Comparison

Coax vs Previously On…

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

Head to head
About

Coax

Experience your Plex media library like a traditional cable TV experience. This app automatically generates channels from your existing content, allowing you to randomly discover movies and shows without the pressure of choosing.

Highlights
  • On-device Plex library channel surfing
  • Zero-setup integration
  • Automatic channel guide generation
  • Customizable channel categories (genre, decade, actor, etc.)
  • Create channels from Plex Collections
  • Unify TV and movie libraries
  • Adjustable number of channels
Features
Read full description

Demolish the tyranny of too much choice, say "NO" to BigAlgo, and just Relax with Coax. Within seconds, you'll be flipping through a schedule made entirely of your own home media server content. Jump right in with the on-screen cable guide and watch whatever's on, just like the old days. You can't pause, you can't skip forward, you can't rewind - all you can do is change the channel. Experience the joy of randomly happening upon a great scene in a movie you forgot you had, or a TV show marathon for an old favorite. Coax requires no setup at all - it uses the metadata your media library already has. If you want, you can create your own custom Lineups, with all sorts of simple yet powerful scheduling rules - create a Saturday Morning Cartoons Lineup for your inner (or actual) child, or a Late Night Thrillers Lineup for date night. Important: This app requires a Plex account and access to a Plex Media Server (or Jellyfin, or Emby). Coax does not provide or distribute any media; it only connects to content you already own. How to configure your Lineups: • Coax scans your home media libraries and generates a channel guide based on your content’s metadata. • Select which channel categories you want: Genre, Decade, Recent Additions, Actor, Studio, Director, and Collections. • Create 100% custom channels using Collections. • Unify your libraries to mix TV and movie channels. • Adjust the number of channels you want to generate. •  Customize the time between your programs with Gap Content - play Trailers, or content from another Library if you want! Coax is your personal “cable box” for your own content — no extra accounts, no third-party streaming, just your Plex library organized in a fun, nostalgic way. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Previously On…

Easily track your TV shows, marking episodes as watched and seeing what's next. Discover where to stream content and organize your watch list by who you watch with. Features include automatic sorting, filtering by streaming service, and quick links to show information.

Highlights
  • Track TV show progress
  • Mark episodes as watched
  • See what's next to watch
  • Filter by streaming service
  • Organize shows by viewing group
  • Quick links to show info
Features
Read full description

Keep track of all the TV shows you're watching, and all the shows you haven't gotten to yet. Every time you watch an episode, mark it. Previously On remembers where you left off, gives you a list of what's next to watch, and tells you where to stream it — so you can stop keeping that mental list, just sit back and watch. Take a look at what's airing soon, or browse through your history to refresh your memory when a friend needs a quick show recommendation. • iPhone and iPad versions, crafted with care by an individual developer who wanted a watchlist that did things none of the other TV tracker apps ever did. I made this for me, and I'm giving it to you because, hey, why not? • Group your shows by who you're watching them with. Watch some shows with your friends, and others by yourself, maybe a few queued up for date night? Previously On lets you tag each and switch between them easily. You can even keep track of rewatches. • Automatic sorting, with easy override. Previously On keeps the newest shows and the ones you're watching now at the top of your list. If it gets it wrong, or you sometimes want to order your backlog yourself, just drag shows up or down, and it'll remember. • Filter by streaming service, mark your favorites, and see where you can stream each show. Want to see which streaming services you can cancel, or know when it's a good time to sign back up? Filters will help you see which services are actually worthwhile for you, right now. • Quick links to see shows in IMDb, Callsheet, streaming services (where available), Metacritic, and more. • No account, no ads, no tracking, no in-app purchases. Your library stays in sync across your devices via iCloud's private sync. Export and save all your data right from your device, instantly, anytime you want. • Automatically merges data from multiple providers, for a more complete set of listings, show details, and artwork. • Import your whole TV Time* or Television Time history in one step, and pick up right where you left off. (*TV Time shut down on July 15 2026, so you can import if you exported and saved your data before then).

Screenshots

Coax4 screens
Previously On…4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Previously On… at 5.0 against Coax's 4.2. Previously On… also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Coax's advantage is ratings volume (41 vs 1) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ads and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Coax sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Previously On… asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Previously On… holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Coax has 41 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Coax ships an update weekly, Previously On… fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Coax versus Previously On…: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCoaxPreviously On…
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (41 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings41 — better1
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.6 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB14 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperOut to Lunch Productions, LLCQuantum Cogs

Customer experience

Coax

All ratings41 ratings
Positive80.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative19.5%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive76.9%
Neutral3.8%
Negative19.2%

Previously On…

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Coax

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly - 1st Week Free7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Annual - 1st Week Free7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$74.99
None

Previously On…

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Coax free?
Coax is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Previously On… free?
Previously On… is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Coax or Previously On…?
Previously On… is rated higher. Coax averages 4.2 out of 5 from 41 ratings, while Previously On… averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Coax or Previously On… have ads?
Neither Coax nor Previously On… shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Coax or Previously On…?
Coax ships an update weekly, and Previously On… fortnightly. Most recently, Coax was updated on October 24, 2026 and Previously On… on October 8, 2026.

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