8player vs Bitflinger TV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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/
Bitflinger TV
This app consolidates all your streaming services into a single, fast interface. It helps you find exactly what you want to watch by filtering content and managing a dynamic watchlist. Enjoy a streamlined viewing experience without constant app switching.
- Unified streaming catalog
- Professional-grade filtering
- Dynamic 'Smart' Watchlist
- Private by design, no ads or data selling
- Cross-device syncing
- High-performance architecture
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Bitflinger TV: Stop Searching. Start Watching. Tired of the "Streaming Shuffle"? You spend 20 minutes jumping between five different apps just to find something to watch, only to realize the movie you wanted isn't even on the service you're currently logged into. Bitflinger TV ends the chaos. It's the ultimate smart aggregator for the modern viewer. Designed for iPhone and iPad, it brings your entire streaming universe into one beautiful, lightning-fast interface. Whether you're on your couch or on the go, Bitflinger TV ensures your next favorite show is always one tap away. Why Bitflinger TV? • Everything in One Place: Connect your favorite streaming services and browse a unified catalog. No more app-switching. • Professional-Grade Filtering: Find exactly what you're in the mood for. Filter by content type or specifically by the apps you already pay for — and, with a subscription, by critic/user score and release date. • The "Smart" Watchlist: Our watchlist doesn't just sit there — it's dynamic. Use our unique "Hide Until Available" logic to clear the clutter; episodes only appear when they're actually ready for you to watch. • Private by Design: No ads inside the app, and we never sell or share subscriber data. We don't build cross-app advertising profiles of you — and with Sign in with Apple you can keep your email private. Our Privacy Policy sets out how each tier is handled. • Sign In Your Way: Use Sign in with Apple or Google. Your settings, filters, and watchlists sync instantly across all your devices. • Built for Speed: A high-performance architecture makes Bitflinger TV snappy, intuitive, and built by viewers, for viewers. The Better Way to Stream Most "recommendation" engines just want to sell you more subscriptions. Bitflinger TV is different. We focus on your library and your preferences. It's the power-user tool for the Golden Age of Television. Free Tier & Subscription Bitflinger TV is free to use for as long as you like — a real account, not a countdown. A free account gets genre selection; the smart watchlist, search, and detail screens; Plex & Jellyfin; and your personalized streaming services — on up to 3 devices in your household, browsing the first 250 titles in each row.* An optional auto-renewable subscription adds: • Every title in every row, not just the first 250 • Unlimited devices in your household • Filter by critic/user score • Filter by release date • Personalized themes and card styles • Apple Family Sharing • Bitflinger TV (Monthly) — $2.99 / month • Bitflinger TV (Annual) — $23.99 / year New subscribers get a free trial where the App Store offers one; you'll see the exact terms and your eligibility before you confirm. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the period ends. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Canceling drops you back to the free version rather than locking you out. * First 250 per row: on the free tier, each row browses the first 250 unfiltered results for that row rather than the full catalog behind it. That cap is what keeps the free tier viable for us to run — a subscription removes it. Privacy Policy: https://bitflinger.net/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Download Bitflinger TV today and take back your TV time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bitflinger TV at 5.0 against 8player's 2.8. 8player's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (168 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. 8player sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $9.99 per year and Bitflinger TV sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Bitflinger TV holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: 8player has 168 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
8player ships an update fortnightly, Bitflinger TV every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | 8player | Bitflinger TV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (168 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 168 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 96 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | 8soft Ltd | Tim Davis |
Customer experience
8player
Bitflinger TV
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
Bitflinger TV
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
8player
- Pro Annual7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Bitflinger TV
- Bitflinger TV Monthly14 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Bitflinger TV Yearly14 Days trial$23.991 Year
- Bitflinger TV Lifetime$99.99









