# OpenIPTV vs Cathode Player

The clearest difference is rating: OpenIPTV at 5.0 against Cathode Player's 4.2. OpenIPTV also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 67%) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.1). Cathode Player's advantage is ratings volume (5 vs 1) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

OpenIPTV holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cathode Player has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of OpenIPTV's written reviews are positive against 67% of Cathode Player's.

OpenIPTV ships an update every 11 days, Cathode Player weekly. The most recent releases landed on June 26, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | OpenIPTV | Cathode Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openiptv/id6761343400/reviews)** | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cathode-player/id6765878641/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **5** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 54 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.4** | 26.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Parry Huang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888999171) | [Zabir Raihan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1890301412) |

## What reviewers say

### OpenIPTV

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/openiptv/id6761343400)

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

**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 OpenIPTV free?

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

### Is Cathode Player free?

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

### Which has better reviews, OpenIPTV or Cathode Player?

OpenIPTV is rated higher. OpenIPTV averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Cathode Player averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do OpenIPTV or Cathode Player have ads?

Neither OpenIPTV nor Cathode Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, OpenIPTV or Cathode Player?

OpenIPTV ships an update every 11 days, and Cathode Player weekly. Most recently, OpenIPTV was updated on June 26, 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.*