# ShallowTV vs Orion

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ShallowTV at none against Orion's 3. ShallowTV also leads on device support (5 vs 2). Orion's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 weeks) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Orion sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. ShallowTV asks for nothing beyond the download.

ShallowTV ships an update every 2 weeks, Orion every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ShallowTV | Orion |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 60 MB | 88 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ying Cong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1710939429) | [Stefan Borkent](https://appshunter.io/developer/6802736606) |

## 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


### Orion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/orion-iptv-player/id6802736604)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Orion Premium Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| Orion Premium Annual | $24.99 | per year |
| Orion Pro | $8.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ShallowTV free?

ShallowTV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Orion free?

Orion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do ShallowTV or Orion have ads?

Neither ShallowTV nor Orion shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ShallowTV or Orion?

ShallowTV ships an update every 2 weeks, and Orion every 6 days. Most recently, ShallowTV was updated on October 24, 2026 and Orion on October 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.*