Comparison

vdrLive vs Buddy Player

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

Buddy Player

Features
Read full description

Buddy Player is a media player built to make your own IPTV subscription pleasant and easy to navigate. IMPORTANT: Buddy Player is a player. It does not provide, host or sell any channels, films or series. To use the app you need an M3U playlist address or an Xtream Codes account from your own provider. The source, legality and availability of the content are entirely your provider's responsibility. CONNECT • M3U / M3U8 playlist address • Xtream Codes (server, username, password) • Quick setup by QR code • Save several profiles and switch between them • Your details are kept in your device's Keychain and are never sent to any server of ours AN ORDERLY LIBRARY • Live channels, films and series episodes are sorted into their own tabs automatically • Group and category filters • Fast search • Favourites • Pick up where you left off — the position is remembered for every title • Poster art, summaries and ratings for films and series (TMDB) THE PLAYER • Two playback engines: AVPlayer for HLS and MP4, VLC for everything else • Broad format support: MKV, TS, AVI, HEVC and more • Audio track and subtitle selection • Subtitle appearance: colour, size, background • OpenSubtitles support (with your own account) • Playback speed, aspect ratio, sleep timer • Double-tap to skip 10 seconds • Slide on the left for volume, on the right for brightness • Control lock so nothing happens in your pocket • Picture in picture (where the stream supports it) • Audio keeps playing in the background, with lock screen controls OFFLINE • Download films and episodes and watch them without a connection • Queued downloads run one at a time, in order • Pause, resume or delete downloads PARENTAL CONTROL • PIN-protected adult content filter • Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID • Hide any titles you would rather not see PROGRAMME GUIDE • What's on now and next, for providers that support XMLTV ALSO • Turkish and English interface • Dark interface, laid out for one-handed use • VoiceOver support • No ads, no tracking, no subscription Download Buddy Player and connect it with your own provider's details.

Screenshots

vdrLive4 screens
Buddy Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Buddy Player at none against vdrLive's 1. Buddy Player also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 7 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. vdrLive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Buddy Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, Buddy Player daily. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 6 level
vdrLive versus Buddy Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervdrLiveBuddy Player
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperR&M SimplyTechnologies GmbHMEHMET KAFADAR

In-app purchases

1 purchases

vdrLive

One-time1
  • vdrLive Pro$4.99
None

Buddy Player

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is vdrLive free?
vdrLive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Buddy Player free?
Buddy Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do vdrLive or Buddy Player have ads?
Neither vdrLive nor Buddy Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, vdrLive or Buddy Player?
vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, and Buddy Player daily. Most recently, vdrLive was updated on November 6, 2026 and Buddy Player on November 5, 2026.

Other comparisons