Comparison

ShallowTV vs RoninFrame

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

RoninFrame

Features
Read full description

RoninFrame is a focused browser for movie and TV information. Search titles, explore details, browse cast and crew, review poster art and production context, and keep track of what you want to remember in a local Watchlist. Built for film fans who want a quiet, information-dense way to look up movies and shows without social feeds or account setup. RoninFrame does not stream or play movies or TV episodes.

Screenshots

ShallowTV4 screens
RoninFrame4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: ShallowTV at 5 against RoninFrame's 2. RoninFrame's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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, RoninFrame every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 6 level
ShallowTV versus RoninFrame: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShallowTVRoninFrame
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, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size60 MB7 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperYing Cong宁 丁

In-app purchases

None

ShallowTV

No in-app purchases

None

RoninFrame

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ShallowTV free?
ShallowTV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RoninFrame free?
RoninFrame is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ShallowTV or RoninFrame have ads?
Neither ShallowTV nor RoninFrame shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ShallowTV or RoninFrame?
ShallowTV ships an update every 2 weeks, and RoninFrame every 3 weeks. Most recently, ShallowTV was updated on June 1, 2026 and RoninFrame on September 8, 2026.

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