Comparison

Lightning Player Pro vs Darkwave IPTV Player

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

Head to head
About

Lightning Player Pro

Features
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Lightning Player is the elegant player for your own IPTV and M3U playlists. Enter your credentials – done. No detours, no content, just a really good player. YOUR PLAYLIST, YOUR PLAYER β€’ Xtream Codes and M3U playlists β€’ Multiple profiles with separate progress (Plus) β€’ Lightning-fast startup thanks to a persistent cache – even with huge playlists of 100,000+ titles LIVE TV WITH EPG β€’ Electronic program guide (XMLTV) with now/next and full-day schedule β€’ Fast zapping, automatic channel categories (Live Auto) β€’ Parental controls with PIN for bouquets, channels and titles MOVIES & SERIES β€’ Hero recommendations: large rotating suggestions with movie backdrops β€’ Watch trailers right inside the app β€’ Covers, plots, cast, genres and ratings (TMDB) β€’ Discover and Popular views, "New" and "Continue Watching" rows β€’ Smart Search with personal ranking and actor search β€’ Country and language filters – also shows versions available in other languages β€’ German public broadcaster library (Mediathek): browse, stream and download – free, no playlist needed ON THE GO & OFFLINE β€’ Download movies and watch offline (Plus) β€’ Device sync: profiles, favorites, progress and watched status on all your devices – across platforms, even beyond the Apple universe. End-to-end encrypted, paired in seconds via QR code (Plus) FULL CONTROL β€’ Playlist editor: sort bouquets, hide items, favorites (Plus) β€’ All common formats and codecs (MKV, HEVC, AC3 …) – no transcoding, no quality loss PRICING Try free for 7 days – all features included. Then: Basic as a one-time purchase (core player with one playlist) or Plus as a subscription (all features). Transparent and cancellable anytime via the App Store. IMPORTANT Lightning Player is a pure player and contains NO IPTV content, channels or playlists. You need your own, legally obtained IPTV or M3U source (e.g. from your TV provider). The developer does not provide content and does not promote third-party providers. No ads, no tracking. Privacy: https://www.lightning-player.de/privacy Help & guides: https://www.lightning-player.de/help

About

Darkwave IPTV Player

Features
Read full description

arkwave IPTV Player is a modern media player for media sources that you own or are authorized to use. Darkwave does not provide TV channels, movies, series, playlists, IPTV subscriptions, or access credentials. You connect only a source that you are authorized to access. FEATURES β€’ Live TV with clear channel and bouquet navigation β€’ EPG / TV guide for program data configured by the user or provided by the connected source β€’ Movies and series from the connected user-provided media source β€’ Favorites and viewing history β€’ Xtream, M3U and Stalker/MAG compatibility β€’ Stalker/MAG with a visible virtual app MAC for portals that use MAC-based client registration β€’ Channel filters: collapse duplicate channel variants, prefer best quality, filter HD/FHD/UHD/SD β€’ Bouquet filters: Select All, Deselect All, German Only, English Only, manual selection and bouquet search β€’ Parental controls and age/FSK filtering β€’ bundled public Sample Library for exploring the player without external credentials β€’ optional premium features such as MultiView, AI Lab and film-selection games, depending on the selected Darkwave plan Bouquet and channel filters never modify or delete playlist data. β€œSelect All” restores the complete bouquet view from the connected source at any time. STALKER/MAG For compatible Stalker/MAG portals, Darkwave can use a persistent virtual app MAC. This identifier belongs only to the Darkwave app and is not the hardware MAC address of the iPhone or iPad. SUBSCRIPTIONS BASIC, PRO and ULTRA are auto-renewable monthly subscriptions offered through the App Store. LIFETIME is a one-time in-app purchase. Price and duration are displayed by the App Store before purchase. Purchases can be restored in the app. Darkwave is a player only. Responsibility for the source, access and media rights remains with the user and/or the respective provider. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://darkwave.gmbh/privacy.php

Screenshots

Lightning Player Pro4 screens
Darkwave IPTV Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

Lightning Player Pro and Darkwave IPTV Player are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β€” price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β€” neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Lightning Player Pro sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Darkwave IPTV Player sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lightning Player Pro ships an update every 5 days, Darkwave IPTV Player every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Lightning Player Pro versus Darkwave IPTV Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLightning Player ProDarkwave IPTV Player
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 days β€” betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.015.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size53 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperToan Thanh TrieuAndre Lampenscherf

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Lightning Player Pro

Subscriptions5
  • Pro – Monat$2.991 Month
  • Pro – 3 Monate$5.993 Months
  • Pro – 6 Monate$9.996 Months
Show 2 more
  • Pro – Jahr$17.991 Year
  • Pro Family – Jahr$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Basis (lebenslang)$2.99
4 purchases

Darkwave IPTV Player

Subscriptions3
  • Darkwave_basic$2.991 Month
  • Darkwave Pro$5.991 Month
  • Darkwave Ultra$9.991 Month
One-time1
  • Livetime$229.00

Questions

Is Lightning Player Pro free?
Lightning Player Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Darkwave IPTV Player free?
Darkwave IPTV Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Lightning Player Pro or Darkwave IPTV Player have ads?
Neither Lightning Player Pro nor Darkwave IPTV Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lightning Player Pro or Darkwave IPTV Player?
Lightning Player Pro ships an update every 5 days, and Darkwave IPTV Player every 10 days. Most recently, Lightning Player Pro was updated on September 24, 2026 and Darkwave IPTV Player on October 8, 2026.

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