Comparison

TvhClient vs VBox LiveTV App

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

Head to head
About

TvhClient

Watch, manage, and record live TV from your TVHeadend server. Features include timeshifting, channel browsing, recording management, and server administration. Integrates with Siri and Shortcuts for seamless control.

Highlights
  • Live TV with timeshift
  • Browse EPG and channel guides
  • Record and manage recordings
  • Server administration and status
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
  • Picture-in-Picture and background audio
  • Cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

TvhClient is a full client for your TVHeadend server: watch live TV, rewind it, browse the guide, and manage your recordings from your iPhone or iPad. WATCH • Live TV with a built-in player: pause and rewind live TV with timeshift, see the programme under the playhead, and switch channels without leaving the player • Choose your playback engine, VLCKit 4 or mpv, separately for live TV and recordings. Both deinterlace. • Picture in Picture, background audio, a draggable mini player, and a statistics overlay • Pick audio and subtitle tracks. TvhClient remembers them per channel, and remembers where you stopped in a recording. • Transcoding profiles, and an audio-only mode that picks a suitable profile for you • Connects over HTSP (timeshift, instant updates) or the HTTP API. TvhClient works out which one your network supports. BROWSE • Channel groups, channels with now/next and progress, and each channel's programmes by day • "Now" shows what is on across all channels, with search and filters by group and channel • EPG now standard in iPhone, and you can rotate to landscape RECORD • Record with one tap, or create and edit recordings and AutoRec rules in editors built from your server's own settings • Upcoming, Completed, Failed, Removed and AutoRec lists, with folders • Play recordings with seeking, straight from the list ADMINISTER • Status: subscriptions, tuner inputs, networks, muxes and services • The live server log, and the app's own diagnostics EVERYWHERE • Siri and Shortcuts: "Play BBC One in TvhClient", "What's on now?", "Record this" • Spotlight search for channels, recordings and programmes • Widgets and a Live Activity for recordings • CarPlay audio, for listening to your channels in the car • Optional iCloud storage for your servers, and sync of track choices and resume positions with the Apple TV app • Several servers, with Bonjour discovery. A server can name a public address to fall back on when you're away from home. • A redesigned interface for iOS 26, with a Help section in Settings. It also runs on Apple Silicon Macs as an iPad app. Works with tvheadend 3.2 and up. Transcoding needs tvheadend 4.x profiles. HTSP timeshift needs timeshift enabled on the server. Also available for Apple TV. Your audio and subtitle choices and recording resume positions sync between them. Support: tvhclient@gmail.com or http://chat.tvhclient.com

About

VBox LiveTV App

Stream live television on your iPad and iPhone from your VBox Live TV Gateway device. Features a comprehensive TV program guide and allows casting to your Smart TV or PC.

Highlights
  • Live TV streaming
  • Program Guide (EPG)
  • Stream to Smart TV
  • Stream to PC
  • Mobile viewing
Features
Read full description

Watch and stream live TV on your iPad and iPhone anywhere. Provides a manageable rich TV Program Guide (EPG). Transfer TV streams to your home Smart TV and PC. Please note, this application will only work with the VBox Live TV Gateway Device.

Screenshots

TvhClient4 screens
VBox LiveTV App4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: TvhClient at 85% against VBox LiveTV App's 40%. TvhClient also leads on update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (26 vs 1). VBox LiveTV App's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.3) and in-app purchases (none vs 4). 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. TvhClient sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. VBox LiveTV App asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VBox LiveTV App holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TvhClient has 26 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of TvhClient's written reviews are positive against 40% of VBox LiveTV App's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TvhClient ships an update every 5 weeks, VBox LiveTV App every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TvhClient versus VBox LiveTV App: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTvhClientVBox LiveTV App
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (26 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews84.9% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings26 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.012.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size123 MB52 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperLuis FernandesVbox Communications

Customer experience

TvhClient

All ratings26 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive84.9%
Neutral9.4%
Negative5.7%

VBox LiveTV App

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Bugs and requests

TvhClient

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Garbled code in English
  • Sound plays in background when switching out of app
  • Blank screen appears upon returning to app
  • DVB subtitles don’t work on Internal VLC
  • Internal VLC player bug: video goes black on system UI interaction
Show 9 more
  • Sound keeps playing when switching between apps, picture blank on return
  • Picture blank when certain system dialogs appear
  • EPG from tvheadend v4.2 shows 'null' for program titles
  • Guide scrolls too fast and lags on Apple TV
  • Cannot watch recording while recording without reloading
  • V/A not in sync with HomePod AirPlay
  • Software crashes when watching recording on iPad 2
  • Scalability issues with 400+ channels (scrolling, guide loading)
  • Status bar in the way on full screen (iPad Pro 9.7)

Requested features

18 requests
  • Grid guide option
  • Option to change icon backgrounds
  • iOS Picture in Picture support
  • Chromecast support
  • Ability to navigate whole EPG
Show 13 more
  • Overlay guide like in Kodi
  • Time shift functionality
  • Different transcoding options
  • Better EPG UI (table view)
  • Search from EPG screen
  • Filtering UI for channels
  • Full screen without status bar
  • Casting channel to Chromecast
  • Option to change icon backgrounds
  • Picture in Picture native iOS support
  • Chromecast support return
  • Full EPG matrix view
  • Dark mode option

VBox LiveTV App

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

TvhClient

One-time4
  • Llama Thanks$0.99
  • Thanks a Sloth$1.99
  • Whale of Thanks$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Apple TV Full App$4.99
None

VBox LiveTV App

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TvhClient free?
TvhClient is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is VBox LiveTV App free?
VBox LiveTV App is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TvhClient or VBox LiveTV App?
VBox LiveTV App is rated higher. TvhClient averages 4.3 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while VBox LiveTV App averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do TvhClient or VBox LiveTV App have ads?
Neither TvhClient nor VBox LiveTV App shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TvhClient or VBox LiveTV App?
TvhClient ships an update every 5 weeks, and VBox LiveTV App every 6 months. Most recently, TvhClient was updated on November 6, 2026 and VBox LiveTV App on November 3, 2026.

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