# 8player vs WatchCircle

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: WatchCircle at none against 8player's 1. 8player's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 26.5). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

8player ships an update fortnightly, WatchCircle weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 8player | WatchCircle |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.8 (168 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/8player/id375860275/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **168** | — |
| Positive reviews | 43.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 96 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 26.5 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [8soft Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/425721905) | [Sanjay Shukla](https://appshunter.io/developer/362849961) |

## 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


### WatchCircle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchcircle/id6774480099)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 8player free?

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

### Is WatchCircle free?

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

### Do 8player or WatchCircle have ads?

Neither 8player nor WatchCircle shows ads.

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

8player ships an update fortnightly, and WatchCircle weekly. Most recently, 8player was updated on October 15, 2026 and WatchCircle on October 8, 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.*