Comparison

VLC Streamer vs zFuse

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

Head to head
About

VLC Streamer

Stream your entire movie collection from your PC to your iPhone, iPod, or iPad without conversion. Enjoy your favorite films anywhere in your house with easy setup and customizable controls.

Highlights
  • Stream movies from PC
  • No conversion needed
  • Browse local drives and network shares
  • Customizable gesture controls
  • Support for multiple resolutions
  • Live video streaming
Features
Read full description

Sit anywhere in your house and watch movies or TV shows on your iPhone, iPod or iPad. VLC Streamer streams movies from your computer to your iDevice. Winner *Best Entertainment App* Chip.de. You can watch anything from your movie collection. No need for complex conversion processes. No need to manually transfer programs to your device. “Can these guys do no wrong? Seriously, if only other app devs knew how to make apps as well as these guys, the world would be a better place. Or at least my device would be less buggy. I was just watching a Full HD copy of Avatar Extended Edition being streamed from my PC on my iPod Touch 2nd Generation and it looked and played amazingly.” - UK Reviewer “…it's as good as having the original VLC player on your iOS device…” - CallingAllGeeks.org “…Setup is a snap and literally takes 2 seconds. You can browse through all your movies from your device and click any one to start playing. It even works if you have the movies stored on a USB drive connected to the host computer.” -The Times of India “Took me seconds to setup to stream from a secondary drive in my home office. Going straight out to get a cable for my TV.” - USA Reviewer “….This sucker can stream off the pc and plays virtually anything you throw at it. Download it now!” - TaxiDriver at Blippy.com There are a huge number of movie formats, and VLC can convert most of them - but it can't convert everything. If you have any doubts, then please try the free version of this application first. • Features include • - Free helper app gets you streaming quickly and allows you to browse local drives, and Windows network shares - Stream over wifi directly from your computer - Customisable gesture controls - Support for multiple resolutions and streaming quality levels - Live streaming of video after a few seconds of processing (assumes a reasonably powered computer) • System Requirements • - VLC Streamer will not play DRM protected videos. Videos from the iTunes store do include DRM. - VLC Streamer is designed to work on your local network, and the free helper app has to run on your Mac or PC.    - Supports Windows, Vista, Windows 7 and Window 8 - Supports Mac OS 10.7 and above. • Response to feedback • -If you do have any problems streaming movies, then please just check the help instructions in the app. Feel free to drop me an email (my personal mail is in the app) if you need help. • Subscription Information • VLC Streamer is supported through an auto-renewing subscription which you can choose to purchase within the app. • The subscription is called 'VLC Streamer Annual Subscription ' • It is an annual subscription. It gets rid of the adverts and unlocks all functions, including downloading movies to your device • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase • Terms of use are available at https://HobbyistSoftware.com/terms • Privacy policy is available at https://HobbyistSoftware.com/privacy Enjoy!

About

zFuse

Play any video format without conversion, with advanced subtitle effects and direct media streaming from your PC or NAS. Enjoy gesture controls, folder encryption for privacy, and extensive file management features. Supports TV casting and popular media servers.

Highlights
  • Plays all video formats without conversion
  • Supports ASS/SSA/SUP effect subtitles
  • Streams media directly from PC/NAS
  • Gesture controls for playback and settings
  • Folder encryption for privacy
  • File download and management
  • TV casting and media server support
Features
Read full description

- zFuse can play all video formats and encodings, allowing you to play video files on your mobile device without the need to convert to MP4. - zFuse supports ASS/SSA/SUP effect subtitles, enabling you to experience full subtitle effects just like on your PC/Mac. - zFuse features powerful networking technologies that allow you to play media from your PC or NAS directly, without occupying any space on your limited device storage and without needing to download anything. - zFuse also allows you to easily download files or directories directly from your PC or NAS, making it the perfect companion for your trips. - zFuse supports a variety of gestures - simply move your fingers to adjust playback position, font size, volume, and brightness. - zFuse carefully protects your privacy with folder encryption, so you no longer need to worry about privacy issues. - zFuse's detailed features include: * SMB/CIFS playback and discovery (easily play media files from your PC). * Download media files or directories from SAMBA/DLNA/WebDAV/FTP directly. * UPnP/DLNA playback and discovery. * Emby and Jellyfin media server support. * AirPlay playback. * Picture-in-Picture mode support. * iPad split-screen multitasking support. * Hardware acceleration. * HDR Tone Mapping support on non-HDR displays. * Subtitle effects support. * 0.5x-3.0x playback speed control. * 0.5x-5.0x screen zoom. * Media preview while seeking. * Built-in audio enhancement. * Multi-soundtrack selection. * Embedded/external subtitle track selection. * Subtitle synchronization. * Audio synchronization. * External subtitle font selection support. * Playlist file preview before playback. * Blu-ray directory playback. * Real-time playlist management and editing. * Screen mirroring. * File Management: - Delete, move, rename, create folders. - Wi-Fi file transfer support without USB cable connection. - Streaming media playlist creation support. - File decompression support: 7z, zip, rar, tar, bz, bz2, etc. * Gesture Controls: - Horizontal drag: adjust playback position. - Vertical drag on left side: adjust volume. - Vertical drag on right side: adjust brightness. - Pinch to zoom: adjust screen size. - Double-tap: play/pause. - Two-finger double-tap: change video aspect ratio. * External Keyboard Support: - Space: pause/play. - Left Arrow: backward seek. - Right Arrow: forward seek. - Esc: exit playback. - S: change playback speed. - B: play previous. - N: play next. - Z: change screen scale. * Supported Video Formats: MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WMV, FLV, RMVB, ASF, OGV, Blu-ray ISO and more. * Supported Audio Formats: MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, APE and more. * Supported Subtitle Formats: SRT, SSA, ASS, SUP, VTT. * Supported Image Formats: JPG, PNG, BMP, TIFF, GIF, HEIC and more. * Supported eBook Formats: EPUB, TXT, PDF. * Code Editor Supported Languages: JSON, HTML, XML, C/C++, Lua, Java, Objective-C, Swift, Python, JavaScript. * Supported Document Formats: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Numbers, Keynote, Pages, RTF, CSV.

