# TiVo vs Thespi

The clearest difference is update cadence: Thespi at weekly against TiVo's every 4 months. Thespi also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

TiVo ships an update every 4 months, Thespi weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TiVo | Thespi |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.0 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tivo/id401673976/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3.3K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 10.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 164 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [TiVo Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/401673979) | [Mary Miyamoto](https://appshunter.io/developer/6773998472) |

## What reviewers say

### TiVo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tivo/id401673976)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Works well
- 🚀 Streaming and downloading work well

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Thespi

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thespi/id6773998470)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TiVo free?

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

### Is Thespi free?

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

### Do TiVo or Thespi have ads?

Neither TiVo nor Thespi shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TiVo or Thespi?

TiVo ships an update every 4 months, and Thespi weekly. Most recently, TiVo was updated on November 1, 2026 and Thespi on October 24, 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.*