# It's Playing vs MX Player

The clearest difference is rating: MX Player at 4.5 against It's Playing's 4.0. MX Player also leads on ratings volume (4.3K vs 69) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). It's Playing's advantage is review sentiment (52% vs 33%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. It's Playing sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MX Player sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

MX Player holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MX Player has 4.3K ratings behind it against 69, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of It's Playing's written reviews are positive against 33% of MX Player's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

It's Playing ships an update every 2 months, MX Player monthly. The most recent releases landed on June 8, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | It's Playing | MX Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (69 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/its-playing/id442839861/reviews) | **[4.5 (4.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mx-player-video-player/id1458937973/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 69 | **4.3K** |
| Positive reviews | **52.0% of reviews** | 32.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 33 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Addition, Lda](https://appshunter.io/developer/299197261) | [Sakib Musharraf](https://appshunter.io/developer/1458937972) |

## What reviewers say

### It's Playing

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/its-playing/id442839861)

Stream videos directly from cloud storage or local network devices without conversions. Enjoy high-performance playback, subtitle search, and advanced playback controls. Supports a wide range of audio and video formats for a seamless entertainment experience.

**Highlights:** Direct cloud and local network streaming, High-performance 1080p playback, Direct subtitle search and download, Support for MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI, WMV, VOB, RMVB, One-click access to Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, Background playback and earbud controls, Frame by frame video navigation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Plays a wide range of video formats
- 🚀 Smooth playback even for high-quality files
- 📁 Convenient file management and organization
- 🔊 Useful audio controls (volume boost, pitch adjustment)
- 🎨 Customizable video settings (brightness, contrast, etc.)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and playback issues
- 🔇 Lack of support for some audio codecs (AC3, DTS)
- 🔍 Difficulty browsing long file names
- 🔌 Performance issues on older devices
- 🔒 Unreliable network connectivity and file sharing

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when playing certain video files
- Playback freezes or stutters on high-bitrate content
- Issues with audio/video sync and codec compatibility

**Requested features**

- Add support for Chromecast and AirPlay
- Implement a queue/playlist feature
- Improve file management with better folder support
- Provide better integration with cloud storage services


### MX Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mx-player-video-player/id1458937973)

This app is a versatile media player and manager that supports a wide range of video and audio formats. It offers features like subtitle support, multi-audio playback, and a secure media library with passcode protection. Easily play all your mobile and gallery content with an optimized user interface.

**Highlights:** Plays all video formats, Supports subtitle playback, Multi-audio format support, Media library with passcode security, Optimized user interface, Built-in music player

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad free | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Ease of use
- 🚀 Fast download and playback

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Speed control issues
- 🐛 Crashes on certain devices
- 🐛 Limited features
- 🐛 Ads interrupting playback

**Reported bugs**

- Speed control resets on rewind/skip
- Playback speed not changing as expected
- Crashes on launch for some users

**Requested features**

- Add support for more video formats
- Implement video speed control persistence
- Allow loading videos from external folders
- Add subtitle support


## Frequently asked questions

### Is It's Playing free?

It's Playing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MX Player free?

MX Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, It's Playing or MX Player?

MX Player is rated higher. It's Playing averages 4.0 out of 5 from 69 ratings, while MX Player averages 4.5 from 4.3K ratings.

### Do It's Playing or MX Player have ads?

Neither It's Playing nor MX Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, It's Playing or MX Player?

It's Playing ships an update every 2 months, and MX Player monthly. Most recently, It's Playing was updated on June 8, 2026 and MX Player on September 26, 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.*