Comparison

vdrLive vs Skylark IPTV 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

Skylark IPTV Player

This app organizes and plays your IPTV playlists on all Apple devices. Enjoy a beautiful interface, interactive program guide, and powerful search features. Unlock advanced functionalities like multi-view and catch-up with an optional purchase.

Highlights
  • Supports M3U/M3U8 playlists and Xtream Codes
  • Interactive program guide with EPG
  • Multi-View for watching multiple channels
  • Catch-Up & Replay functionality
  • iCloud Sync across Apple devices
  • Private by design, data stays on device
Features
Read full description

Skylark is a native live-TV player that brings your own IPTV playlist to every Apple screen — iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV — with a beautiful, fast interface built for the way you actually watch. Add your Xtream Codes account or M3U/M3U8 playlist, and Skylark organizes everything into a clean home screen with a featured channel, continue watching, favorites, and what's on now. Browse a full program guide, search across thousands of channels by name or by what's playing, and jump straight into anything with a single tap. BRING YOUR OWN PLAYLIST • Xtream Codes (server, username, password) • M3U / M3U8 playlist URLs • Optional XMLTV (EPG) for full program data • Custom user agent support for provider authentication LIVE TV, DONE RIGHT • Interactive program guide with a live "On Now" indicator • Home rails: featured channel, continue watching, favorites, and on-now • Favorites, channel sorting, and hide channels you don't watch • Channel logos and categories • Fast search across thousands of channels — by channel name or current and upcoming programs BUILT FOR EVERY FORMAT • Powered by a built-in VLC engine for broad compatibility • Plays HLS, MP4, and transport streams • Automatic fallback between AVPlayer and VLC • Tune buffer length, audio language, and subtitle language • Quick channel zapping and full-screen playback with auto-hiding controls MADE FOR APPLE TV • Full Siri Remote navigation • Overscan-aware safe areas and a UI refined for the living room PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your playlists and credentials stay on your device and sync only through your own iCloud — never sent to us, never sold, never tracked. SKYLARK PRO (optional one-time purchase) Unlock the power features, once, across all your Apple devices: • Multi-View — watch 2 to 4 channels at once in a grid, with audio on the channel you choose • Catch-Up & Replay — rewatch past programs when your provider supports it • EPG Reminders — get notified before a show starts • iCloud Sync — your setup follows you across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV Prefer to keep it simple? You can also remove the watermark with a one-time purchase, or use Skylark free. Note: Skylark does not include or provide any channels or content. You bring your own IPTV service (Xtream Codes or M3U playlist). Catch-up and EPG availability depend on your provider.

Screenshots

vdrLive4 screens
Skylark IPTV Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Skylark IPTV Player at 100% against vdrLive's 33%. Skylark IPTV Player also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 7 months) and device support (4 vs 2). vdrLive's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Skylark IPTV Player sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, Skylark IPTV Player every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences Ā· 3 level
vdrLive versus Skylark IPTV Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervdrLiveSkylark IPTV Player
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB103 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperR&M SimplyTechnologies GmbHJosh Becker

Customer experience

vdrLive

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

Skylark IPTV Player

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

vdrLive

One-time1
  • vdrLive Pro$4.99
2 purchases

Skylark IPTV Player

One-time2
  • Remove Watermark$7.99
  • Skylark Pro$19.99

Questions

Is vdrLive free?
vdrLive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Skylark IPTV Player free?
Skylark IPTV Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do vdrLive or Skylark IPTV Player have ads?
Neither vdrLive nor Skylark IPTV Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, vdrLive or Skylark IPTV Player?
vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, and Skylark IPTV Player every 5 days. Most recently, vdrLive was updated on October 29, 2026 and Skylark IPTV Player on October 28, 2026.

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