# 8player vs BeeJoy

The clearest difference is rating: BeeJoy at 4.5 against 8player's 2.8. BeeJoy also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 44%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). 8player's advantage is ratings volume (167 vs 13). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. 8player sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year. BeeJoy asks for nothing beyond the download.

BeeJoy holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 8player has 167 ratings behind it against 13, 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 84% of BeeJoy's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 8player | BeeJoy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (167 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8player/id375860275/reviews) | **[4.5 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beejoy/id6670792086/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **167** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **84.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 95 MB | 107 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [8soft Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/425721905) | [伟锋 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516558377) |

## What reviewers say

### 8player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8player/id375860275)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Annual | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### BeeJoy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beejoy/id6670792086)

This app acts as a versatile local video player, supporting various network protocols and media servers. It offers advanced features like HDR/DV display and Dolby Atmos for an enhanced viewing experience, along with IPTV playlist integration.

**Highlights:** WEBDAV/SMB/FTP/SFTP/NFS support, Emby/Jellyfin/Plex/fnOS integration, IPTV playlist playback, HDR/DV original image display, Dolby Atmos support, Remote/local Blu-ray ISO playback

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 8player free?

8player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BeeJoy free?

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

### Which has better reviews, 8player or BeeJoy?

BeeJoy is rated higher. 8player averages 2.8 out of 5 from 167 ratings, while BeeJoy averages 4.5 from 13 ratings.

### Do 8player or BeeJoy have ads?

Neither 8player nor BeeJoy shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 8player or BeeJoy?

8player ships an update fortnightly, and BeeJoy fortnightly. Most recently, 8player was updated on September 29, 2026 and BeeJoy on September 26, 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.*