Comparison

TiVo vs Tablo

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

Head to head
About

TiVo

Control your TV experience from your mobile device. Discover new shows, schedule recordings, and stream live or recorded content anywhere. Search across multiple services to find exactly what you want to watch.

Highlights
  • Out-of-home & in-home streaming
  • Download recordings for offline viewing
  • Personalized 'What to Watch' dashboard
  • Remote recording scheduling
  • Mobile search across TV and streaming services
  • Integrated remote control functionality
Read full description

The free TiVo App for iOS is the ultimate entertainment app serving up control, discovery and a mobile place for viewing. Watch live or recorded TV via your TiVo, find shows and schedule recordings and browse content via the guide, by genre or category, explore the cast and crew, and even see where the content is available whether it be through cable TV, Netflix, Hulu PlusTM, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, through VOD in certain markets and more. 

 “What to Watch” combines real-time viewing data, recommendations and personal preferences to create a custom dashboard presenting the exact content you want most every time you sit down to watch TV. This feature allows you to categorize by content that is on TV now, starting within the next 30 minutes, or on later tonight. Categories include: Popular on TV, Sports on Now, Powered by Thuuz, Movies on TV, Kids, Favorite Channels, Viewer’s recorded TV, Shared by Friends. TiVo Roamio Plus, TiVo Roamio Pro, TiVo BOLT and TiVo Edge users can seamlessly stream live or recorded programming to their iOS devices. Download recordings while at home or away via WiFi or cellular to watch when you have no connection. TiVo Stream users can stream live or recorded content to iOS devices within their home network and download shows to go. 


 Features of the TiVo app (some features are only available to TiVo Premiere or TiVo Roamio DVR customers): 

 > Out-of-home & in-home streaming: watch your live or recorded shows remotely anywhere you have Wi-Fi 

 > Out-of-home and in-home downloading: download your content to enjoy anywhere so that low bandwidth or lack of a Wi-Fi connection never slows you down 

 > What to Watch Now: no matter where you are, TiVo’s second screen dashboard provides instantaneous personalized recommendations the second you pull up your TiVo app, providing you with available content options to watch now, in the next 30 minutes, or tonight. 

 > Remote scheduling: browse and view the programming guide, manage recordings, check your To-Do List or set a Season Pass® any time – no matter where you are 

 > Mobile Search & discovery: figure out what’s on whether you’re in the office or a hotel and enjoy the same browsing tools you have with your TiVo at home (including the TiVo editorial Collections and show, cast and actor information) 

 > Use a TiVo remote control replica or our intuitive, gesture-based remote control 

 > Search across TV, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video & Hulu Plus – and get integrated results on what you’re looking for 

 > Explore cast and crew while watching a show 

 > And much more 

 Having troubles finding or connecting to your TiVo DVR? Try one or more of these steps:

 * Restart your network router by unplugging it, waiting 30 seconds, and plugging it back in 

 * Restart your TiVo DVR by following the instructions in the TiVo menus under Settings & Messages > Help > Restart or Reset System > Restart the TiVo Box

About

Tablo

Record and watch live TV from your antenna and streaming channels without a subscription. Access broadcast content and local news on any device in your home, including smartphones and tablets.

Highlights
  • Record live TV
  • Watch streaming channels
  • No subscription required
  • Access on all home devices
  • Includes local news and sports
  • Works with TV antennas
Features
Read full description

Tablo is a device that lets you watch and record live TV, with no subscription. Just one Tablo delivers antenna TV and streaming channels to every screen in your home, including your iPhone or iPad. Simply connect your TV antenna to Tablo, connect your Tablo to your home network, and you can enjoy live sports, local news, and favorite broadcast TV shows, and even ad-supported streaming channels on any iOS-enabled device via the Tablo app. Tablo also works with your smart TV and streaming media devices so you can catch up on your favorite shows.

Screenshots

TiVo4 screens
Tablo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: TiVo at none against Tablo's shown. TiVo also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 57). Tablo's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (20% vs 10%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 2.0 for TiVo against 1.9 for Tablo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TiVo has 3.3K ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 10% of TiVo's written reviews are positive against 20% of Tablo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TiVo ships an update every 4 months, Tablo every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TiVo versus Tablo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTiVoTablo
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (3.3K ratings) — better1.9 (57 ratings)
Positive reviews10.2% of reviews20.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.3K — better57
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size162 MB152 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperTiVo Inc.Nuvyyo Inc.

Customer experience

TiVo

All ratings3,256 ratings
Positive19.8%
Neutral6.5%
Negative73.6%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive10.2%
Neutral7.6%
Negative82.2%

Tablo

All ratings57 ratings
Positive19.3%
Neutral3.5%
Negative77.2%
Written reviews282 reviews
Positive20.2%
Neutral12.4%
Negative67.4%

User reviews

TiVo

From 3.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Works well
  • 🚀 Streaming and downloading work well

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent login issues
  • 🔍 Poor search and navigation
  • 🔌 Streaming and downloading issues
  • 🤖 App feels abandoned by developers

Tablo

From 57 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and reliable
  • 🔓 Secure and stable
  • 💰 Great value for cord-cutters
  • 📺 Excellent OTA TV experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Inconsistent performance across devices
  • 🕰️ Slow app load times
  • 🔀 Confusing navigation and UI

Bugs and requests

TiVo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Constant need to re-login
  • Streaming and downloading failures
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions

Requested features

3 requests
  • Picture-in-picture support
  • Improved remote control functionality
  • Easier episode and recording management

Tablo

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to watch recordings in progress
  • Unreliable channel scanning and guide data
  • Connectivity issues with certain network setups
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Picture-in-picture mode
  • Remote access to recordings
  • Improved channel guide and DVR management
  • Seamless integration with smart home devices

In-app purchases

None

TiVo

No in-app purchases

None

Tablo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TiVo free?
TiVo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tablo free?
Tablo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TiVo or Tablo?
TiVo is rated higher. TiVo averages 2.0 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Tablo averages 1.9 from 57 ratings.
Do TiVo or Tablo have ads?
Tablo shows ads; TiVo does not.
Which is updated more often, TiVo or Tablo?
TiVo ships an update every 4 months, and Tablo every 5 weeks. Most recently, TiVo was updated on September 25, 2026 and Tablo on September 24, 2026.

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