Comparison

vdrLive vs Kanal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” 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 β€’ The channel you watched last with the current program; tap to tune in β€’ Continue watching, on TV now, tonight and new recordings at a glance Live TV and radio β€’ Watch all channels through the streamdev-server plugin, including MPEG-2, H.264 and HEVC, stereo and AC-3 β€’ Swipe to change channels, see the current and next program β€’ Choose audio track and subtitles, adjust deinterlacing and buffering β€’ Mini player (iOS 26.1 or later): playback continues while you browse the guide or your recordings β€’ Picture in picture: the video keeps playing in a floating window, even when you leave the app β€’ Radio keeps playing in the background, with Lock Screen controls iPad and iPhone Duo β€’ Home screen, recordings and timers in two columns: list and details side by side β€’ Channel list next to the playing video β€’ 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 β€’ Guide per channel and guide grid on iPad and the unfolded iPhone Duo β€’ Full-text search in the loaded guide β€’ Create timers with pre- and post-recording margins directly from program details β€’ Programs that already have a timer are marked Timers and recordings β€’ Create, edit, deactivate and delete timers β€’ Timer conflicts and search timers when epgsearch is installed β€’ Recordings in folders, resume where you left off β€’ Rename, move and delete recordings, or play them on the TV connected to the VDR More β€’ Remote control for the VDR β€’ Channel logos as well as images and series details for programs and recordings when restfulapi and a scraper plugin are installed β€’ Find VDRs on the local network, multiple servers β€’ Demo mode with fictional channels to try the app without a VDR β€’ Settings from vdrLive 2 are imported Requirements β€’ VDR with SVDRP access for this device (svdrphosts.conf) β€’ 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 β€’ Optional: restfulapi (logos, images), scraper2vdr or tvscraper (images and series details), epgsearch (search timers, conflicts) β€’ More β€Ί Settings β€Ί 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

Kanal

Features
Read full description

Kanal – TV, made simple. Kanal is a lightweight player for the channel list of your own IPTV provider (Xtream Codes or M3U). The app contains no channels and offers no content: you bring your list, Kanal makes it as simple as a TV set. β€’ Set up in seconds: paste your provider's e-mail, scan a QR code or tap a link – no typing of addresses β€’ Big, clear channel tiles with "now playing" and progress β€’ Tabs by country and topic, favourites with one tap β€’ Swipe to change channel, today's schedule right in the player β€’ AirPlay to any TV Kanal Plus (optional): β€’ Full-evening programme guide with a now-line β€’ Movies & series from your list, with continue watching β€’ iPad, iPhone and Apple TV share login and favourites via iCloud β€’ Set up Apple TV in seconds: type the on-screen code on your iPad Kanal Plus is available as a yearly subscription with a free trial week or as a one-time purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the period and can be managed in your App Store settings at any time. Important: Kanal is a player only. You need a channel list from a provider you are entitled to use. Your provider alone is responsible for content, availability and legality. Privacy: https://kanal-app.com/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

vdrLive4 screens
Kanal3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Kanal at every 2 days against vdrLive's every 7 months. Kanal also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

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

Both are free to download. vdrLive sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Kanal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, Kanal every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
vdrLive versus Kanal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametervdrLiveKanal
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews33.3% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 2 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV β€” better
Requires iOS26.016.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size53 MB101 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperR&M SimplyTechnologies GmbHNΓ€tdoktor Sverige AB

In-app purchases

1 purchases

vdrLive

One-time1
  • vdrLive Pro$4.99
2 purchases

Kanal

Subscriptions1
  • Kanal Plus7 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time1
  • Kanal Plus fΓΌr immer$19.99

Questions

Is vdrLive free?
vdrLive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Kanal free?
Kanal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do vdrLive or Kanal have ads?
Neither vdrLive nor Kanal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, vdrLive or Kanal?
vdrLive ships an update every 7 months, and Kanal every 2 days. Most recently, vdrLive was updated on November 6, 2026 and Kanal on November 6, 2026.

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