Screenshots

VLC Streamer4 screens
zFuse4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: VLC Streamer at Free against zFuse's $4.99. zFuse's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and review sentiment (78% vs 46%). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

VLC Streamer is free to download; zFuse costs $4.99 up front. VLC Streamer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. zFuse asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for VLC Streamer against 4.4 for zFuse. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 415 and 220 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of VLC Streamer's written reviews are positive against 78% of zFuse's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VLC Streamer ships an update every 3 months, zFuse every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
VLC Streamer versus zFuse: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVLC StreamerzFuse
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (415 ratings) — better4.4 (220 ratings)
Positive reviews45.7% of reviews77.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings415 — better220
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB152 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHobbyist Software Limiteds-joys Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

VLC Streamer

All ratings415 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral4.1%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews376 reviews
Positive45.7%
Neutral8.8%
Negative45.5%

zFuse

All ratings220 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral6.4%
Negative8.6%
Written reviews242 reviews
Positive77.7%
Neutral6.2%
Negative16.1%

User reviews

VLC Streamer

From 415 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Smooth streaming
  • 💡 Useful for accessing media library
  • 👍 Great customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔋 High CPU usage on host computer
  • 🔒 Security concerns with open access to computer
  • 💸 Aggressive monetization with ads and subscription model

zFuse

From 220 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast video playback and loading speeds
  • 👍 Excellent format support (various codecs and containers)
  • 🎬 Strong HDR video handling
  • 📁 Reliable network file access (SMB, NAS)
  • 🎯 Clean and simple user interface

Room to improve

  • 🎨 Outdated UI design (looks from 2010)
  • 🐛 Frequent bugs introduced with updates
  • 💔 Lack of customer support responsiveness
  • 🔌 No Chromecast/casting support
  • ⚠️ Inconsistent feature availability across platforms

Bugs and requests

VLC Streamer

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to detect/connect to host computer
  • Inconsistent video quality and buffering issues
  • Conversion process causing overheating on host computer

Requested features

4 requests
  • Remote access from outside home network
  • Improved codec support, especially for MKV files
  • Resume playback from last position
  • Ability to manage/delete files from mobile device

zFuse

Reported bugs

19 issues
  • Playback speed switching causes audio stuttering and crackling
  • Video snapshots getting lost (long-standing bug)
  • Green pixel artifacts on iPad Pro M4
  • Pop-out video player discoloration after updates
  • Back and forward seeking stopped working
Show 14 more
  • SMB crashes with large file counts
  • DLNA/UPnP not detecting NAS devices
  • SAMBA unable to read external USB drives
  • Movie channel unresponsive/not clickable
  • Device selection option disappeared after update
  • Subtitle menu difficult to access on Apple TV
  • Long filename display issues
  • Slow response time on video selection
  • Password error handling missing feedback
  • Screen orientation settings not working
  • Progress bar control difficult with remote touchpad
  • Excessive volume sensitivity
  • Unable to cache files from certain network sources
  • App crashes on tvOS 14.5

Requested features

18 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Segment/A-B repeat functionality
  • Persistent zoom and aspect ratio settings on loop
  • System time display during playback
  • Subtitle display in picture-in-picture mode
Show 13 more
  • Seamless playback speed switching without pausing
  • Batch file selection and management
  • Persistent subtitle brightness settings
  • Poster wall/cover art display
  • WebDAV support
  • Plugin support
  • Ability to rename favorites
  • History disable option
  • Original quality streaming options for cloud services
  • HDR support on Apple TV
  • Automatic photo/video playback from same folder
  • Custom passcode for Security Space
  • Live stream source subscription support

In-app purchases

4 purchases

VLC Streamer

Subscriptions4
  • VLC Streamer Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • VLC Streamer Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • VLC Streamer Annual7 Days trial$2.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • VLC Streamer Annual7 Days trial$5.991 Year
None

zFuse

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VLC Streamer free?
VLC Streamer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is zFuse free?
zFuse costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, VLC Streamer or zFuse?
VLC Streamer is rated higher. VLC Streamer averages 4.5 out of 5 from 415 ratings, while zFuse averages 4.4 from 220 ratings.
Do VLC Streamer or zFuse have ads?
Neither VLC Streamer nor zFuse shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VLC Streamer or zFuse?
VLC Streamer ships an update every 3 months, and zFuse every 3 weeks. Most recently, VLC Streamer was updated on September 12, 2026 and zFuse on September 26, 2026.

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