# BoxPlayer vs Hawk Player

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | BoxPlayer | Hawk Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $17.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (61 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/boxplayer/id6739804060/reviews)** | [4.6 (22 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hawk-player/id6742471800/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **61** | 22 |
| Positive reviews | 93.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 149 MB | 119 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [三玉 高](https://appshunter.io/developer/1786938832) | [JinShan Qu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1272548255) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Hawk Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hawk-player/id6742471800)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $0.99 | per month |
| Annual Premium | $4.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $12.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $14.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Access | $17.99 | one-time |


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