Comparison

Tub IPTV vs Sphinx

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

Head to head
About

Tub IPTV

Features
Read full description

TUB IPTV is a fast, modern, and elegant player for your own IPTV playlists and streaming accounts — on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. This app does not provide, host, or sell any channels or content. You connect your own M3U playlist, Xtream Codes panel, Plex server, or SMB/NAS library, and TUB IPTV turns it into a beautiful, easy-to-use experience. YOUR PLAYLISTS, IN SECONDS • Add an M3U link, connect an Xtream Codes account, link your Plex server, or browse an SMB/NAS share • Add as many accounts and playlists as you want — completely free, no limit • Credentials are encrypted and stored only on your device, never shared SMART & ORGANIZED • Channels are automatically sorted by country, language, and theme (sports, news, kids, cinema, and more) • Powerful search across Live TV, Movies, and Series • Favorites, and automatic detection of newly added content LIVE SPORTS, BUILT IN • Real-time football scores and results from leagues across Europe and Latin America — Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Brasileirão, Liga Argentina, and more • Full standings tables for every league, with team crests • Tap a live match to jump straight to a matching channel in your playlist MADE FOR EVERY SCREEN • CarPlay support for your radio stations • Home Screen widget with your favorites and what's playing now • Send your account to a companion Apple TV app that keeps working even when your iPhone is away GO PRO FOR • Unlimited family profiles, each with its own favorites, locks, and watch history • Channel organization tools • Renaming and deleting accounts • Sending accounts to your Apple TV • Offline downloads to watch without a connection • Parental controls with a PIN to lock any channel • A full TV Guide (EPG) grid with catch-up/timeshift • An ad-free experience • Picture-in-Picture, subtitles, audio tracks, quality selector, and AirPlay Everything else — connecting accounts, watching Live TV/Movies/Series, favorites, search, smart sorting, live sports, CarPlay, and the widget — is free, with no limit on how many playlists you add. TUB IPTV respects your privacy: your credentials never leave your device and are stored securely in the iOS Keychain. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Sphinx

This app helps you regain control of your screen time by locking distracting applications. Instead of simply ignoring timers, you solve engaging puzzles to access your apps, with increasing difficulty for repeated unlocks. It's designed for privacy, keeping your app usage and selections on your device.

Highlights
  • Lock selected apps for set durations
  • Solve brain puzzles to unlock apps
  • Increasing puzzle difficulty for repeated unlocks
  • Offline puzzle solving
  • No "ignore" or "snooze" options
  • Privacy-focused design, no tracking
Read full description

Most app blockers ask you to have willpower. Sphinx asks you to have two minutes and a working brain. Lock the apps that eat your evening. When you want back in, you don't tap "ignore" — you solve a brain puzzle. HOW IT WORKS 1. Pick the apps you want locked, and choose how long the lock lasts. 2. Open one of them and you hit the Sphinx shield instead. 3. Solve a puzzle to buy back five minutes. Solve more for longer. EACH UNLOCK COSTS MORE THAN THE LAST The first unlock in a lock window costs one puzzle. The second costs two. The third costs three. After that, you wait until the window ends. The price is on screen before you commit, so a long session never feels free. PUZZLES, NOT TIMERS • 2,499 mate-in-one chess puzzles, every one verified solvable • Number pattern puzzles if chess isn't your thing • Everything is solved on device, so no connection is needed NO ESCAPE HATCH There is no "just this once" button, no snooze, no early exit. A lock window runs until it ends. Apps inside one can't even be removed from your list until it does. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Sphinx never learns which apps you locked. Your selection is handled entirely by Apple's Screen Time framework and stays on your device. No account, no sign-up, no tracking. LIGHT AND DARK Pick either, or follow your phone. — Sphinx uses Apple's Screen Time permission to lock and unlock the apps you choose. It cannot see your activity in those apps, and it cannot see which apps you selected. