VLC media player vs Cloud Stream IPTV Player
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
VLC media player
Play virtually any video or audio file directly without conversion. Stream media from cloud services, network servers, or the web. Offers advanced subtitle support and playback controls.
- Plays all video and audio formats
- No file conversion needed
- Cloud and network streaming
- Advanced subtitle support
- Playback speed control
- Chromecast rendering
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VLC is a free and open source cross-platform multimedia player. It can play all your movies, shows and music in most formats directly without conversion. It allows file synchronization with Dropbox, GDrive, OneDrive, Box, iCloud Drive, iTunes, direct downloads and through Wi-Fi sharing as well as streaming from SMB, FTP, SFTP, NFS, UPnP/DLNA media servers and the web. VLC offers support for advanced subtitles including full SSA compatibility, multi-track audio, playback speed control and rendering through Chromecast. VLC is completely free and open source.
Cloud Stream IPTV Player
Stream live TV channels from your ISP or internet sources on your iPhone or iPad. Supports M3U and M3U8 playlists, with advanced features like Chromecast and background playback available in the PRO version.
- IPTV playback
- Internet channel streaming
- M3U/M3U8 playlist support
- UDP proxy streaming
- Chromecast (PRO)
- Background playback (PRO)
- Parental control (PRO)
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Watch the TV IPTV from your ISP or any other TV Internet source from your iPhone or iPad! Features: • Play IPTV • Streaming for Internet channels • Play-multicast streams through a UDP proxy (the proxy must be configured in your local network) • Support M3U and M3U8, ability to add playlists from the file system device or via Internet. • Chromecast (For version PRO ONLY) • Background playback (For version PRO ONLY) • Parental control (For version PRO ONLY) • External Player (For version PRO ONLY) • Sync playlists (For version PRO ONLY) Additional features; - Share lists between devices using Airdrop, mail, messages or any other application installed on the device. - Favorites. - Theme light, dark or automatic. - Parental lock on the player to keep children on the player. - If the channel allows, switching subtitles and secondary audio. - If the m3u list contains groups these will be displayed in the application or you can create your own groups. M3U list example: # EXTM3U #EXTINF: -1 tvg-logo = "https://www.server.com/logo1.jpg" group-title = "Group1", Channel 1 http://myserver.com:4022/rtp/239.0.0.76:8208 #EXTINF: -1 tvg-logo = "https://www.server.com/logo2.jpg" group-title = "Group2", Channel 2 http://myserver.com:4022/rtp/239.0.0.2:8208 Attention! Playback is advisable to do being connected to a wireless network because the connection 3G / 4G could lead to charges from your mobile provider. ATTENTION! The app does not provides list of channels, must be loaded your own lists. Cloud Stream does not store or share your playlists. These are only stored on your device or your iCloud account. Icons by Icons8.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Cloud Stream IPTV Player at 4.7 against VLC media player's 3.7. VLC media player's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and chart position (#34 vs unranked). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. VLC media player sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Cloud Stream IPTV Player sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Cloud Stream IPTV Player holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.8K and 3.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of VLC media player's written reviews are positive against 55% of Cloud Stream IPTV Player's.
VLC media player ships an update fortnightly, Cloud Stream IPTV Player every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | VLC media player | Cloud Stream IPTV Player |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (5.8K ratings) | 4.7 (3.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.1% of reviews | 54.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5.8K — better | 3.1K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #34 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 186 MB | 114 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | VideoLAN | Giovanny Aranda |
Customer experience
VLC media player
Cloud Stream IPTV Player
User reviews
VLC media player
From 5.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Plays everything
- 👍 Great for offline media
- 🔒 No ads or subscriptions
- 🚀 Convenient file transfer
- 👍 Customizable playback
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy after updates
- 🔋 Drains battery
- 👎 Confusing UI/UX
- 🐛 Unreliable network streaming
- 👎 Lacks basic features
Cloud Stream IPTV Player
From 3.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and smooth playback
- 💡 Allows importing M3U playlists
- 🔒 No annoying ads
- 👍 Intuitive and clean interface
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent freezing and crashing issues
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🐛 Chromecast functionality not working as expected
- 🐛 Playlist sync issues between devices
- 🐛 Playback stops when exiting the app
Bugs and requests
VLC media player
Reported bugs
5 issues- Playback issues with certain codecs
- Crashes when accessing network shares
- Inconsistent shuffle/repeat behavior
- Subtitle sync problems
- Deleted files not freeing up storage
Requested features
5 requests- Picture-in-Picture mode
- Improved playlist management
- Folder-based organization
- Lyrics support
- Chromecast integration
Cloud Stream IPTV Player
Reported bugs
5 issues- Channels not loading properly
- Inability to restore purchases
- Search function not working on Apple TV
- Playback issues when switching between apps
- Compatibility problems with iOS 14 and newer
Requested features
5 requests- Add support for Xtream codes
- Implement picture-in-picture mode
- Improve EPG (Electronic Program Guide) support
- Allow organizing channels into categories
- Add background playback option
In-app purchases
VLC media player
- Micro Tip$0.99
- Small Tip$2.99
- Medium Tip$4.99
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Large Tip$9.99
- Huge Tip$14.99
Cloud Stream IPTV Player
- Tip for one coffee$0.99
- Tip for two coffees$1.99
- Pro Version$2.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Tip for three coffees$2.99
- Tip for four coffees$3.99
- Tip for five coffees$4.99
Questions
Is VLC media player free?
Is Cloud Stream IPTV Player free?
Which has better reviews, VLC media player or Cloud Stream IPTV Player?
Do VLC media player or Cloud Stream IPTV Player have ads?
Which is updated more often, VLC media player or Cloud Stream IPTV Player?
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