Comparison

BoxPlayer vs Hawk Player

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

Head to head
About

BoxPlayer

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
Read full description

BoxPlayer is a beautifully designed video player that supports almost all video formats and is compatible with iPhone and iPad. Enjoy seamless streaming without the need to convert files. It offers powerful streaming options and subtitle support. With an elegant interface, precise controls, and smooth playback, it delivers an exceptional viewing experience. Key Features Powerful video player supporting MP4, MKV, M4V, MOV, and more Supports HDR, Dolby Vision, and Spatial Audio iCloud synchronization for seamless data access Trakt synchronization for tracking your watch history Compatible with Emby, Jellyfin, Plex and other media applications Supports SMB, WebDAV, and AList Integrates with Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, Premiumize, Baidu Cloud, Aliyun Drive, 115, 123, and other cloud services Supports local video playback Integrated TMDB movie database metadata for organizing local and cloud-stored videos Beautiful layout for quick access to video information Automatic artwork and metadata fetching Picture-in-picture mode for multitasking Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use https://xbyvideohub.com/privacy-policy https://xbyvideohub.com/terms-and-conditions

About

Hawk Player

Experience high-performance video playback with crystal-clear visuals and fast seeking. This media player offers precise control and a lightweight experience, perfect for users who value speed and accuracy. It also supports custom plugins and VOD protocols.

Highlights
  • High-performance video playback
  • Crystal-clear visuals
  • Lightning-fast seeking
  • Precise control
  • Lightweight experience
  • Pluggable architecture for custom plugins
  • VOD protocol support
Features
Read full description

Hawks are known for their sharp vision, speed, and precision—qualities that define the Hawk video player. Just like a hawk soars through the sky with unmatched clarity and focus, Hawk delivers a smooth, high-performance video experience with crystal-clear playback and lightning-fast seeking. With its keen eye for detail, Hawk ensures precise control, seamless navigation, and a powerful yet lightweight playback experience, making it the perfect choice for users who demand both speed and accuracy in their media player. Everything is pluggable, you can build your plugins. It also support VOD protocol. So sit back and enjoy—Hawk sees everything, so you don’t miss a thing. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

BoxPlayer4 screens
Hawk Player3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BoxPlayer at Free against Hawk Player's $17.99. BoxPlayer also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On rating, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

BoxPlayer is free to download; Hawk Player costs $17.99 up front. BoxPlayer sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Hawk Player sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for BoxPlayer against 4.6 for Hawk Player. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 61 and 22 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of BoxPlayer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Hawk Player's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BoxPlayer ships an update every 3 weeks, Hawk Player every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 8, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
BoxPlayer versus Hawk Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoxPlayerHawk Player
PriceFree — better$17.99
Rating4.7 (61 ratings) — better4.6 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews93.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings61 — better22
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size149 MB119 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer三玉 高JinShan Qu

Customer experience

BoxPlayer

All ratings61 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive93.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.9%

Hawk Player

All ratings22 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.1%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

BoxPlayer

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

3 requests
  • Support for VOD sources
  • Integrated subtitle management
  • Chromecast/AirPlay integration

Hawk Player

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

BoxPlayer

Subscriptions2
  • BoxPlayer 月度会员$0.991 Month
  • BoxPlayer 年度会员$4.991 Year
One-time5
  • BoxPlayer Pro tvOS LifeTime$4.99
  • BoxPlayer Pro macOS LifeTime$4.99
  • BoxPlayer Pro iOS LifeTime$4.99
Show 2 more
  • BoxPlayer Pro LifeTime$6.99
  • BoxPlayer Pro LifeTime$19.99
5 purchases

Hawk Player

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium$0.991 Month
  • Annual Premium$4.991 Year
One-time3
  • Lifetime Access$12.99
  • Lifetime Access$14.99
  • Lifetime Access$17.99

Questions

Is BoxPlayer free?
BoxPlayer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hawk Player free?
Hawk Player costs $17.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BoxPlayer or Hawk Player?
BoxPlayer is rated higher. BoxPlayer averages 4.7 out of 5 from 61 ratings, while Hawk Player averages 4.6 from 22 ratings.
Do BoxPlayer or Hawk Player have ads?
Neither BoxPlayer nor Hawk Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BoxPlayer or Hawk Player?
BoxPlayer ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hawk Player every 4 weeks. Most recently, BoxPlayer was updated on October 8, 2026 and Hawk Player on October 9, 2026.

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