Comparison

ShallowTV vs Tivolo

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

Tivolo

Features
Read full description

Tivolo is a clean, fast IPTV client for your own live-TV subscription. Connect once with the credentials your provider gave you and watch your channels instantly — no accounts, no sign-ups, nothing to configure beyond your server URL. BRING YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION Tivolo works with any Xtream Codes-compatible IPTV service. Your provider gives you a server URL, username, and password. Enter them once and Tivolo handles everything else. LIVE TV, BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED • Instant channel list — categories, search, and recently watched at your fingertips • Quality badges show HD, FHD, and 4K at a glance • Stream health indicators so you know before you tap • Landscape full-screen mode with auto-hiding controls • Built on libVLC for broad, reliable codec and stream-format support SMART PLAYBACK • Automatic format fallback: tries HLS if TS stalls, and vice versa • Configurable startup buffer (1–8s) to match your connection • Connection limit guard — warns before hitting your server's max streams, and recovers automatically when a slot frees up • 15-second load timeout with a one-tap Retry PRIVACY FIRST Tivolo stores your credentials securely in the iOS Keychain and syncs them to your other devices via iCloud Keychain. No analytics, no tracking, no data collected about you or your viewing habits. LEGAL NOTICE Tivolo is a generic playback client. It does not provide, distribute, or enable access to any content. Users are solely responsible for ensuring they are authorised to access the streams on their server. Use only with content you have the legal right to view.

Screenshots

ShallowTV4 screens
Tivolo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: ShallowTV at 5 against Tivolo's 3. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· 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, Tivolo every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 7 level
ShallowTV versus Tivolo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShallowTVTivolo
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB40 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperYing CongVijay Murali

In-app purchases

None

ShallowTV

No in-app purchases

None

Tivolo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShallowTV free?
ShallowTV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tivolo free?
Tivolo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShallowTV or Tivolo have ads?
Neither ShallowTV nor Tivolo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShallowTV or Tivolo?
ShallowTV ships an update every 2 weeks, and Tivolo every 3 weeks. Most recently, ShallowTV was updated on November 5, 2026 and Tivolo on October 31, 2026.

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