Comparison

Buddy Player vs Areena

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

Head to head
About

Buddy Player

Features
Read full description

Buddy Player is a media player built to make your own IPTV subscription pleasant and easy to navigate. IMPORTANT: Buddy Player is a player. It does not provide, host or sell any channels, films or series. To use the app you need an M3U playlist address or an Xtream Codes account from your own provider. The source, legality and availability of the content are entirely your provider's responsibility. CONNECT • M3U / M3U8 playlist address • Xtream Codes (server, username, password) • Quick setup by QR code • Save several profiles and switch between them • Your details are kept in your device's Keychain and are never sent to any server of ours AN ORDERLY LIBRARY • Live channels, films and series episodes are sorted into their own tabs automatically • Group and category filters • Fast search • Favourites • Pick up where you left off — the position is remembered for every title • Poster art, summaries and ratings for films and series (TMDB) THE PLAYER • Two playback engines: AVPlayer for HLS and MP4, VLC for everything else • Broad format support: MKV, TS, AVI, HEVC and more • Audio track and subtitle selection • Subtitle appearance: colour, size, background • OpenSubtitles support (with your own account) • Playback speed, aspect ratio, sleep timer • Double-tap to skip 10 seconds • Slide on the left for volume, on the right for brightness • Control lock so nothing happens in your pocket • Picture in picture (where the stream supports it) • Audio keeps playing in the background, with lock screen controls OFFLINE • Download films and episodes and watch them without a connection • Queued downloads run one at a time, in order • Pause, resume or delete downloads PARENTAL CONTROL • PIN-protected adult content filter • Unlock with Face ID or Touch ID • Hide any titles you would rather not see PROGRAMME GUIDE • What's on now and next, for providers that support XMLTV ALSO • Turkish and English interface • Dark interface, laid out for one-handed use • VoiceOver support • No ads, no tracking, no subscription Download Buddy Player and connect it with your own provider's details.

About

Areena

Features
Read full description

Areena Player turns your own IPTV playlist into a fast, clean and comfortable viewing experience on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It ships with no channels and no content. You bring your own M3U or Xtream Codes playlist from your provider, and Areena Player does the rest: organizing it, remembering where you stopped, and playing it smoothly. LIVE, MOVIES AND SERIES Live channels organized into clean categories with instant search Movies and series with full detail pages: poster, plot, seasons and episodes Continue Watching, Watchlist, Favorites and Recently Watched A PLAYER BUILT FOR COMFORT Smooth playback with playback-speed control Multiple audio and subtitle tracks Picture in Picture and a floating mini player Sleep timer, screen lock and aspect-ratio control Touch gestures: double-tap to skip, swipe for volume and seeking BUILT FOR APPLE DEVICES One app for iPhone, iPad and Mac Native, modern design that stays out of your way Full English and Arabic interface with complete right-to-left support PRIVACY FIRST No ads, ever No accounts and no sign-up Your playlist details stay on your device IMPORTANT Areena Player is a media player only. It does not include, host, provide or promote any channels, movies, series or playlists, and it is not affiliated with any content provider. A valid playlist from a service you are legally subscribed to is required. Questions or feedback: areenaplayer.com

Screenshots

Buddy Player4 screens
Areena4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Buddy Player at none against Areena's shown. Buddy Player also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly). Areena's advantage is device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). On price 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

Buddy Player ships an update daily, Areena weekly. Both last shipped on November 5, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences Ā· 2 level
Buddy Player versus Areena: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuddy PlayerAreena
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyDaily — betterWeekly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.515.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB69 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMEHMET KAFADARAmr Atef

In-app purchases

None

Buddy Player

No in-app purchases

None

Areena

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Buddy Player free?
Buddy Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Areena free?
Areena is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Buddy Player or Areena have ads?
Areena shows ads; Buddy Player does not.
Which is updated more often, Buddy Player or Areena?
Buddy Player ships an update daily, and Areena weekly. Most recently, Buddy Player was updated on November 5, 2026 and Areena on November 5, 2026.

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