Comparison

vdrLive vs iPlay

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

iPlay

Features
Read full description

Transform your streaming experience with iPlay-List, the ultimate video player designed for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Import your own playlists and enjoy your favorite content with ease. * Key Features: Extensive Format Support: Compatible with M3U, M3U8, Xtream Codes API, and more. Intuitive Interface: Easily navigate between your channels, movies, and TV shows. iCloud Sync: Find your settings and playlists across all your Apple devices. AirPlay Compatibility: Stream your content directly to your TV. Important: iPlay-List is a video player and does not provide any media content. Users must import their own playlists or content. The app does not promote or facilitate access to copyrighted content without permission. The user is solely responsible for the use of the application and the content they choose to add. Please ensure you have the necessary rights to access the content you upload to the application. Premium Subscriptions Available: Premium Weekly: $0.99/week (auto-renewable) Premium Monthly: $2.99/month (auto-renewable) Premium Yearly: $19.99/year (auto-renewable) All plans include unlimited playlist creation and usage. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Prices are shown in the app and may vary by region. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/iplay-lists/privacy-policy

Screenshots

vdrLive4 screens
iPlay4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: vdrLive at none against iPlay's shown. iPlay's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (17.6 vs 26.0). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. vdrLive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and iPlay sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, iPlay every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
vdrLive versus iPlay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervdrLiveiPlay
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS26.017.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB48 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperR&M SimplyTechnologies GmbHNgo Truc Mai

In-app purchases

1 purchases

vdrLive

One-time1
  • vdrLive Pro$4.99
3 purchases

iPlay

Subscriptions3
  • Premium weekly$0.997 Days
  • Premium monthly$2.991 Month
  • Premium yearly$19.991 Year

Questions

Is vdrLive free?
vdrLive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is iPlay free?
iPlay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do vdrLive or iPlay have ads?
iPlay shows ads; vdrLive does not.
Which is updated more often, vdrLive or iPlay?
vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, and iPlay every 3 months. Most recently, vdrLive was updated on November 6, 2026 and iPlay on November 8, 2026.

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