Comparison

CouchTV vs Player for SAT>IP

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

Head to head
About

CouchTV

Features
Read full description

Your cable connection, anywhere in your home: CouchTV turns your iPhone, iPad or Mac with Apple silicon into a TV using the DVB-C tuner in a compatible FRITZ!Box Cable router. SET UP IN SECONDS โ€ข Automatically finds your FRITZ!Box on the home network โ€ข Imports TV and radio channels, including HD and SD โ€ข Organizes FRITZ!Box and custom streams in a clear source overview โ€ข No sign-up, no account, no subscription LIVE TV MADE SIMPLE โ€ข Tap a channel and the player opens immediately โ€ข Picture in Picture: keep watching while you use other apps โ€ข Switch channels directly in the player โ€ข Favorites list, freely sortable via drag & drop โ€ข Sleep timer: pick a duration or a time โ€“ perfect for falling asleep โ€ข Control lock against accidental touches โ€ข Radio tab for all the box's radio stations โ€ข Light and dark appearance, your choice โ€ข Optimized layouts for iPhone, iPad and Macs with Apple silicon THE GUIDE AT A GLANCE โ€ข The electronic program guide (EPG) comes straight from the DVB-C signal โ€“ no external guide service required โ€ข One shared timeline for every channel with at least 24 hours of upcoming programs โ€ข Filter by all channels or favorites and jump back to Now at any time โ€ข Tap a program to open more information โ€ข The guide supports FRITZ!Box DVB-C channels; custom streams are intentionally excluded MORE SOURCES โ€ข Add your own streams (M3U playlists, HLS or RTSP URLs) โ€ข Direct streams and channel playlists are detected automatically from the URL and its content โ€ข Custom streams work without a FRITZ!Box โ€ข You provide the URLs; CouchTV includes no bundled public channel list โ€ข Optional iCloud sync for sources and favorites across your Apple devices PRIVACY โ€ข CouchTV requires no user account and contains no trackers โ€ข DVB-C playback stays between your device and your FRITZ!Box on the home network โ€ข Programme data is never transferred, even when iCloud sync is enabled TRY FOR FREE, UNLOCK ONCE โ€ข Free: custom stream and playlist URLs โ€“ plus 7 days of DVB-C playback through your own compatible cable router โ€ข CouchTV Pro (one-time purchase): permanently play DVB-C television and radio โ€“ no subscription or recurring fees FRITZ!Box TV and the guide require a compatible FRITZ!Box with a DVB-C tuner and DVB-C enabled (e.g. 6490, 6591 or 6660 Cable). Your iPhone, iPad or Mac must be on the same Wi-Fi network. Custom internet streams can be used without a FRITZ!Box. Encrypted pay-TV channels cannot be played. Only add sources you are authorised to use. CouchTV is not a product of AVM GmbH. FRITZ! and FRITZ!Box are trademarks of AVM GmbH, Berlin.

About

Player for SAT>IP

Features
Read full description

Player for SAT>IP is a lightweight, native player for TV and radio channels provided by a SAT>IP server (e.g. a SAT>IP-capable receiver or multiswitch) on your home network. The app automatically discovers SAT>IP servers on your local network, displays the available channel list clearly, and plays live TV and radio directly, with no detours โ€” fast, resource-efficient, and without unnecessary frills. Features: โ€“ Automatic detection of SAT>IP servers on your home network โ€“ Clear channel and channel list management โ€“ Playback of live TV and radio in high quality โ€“ Simple, native operation without unnecessary extras โ€“ No ads, no data collection Player for SAT>IP requires its own SAT>IP server or tuner on your home network as well as your own, legally receivable TV and radio channels. No content is provided by the app itself. Privacy Policy: https://www.drentner.at/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

CouchTV4 screens
Player for SAT>IP4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: CouchTV at weekly against Player for SAT>IP's fortnightly. CouchTV also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. CouchTV sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Player for SAT>IP sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CouchTV ships an update weekly, Player for SAT>IP fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
CouchTV versus Player for SAT>IP: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCouchTVPlayer for SAT>IP
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly โ€” betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV โ€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.0 โ€” better26.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size49 MB59 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerwhite balance - projects pool agency GmbHThomas Entner

In-app purchases

1 purchases

CouchTV

One-time1
  • CouchTV Pro$2.99
6 purchases

Player for SAT>IP

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • SAT>IP Player Family Monthly14 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$8.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • SAT>IP Player Family Yearly14 Days trial$9.991 Year
One-time2
  • SAT>IP Player Lifetime$44.99
  • SAT>IP Player Lifetime Family$59.99

Questions

Is CouchTV free?
CouchTV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Player for SAT>IP free?
Player for SAT>IP is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CouchTV or Player for SAT>IP have ads?
Neither CouchTV nor Player for SAT>IP shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CouchTV or Player for SAT>IP?
CouchTV ships an update weekly, and Player for SAT>IP fortnightly. Most recently, CouchTV was updated on October 25, 2026 and Player for SAT>IP on October 25, 2026.

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