Comparison

ShallowTV vs Cathode Player

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

Head to head
About

ShallowTV

Stream your M3U playlists on Apple devices with a modern, intuitive media player. Organize content by category, enjoy live channels and on-demand videos, and resume playback seamlessly. Features include a mini player, favorites, and intelligent search.

Highlights
  • Import M3U playlists via URL or local file
  • Stream live channels and on-demand video
  • Automatic content categorization
  • Persistent mini player for multitasking
  • Mark favorite channels and videos
  • Intelligent search across playlists
  • Auto-refresh for updated playlists
Read full description

ShallowTV is a modern, native media player for streaming your M3U playlists on all your Apple devices. Import your own playlists and enjoy a beautiful, intuitive viewing experience. FEATURES • Import M3U Playlists Add playlists via URL or local file. Smart parsing automatically organizes your content by category. • Live Channels & Video On Demand Stream live content with real-time playback. Watch videos with progress tracking and resume from where you left off. • Smart Categories Content is automatically organized into categories like Entertainment, News, Sports, Kids & Family, and more. • Persistent Mini Player Keep watching while you browse. The mini player lets you control playback from anywhere in the app. • Favorites Mark your favorite channels and videos for quick access. • Search Find content across all your playlists instantly with intelligent search. • Beautiful Interface Designed specifically for Apple platforms with a clean, intuitive interface that feels right at home. • Full-Screen Playback Immersive viewing experience with intuitive overlay controls. • Auto-Refresh Playlists automatically stay up-to-date with smart change detection. SUPPORTED FORMATS • M3U and M3U8 playlists • HLS (HTTP Live Streaming) • Standard video formats (MP4, MOV, etc.) IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER ShallowTV is a media player application only. We do NOT provide any streaming content, channels, playlists, or media links. • Users must provide their own M3U playlists • Users are solely responsible for the content they access • Only stream content you own or have permission to view • ShallowTV does not host, distribute, or control any content For support: shallowtv.com Contact: contact@shallowtv.com

About

Cathode Player

A native video viewer for following channels and watching content across your Apple devices. Enjoy a fast, lightweight experience with features like picture-in-picture, background audio, and cross-device sync via iCloud. Discover new content with curated channel suggestions.

Highlights
  • Follow channels and view latest videos
  • Search for videos and channels
  • Native player with picture-in-picture and background audio
  • Save videos to Watch Later
  • Cross-device playback progress sync
  • Curated channel suggestions
Features
Read full description

Cathode is a clean, native video viewer for following channels and watching content on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Built with SwiftUI for a fast, lightweight experience. FEATURES • Follow channels and see all their latest videos in one feed • Search for videos and channels • Watch shorts and regular videos with a native player • Picture-in-picture, background audio, and AirPlay support • Save videos to Watch Later • Pick up where you left off — playback progress syncs across your devices via your private iCloud account • Read comments • Compact mini-player while you keep browsing • Curated channel suggestions across Tech, Science, Programming, Cooking, and Lifestyle to help you get started CROSS-DEVICE SYNC Watch Later, history, and saved channels are stored in your private iCloud account so they are always with you. Nothing is sent to our servers. PRIVACY Cathode does not collect personal information, has no analytics, and does not require an account. Your data stays on your device or in your private iCloud.

Screenshots

ShallowTV4 screens
Cathode Player3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShallowTV at 100% against Cathode Player's 67%. Cathode Player's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ShallowTV ships an update every 2 weeks, Cathode Player weekly. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ShallowTV versus Cathode Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShallowTVCathode Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.2 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.1
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB8 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperYing CongZabir Raihan

Customer experience

ShallowTV

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Cathode Player

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

ShallowTV

No in-app purchases

None

Cathode Player

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShallowTV free?
ShallowTV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cathode Player free?
Cathode Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShallowTV or Cathode Player have ads?
Neither ShallowTV nor Cathode Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShallowTV or Cathode Player?
ShallowTV ships an update every 2 weeks, and Cathode Player weekly. Most recently, ShallowTV was updated on June 1, 2026 and Cathode Player on September 23, 2026.

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