# BigShow vs BoxPlayer

The clearest difference is ads: BoxPlayer at none against BigShow's shown. BoxPlayer also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). BigShow's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 16.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. BigShow sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and BoxPlayer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BigShow ships an update every 2 months, BoxPlayer every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BigShow | BoxPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.7 (62 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxplayer/id6739804060/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **62** |
| Positive reviews | — | 93.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 4 MB | 149 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 16.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Dawei Xiong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1606763852) | [三玉 高](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786938832) |

## What reviewers say

### BigShow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bigshow/id6468916585)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ad-Free version | $1.99 | one-time |


### 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 BigShow free?

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

### Is BoxPlayer free?

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

### Do BigShow or BoxPlayer have ads?

BigShow shows ads; BoxPlayer does not.

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

BigShow ships an update every 2 months, and BoxPlayer every 3 weeks. Most recently, BigShow 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.*