VLC Streamer vs Zee 5
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Stream movies from PC
- No conversion needed
- Browse local drives and network shares
- Customizable gesture controls
- Support for multiple resolutions
- Live video streaming
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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!
Zee 5
Stream thousands of South Asian movies, web series, and TV shows in your preferred language. Enjoy live cricket, download content for offline viewing, and discover personalized recommendations. Experience high-quality streaming with options for dubbed and multilingual content.
- 4000+ movies and 500+ originals
- Content dubbed in 8 languages
- 12 display and 21 content languages
- Offline downloads
- Live TV guide
- Personalized recommendations
- 4K video streaming
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Home To India's Boldest Stories Where original voices, iconic franchises, blockbuster entertainment and unforgettable characters come together across languages, genres, and formats. And now, get ready to experience an all-new Zee 5. Faster, smarter, AI-powered, and built to help you discover more of what you love. Here's what's waiting for you: Series That Get Everyone Talking: Bold, contemporary storytelling across genres, with fresh titles premiering regularly. Dive into acclaimed Series like Gyaarah Gyaarah, Rangbaaz, Brown, Murshid, Sattamum Neethiyum, Ayana Mane, Abar Proloy and many more. A Vast Library Of Movies & Series: From the latest blockbusters to timeless classics and critically-acclaimed series, discover world-class entertainment on demand. Watch titles such as Bandar, Ghamasaan, Jana Nayagan, Sam Bahadur, Mrs., RRR, Tehran, Hanu-Man, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and more. Live Sports & Unmissable Action: Experience the thrill of live sports with FIFA competitions, Bundesliga, Serie A, cricket, and other marquee sporting events, streamed live and on demand in India. Your Favourite TV Shows & Live Channels: Stay connected to the stories you love with popular Zee Network channels and catch-up content. Enjoy shows like Tumm Se Tumm Tak, Ganga Mai Ki Betiyan, Karthigai Deepam, Sanai Chaughade, Karna and more. Free Entertainment For All: Explore a rich collection of free movies, series, Korean and Chinese dramas, Reality TV, dubbed international hits, and much more. Premium Hollywood Blockbusters: Dive into critically-acclaimed cinema and top-tier titles like Normal, The Wizard Of Kremlin, Cold Storage, and more. A Dedicated Kids Zone: Safe, engaging and entertaining content tailored for younger viewers, featuring favourites such as Chhota Bheem, Shivlok ke Kundakka Mandakka, Inspector Chingum, Boonie Bears, and more. Entertainment In Your Language: Discover content across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, English and more, curated for your viewing experience. Look Out For: ● Personalised Recommendations: Discover content tailored to your tastes, habits, and viewing preferences. ● Download & Watch Offline: Whether you're travelling or simply offline, download your favourites and take your entertainment with you, anywhere. ● A Faster, Smoother Zee 5 Experience: Search less, watch more with redesigned navigation, faster playback, and AI-powered discovery. ● Profiles For The Entire Family: Create individual profiles, receive personalised recommendations, and keep everyone's watchlists and viewing history separate. Disclaimer: The availability of some content may differ based on content rights as per individual countries or regions. Please refer to the terms and conditions for details: https://www.zee5.com/termsofuse For details on the privacy policy, please visit https://www.zee5.com/privacypolicy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Zee 5 at free with in-app purchases against VLC Streamer's subscription. Zee 5 also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (24K vs 415). VLC Streamer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (46% vs 15%). 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
Both are free to download. VLC Streamer sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Zee 5 sells 21 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for VLC Streamer against 4.6 for Zee 5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zee 5 has 24K ratings behind it against 415, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 46% of VLC Streamer's written reviews are positive against 15% of Zee 5's.
VLC Streamer ships an update every 3 months, Zee 5 every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VLC Streamer | Zee 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (415 ratings) | 4.6 (24K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.7% of reviews — better | 14.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 415 | 24K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #87 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 64 MB | 209 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hobbyist Software Limited | Z5X Global FZ-LLC |
Customer experience
VLC Streamer
Zee 5
User reviews
VLC Streamer
From 415 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Zee 5
From 24K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent streaming quality
- 👍 Great content selection
- 💡 Affordable subscription
- 🎨 Visually appealing app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
- ⏱️ Slow loading times
- 📺 Casting and TV integration issues
- 🔒 Problematic subscription management
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
Zee 5
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes during playback
- Subscription not recognized or renewed properly
- Inability to cancel subscription
- Incorrect content availability based on region
Requested features
4 requests- Improve search and browsing functionality
- Add resume playback feature
- Provide better language support and subtitles
- Enhance Chromecast and smart TV compatibility
In-app purchases
VLC Streamer
- VLC Streamer Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- VLC Streamer Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- VLC Streamer Annual7 Days trial$2.991 Year
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- VLC Streamer Annual7 Days trial$5.991 Year
Zee 5
- ZEE5-Epicon-Monthly$3.991 Month
- ZEE5-Simply South-Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Month - 1 Year$5.991 Year
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- ZEE5 Chaupal Monthly$5.991 Month
- HD Monthly2 variants$5.991 Month
- Premium Pack - Special Offer$7.991 Year
- Zee5 Telugu Monthly Premium$10.991 Month
- Zee5 Hindi Monthly Premium$10.991 Month
- 4K Monthly$17.991 Month
- Quarterly - All Access$20.993 Months
- 40% Off - All Access Annual$49.991 Year
- Annual Pack$59.991 Year
- 4K Annual$65.991 Year
- Premium 4K (Discontinued)$69.991 Month
- Monthly Plan (Discontinued)$99.991 Month
- 4K Monthly (Discontinued)$100.991 Month
- All Access Plan (Discontinued)$109.991 Month
- Monthly Plan (Discontinued)$109.991 Month
- 4K Annual$124.991 Year
- 40% Off (Discontinued)$499.991 Year
- All Access HD Plan$599.001 Year









