SmallTube vs OpenIPTV
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmallTube
A native iOS client for watching videos, offering ad-free viewing with picture-in-picture and background playback. Enjoy a streamlined experience for embeddable content.
- Ad-free viewing
- Picture-in-picture playback
- Background playback
- Native iOS experience
- Embeddable video support
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A simple and native YouTube client for iOS with no ads, picture-in-picture, and background playback. For picture-in-picture to work, toggle it while in fullscreen and then exit to home. After that, background playback will also work! Limitations: - Only embeddable video can play (most songs and copyrighted material are not available) - The app requires an API key from the YouTube Data API. You can easily create one for free.
OpenIPTV
This open-source player lets you watch live TV by adding your own M3U playlists, local files, or Xtream Codes sources. It features a program guide, channel browsing with search, and playback options like Picture-in-Picture and casting.
- Add M3U, local files, or Xtream Codes sources
- Program Guide (EPG) with 12-hour window
- Channel browsing and real-time search
- Picture-in-Picture and background audio
- AirPlay and Chromecast support
- Favorite channels and history
- Customizable themes and sources
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OpenIPTV is the best free and open source IPTV player. There are no ads, watermarks, or paid upgrades. Add your M3U playlist, local file, or Xtream Codes source and EPG sources to start watching live TV. Program Guide (EPG) * Live TV timeline with a 12-hour window of current and upcoming programs * Pinch-to-zoom to adjust timeline density * Channels grouped by category with collapsible sections Channel Browsing * Browse all channels across your sources, organized by group * Real-time search across channel names, groups, and program titles * EPG info displayed alongside search results * Hide channels and groups you don't watch * Share channels via link Player * Supports HLS, MPEG-TS, MP4, and more streaming formats * On-device MPEG-TS repackaging for maximum format compatibility * Auto-reconnect on stream errors * Background audio playback * Picture-in-Picture * AirPlay to Apple TV and other AirPlay devices * Chromecast casting * Previous/Next channel navigation * Fullscreen mode with landscape orientation Library * Star your favorite channels for quick access * Recently watched channels history * Search and sort within your favorites Customization * Dark and light themes * Add, edit, refresh, and delete unlimited M3U, Xtream Codes, and EPG sources * Import local M3U files from your device * Auto-refresh keeps your program guide up to date OpenIPTV does not include any content or subscriptions. You must provide your own M3U playlist and EPG sources from your IPTV service provider.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: OpenIPTV at 100% against SmallTube's 0%. OpenIPTV also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.0). SmallTube's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 11 days). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
OpenIPTV holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of SmallTube's written reviews are positive against 100% of OpenIPTV's.
SmallTube ships an update every 2 days, OpenIPTV every 11 days. Both last shipped on October 2, 2026.
| Parameter | SmallTube | OpenIPTV |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 11 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.4 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 0 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ioannis Notaris | Parry Huang |
Customer experience
SmallTube
OpenIPTV
In-app purchases
SmallTube
No in-app purchases
OpenIPTV
No in-app purchases









