2,529 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews455 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral6.8%
Negative32.5%

User reviews

8player

From 167 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive
  • 💡 Supports wide range of file formats
  • 🎨 Elegant and visually appealing interface
  • 🔌 Seamless DLNA/UPnP connectivity

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🚫 Lack of support for certain video codecs
  • 🔍 Limited search and browsing functionality
  • 🔇 Unreliable Bluetooth speaker connectivity
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly during use

nPlayer Plus

From 2.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Plays everything
  • 👍 Intuitive interface
  • 🔒 Robust codec support
  • 🔌 Seamless network streaming
  • 💡 Useful features (brightness/volume control, gestures)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes/freezes with certain video formats
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🔒 DTS audio support removed (paid feature now)
  • 💰 Paid upgrades required for new features

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

nPlayer Plus

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Issues with SMB/DLNA connectivity
  • Automatic decoder switching problems
  • Subtitles not displaying correctly
  • Keyboard shortcuts not working
  • Airplay/Chromecast issues
Show 2 more
  • Crashes on iOS 18 update
  • Inability to play certain video formats (e.g. .ts, .flv, .mov)

Requested features

8 requests
  • Chromecast support
  • Gapless playback
  • Ability to edit/delete playlists
  • Support for Dolby Vision
  • Sleep timer
Show 3 more
  • Ability to force delete folders/files
  • Improved SMB/DLNA support
  • Apple TV app

In-app purchases

1 purchases

8player

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year
1 purchases

nPlayer Plus

One-time1
  • Upgrade (ONLY FOR 2.x VERSION USERS)$2.99

Questions

Is 8player free?
8player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is nPlayer Plus free?
nPlayer Plus costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 8player or nPlayer Plus?
nPlayer Plus is rated higher. 8player averages 2.8 out of 5 from 167 ratings, while nPlayer Plus averages 4.7 from 2.5K ratings.
Do 8player or nPlayer Plus have ads?
Neither 8player nor nPlayer Plus shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 8player or nPlayer Plus?
8player ships an update fortnightly, and nPlayer Plus every 10 days. Most recently, 8player was updated on October 1, 2026 and nPlayer Plus on October 1, 2026.

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