# Aether Player vs Bandit Media Player

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Bandit Media Player at 100% against Aether Player's 50%. Bandit Media Player also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.5) and update cadence (daily vs weekly). Aether Player's advantage is device support (5 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Aether Player sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Bandit Media Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bandit Media Player holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Aether Player's written reviews are positive against 100% of Bandit Media Player's.

Aether Player ships an update weekly, Bandit Media Player daily. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Aether Player | Bandit Media Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aether-player/id6775229911/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bandit-media-player/id6792535052/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Size | 135 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vaclav Zmrhal](https://appshunter.io/developer/6774553226) | [Jacob Wintheiser](https://appshunter.io/developer/1879885780) |

## What reviewers say

### Aether Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aether-player/id6775229911)

A personal media player that connects to your Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby servers, or your own files. It offers a unified library view, supports a wide range of formats, and provides advanced subtitle management and offline downloads.

**Highlights:** Connects to Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, and local files, Unified library view from multiple servers, Supports MKV, HEVC, HDR, and lossless audio, Offline downloads and Smart Downloads, User profiles with age rating restrictions, Advanced subtitle timing and search, Music playback with offline catalog

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporter (Monthly) | $0.99 | per month |
| Supporter (Yearly) | $9.99 | per year |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| Aether Lifetime | $39.99 | one-time |


### Bandit Media Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bandit-media-player/id6792535052)

Stream all your owned media from various servers, services, and file shares in one app. Enjoy a powerful player with features like offline downloads, live TV guides, and personalized recommendations. It prioritizes user privacy with no account or data collection.

**Highlights:** Connect Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, IPTV, WebDAV, SMB, Dual engine player (native + VLC), Live TV with EPG guide, Offline downloads, Personalized Home screen, Privacy-focused, no tracking

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bandit Pro (Monthly) | $4.99 | per month |
| Bandit Pro (Yearly) | $34.99 | per year |
| Bandit Pro (Lifetime) | $74.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Aether Player free?

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

### Is Bandit Media Player free?

Bandit Media Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Aether Player or Bandit Media Player?

Bandit Media Player is rated higher. Aether Player averages 2.5 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Bandit Media Player averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Aether Player or Bandit Media Player have ads?

Neither Aether Player nor Bandit Media Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Aether Player or Bandit Media Player?

Aether Player ships an update weekly, and Bandit Media Player daily. Most recently, Aether Player was updated on October 25, 2026 and Bandit Media Player on October 12, 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.*