# CastFlow vs BoxPlayer

The clearest difference is price: BoxPlayer at Free against CastFlow's $0.99. BoxPlayer also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 26 months). CastFlow's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

BoxPlayer is free to download; CastFlow costs $0.99 up front. BoxPlayer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. CastFlow asks for nothing beyond the download.

BoxPlayer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BoxPlayer has 62 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of CastFlow's written reviews are positive against 93% of BoxPlayer's.

CastFlow ships an update every 26 months, BoxPlayer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | CastFlow | BoxPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.0 (8 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castflow/id6448221325/reviews) | **[4.7 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxplayer/id6739804060/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 8 | **62** |
| Positive reviews | 83.3% of reviews | **93.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 26 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 75 MB | 149 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [辉 邓](https://appshunter.io/developer/1683717989) | [三玉 高](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786938832) |

## What reviewers say

### CastFlow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castflow/id6448221325)

Stream media from various platforms to your device using DLNA protocol. Supports a wide range of media formats for seamless playback.

**Highlights:** DLNA streaming, Cross-device casting, Wide media format support, Seamless playback

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### BoxPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxplayer/id6739804060)

A versatile video player for iPhone and iPad that supports a wide range of formats and offers advanced streaming capabilities. Enjoy seamless playback with subtitle support, HDR, Dolby Vision, and Spatial Audio, all within an elegant interface. It integrates with various cloud services and media servers for a comprehensive viewing experience.

**Highlights:** Supports all video formats, HDR, Dolby Vision, Spatial Audio support, iCloud and Trakt synchronization, Emby, Jellyfin, Plex compatibility, Cloud service integration (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.), Local video playback, Automatic metadata fetching

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BoxPlayer 月度会员 | $0.99 | per month |
| BoxPlayer 年度会员 | $4.99 | per year |
| BoxPlayer Pro tvOS LifeTime | $4.99 | one-time |
| BoxPlayer Pro macOS LifeTime | $4.99 | one-time |
| BoxPlayer Pro iOS LifeTime | $4.99 | one-time |
| BoxPlayer Pro LifeTime | $6.99 | one-time |
| BoxPlayer Pro LifeTime | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive performance
- 💡 Comprehensive network disk support
- 🔒 Reliable and secure playback

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional playback issues
- 🔋 Slightly higher battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional crashes on older devices
- Playback stuttering with high-bitrate files

**Requested features**

- Support for VOD sources
- Integrated subtitle management
- Chromecast/AirPlay integration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is CastFlow free?

CastFlow costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BoxPlayer free?

BoxPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, CastFlow or BoxPlayer?

BoxPlayer is rated higher. CastFlow averages 3.0 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while BoxPlayer averages 4.7 from 62 ratings.

### Do CastFlow or BoxPlayer have ads?

Neither CastFlow nor BoxPlayer shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, CastFlow or BoxPlayer?

CastFlow ships an update every 26 months, and BoxPlayer every 3 weeks. Most recently, CastFlow was updated on October 9, 2026 and BoxPlayer on October 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*