# ShallowTV vs Cathode Player

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.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | ShallowTV | Cathode Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cathode-player/id6765878641/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **5** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 60 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **26.0** | 26.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ying Cong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1710939429) | [Zabir Raihan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890301412) |

## What reviewers say

### ShallowTV

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shallowtv/id6757123182)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Cathode Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cathode-player/id6765878641)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


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