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.
CouchTV
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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 โข Automatically finds your FRITZ!Box on the home network โข Imports TV and radio channels, including HD and SD โข Organizes FRITZ!Box and custom streams in a clear source overview โข No sign-up, no account, no subscription LIVE TV MADE SIMPLE โข Tap a channel and the player opens immediately โข Picture in Picture: keep watching while you use other apps โข Switch channels directly in the player โข Favorites list, freely sortable via drag & drop โข Sleep timer: pick a duration or a time โ perfect for falling asleep โข Control lock against accidental touches โข Radio tab for all the box's radio stations โข Light and dark appearance, your choice โข Optimized layouts for iPhone, iPad and Macs with Apple silicon THE GUIDE AT A GLANCE โข The electronic program guide (EPG) comes straight from the DVB-C signal โ no external guide service required โข One shared timeline for every channel with at least 24 hours of upcoming programs โข Filter by all channels or favorites and jump back to Now at any time โข Tap a program to open more information โข The guide supports FRITZ!Box DVB-C channels; custom streams are intentionally excluded MORE SOURCES โข Add your own streams (M3U playlists, HLS or RTSP URLs) โข Direct streams and channel playlists are detected automatically from the URL and its content โข Custom streams work without a FRITZ!Box โข You provide the URLs; CouchTV includes no bundled public channel list โข Optional iCloud sync for sources and favorites across your Apple devices PRIVACY โข CouchTV requires no user account and contains no trackers โข DVB-C playback stays between your device and your FRITZ!Box on the home network โข Programme data is never transferred, even when iCloud sync is enabled TRY FOR FREE, UNLOCK ONCE โข Free: custom stream and playlist URLs โ plus 7 days of DVB-C playback through your own compatible cable router โข 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.
Player for SAT>IP
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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
Verdict
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
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.
CouchTV ships an update weekly, Player for SAT>IP fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | CouchTV | Player for SAT>IP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly โ better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV โ better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 โ better | 26.0 |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | white balance - projects pool agency GmbH | Thomas Entner |
In-app purchases
CouchTV
- CouchTV Pro$2.99
Player for SAT>IP
- Monthly Subscription14 Days trial$2.991 Month
- SAT>IP Player Family Monthly14 Days trial$2.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription14 Days trial$8.991 Year
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- SAT>IP Player Family Yearly14 Days trial$9.991 Year
- SAT>IP Player Lifetime$44.99
- SAT>IP Player Lifetime Family$59.99









