Comparison

vdrLive vs Zinwell SAT>IP

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

Head to head
About

vdrLive

Watch Live TV from your VDR installation on your iOS devices. Access channel lists, current program info, and EPG data. Control your VDR with a virtual remote.

Highlights
  • Live TV streaming
  • Channel lists and program info
  • EPG information
  • Virtual remote control
  • Automatic VDR network search
Features
Read full description

vdrLive connects your iPhone and iPad to your Video Disk Recorder (VDR) on the local network. Home screen • The channel you watched last with the current program; tap to tune in • Continue watching, on TV now, tonight and new recordings at a glance Live TV and radio • Watch all channels through the streamdev-server plugin, including MPEG-2, H.264 and HEVC, stereo and AC-3 • Swipe to change channels, see the current and next program • Choose audio track and subtitles, adjust deinterlacing and buffering • Mini player (iOS 26.1 or later): playback continues while you browse the guide or your recordings • Picture in picture: the video keeps playing in a floating window, even when you leave the app • Radio keeps playing in the background, with Lock Screen controls iPad and iPhone Duo • Home screen, recordings and timers in two columns: list and details side by side • Channel list next to the playing video • iPhone Duo: partially folded, video and controls sit side by side or one above the other; playback continues as you open and close it Program guide • Guide per channel and guide grid on iPad and the unfolded iPhone Duo • Full-text search in the loaded guide • Create timers with pre- and post-recording margins directly from program details • Programs that already have a timer are marked Timers and recordings • Create, edit, deactivate and delete timers • Timer conflicts and search timers when epgsearch is installed • Recordings in folders, resume where you left off • Rename, move and delete recordings, or play them on the TV connected to the VDR More • Remote control for the VDR • Channel logos as well as images and series details for programs and recordings when restfulapi and a scraper plugin are installed • Find VDRs on the local network, multiple servers • Demo mode with fictional channels to try the app without a VDR • Settings from vdrLive 2 are imported Requirements • VDR with SVDRP access for this device (svdrphosts.conf) • For playback: streamdev-server plugin with its HTTP server enabled; it must also allow this device (streamdevhosts.conf). Recordings require streamdev-server 0.6.1 or later • Optional: restfulapi (logos, images), scraper2vdr or tvscraper (images and series details), epgsearch (search timers, conflicts) • More › Settings › VDR Requirements shows which of these are met vdrLive Pro Without a purchase, each playback ends after 3 minutes; all other features can be used without restriction. The in-app purchase vdrLive Pro removes this limit permanently. A purchase from vdrLive 2 remains valid.

About

Zinwell SAT>IP

Stream live TV programs over your network using a SAT>IP compliant server. This application allows you to watch broadcasts, view electronic program guides, and manage your channel list. It also supports encrypted BISS programs.

Highlights
  • Watch TV via network
  • Support BISS encrypted programs
  • View EPG
  • Edit channel list
Features
Read full description

Using SAT>IP app with SAT>IP compliant server to watch TV program via network. App Features - Watch TV via network - Support CA programs encrypted by BISS - View EPG - Edit channel list

Screenshots

vdrLive4 screens
Zinwell SAT>IP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Zinwell SAT>IP at 100% against vdrLive's 33%. Zinwell SAT>IP also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 7 months). On price, ads, monetization model 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. vdrLive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Zinwell SAT>IP asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, Zinwell SAT>IP every 10 days. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
vdrLive versus Zinwell SAT>IP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervdrLiveZinwell SAT>IP
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB56 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperR&M SimplyTechnologies GmbHZINWELL CORPORATION

Customer experience

vdrLive

Written reviews21 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative52.4%

Zinwell SAT>IP

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

vdrLive

One-time1
  • vdrLive Pro$4.99
None

Zinwell SAT>IP

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is vdrLive free?
vdrLive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zinwell SAT>IP free?
Zinwell SAT>IP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do vdrLive or Zinwell SAT>IP have ads?
Neither vdrLive nor Zinwell SAT>IP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, vdrLive or Zinwell SAT>IP?
vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, and Zinwell SAT>IP every 10 days. Most recently, vdrLive was updated on November 1, 2026 and Zinwell SAT>IP on November 1, 2026.

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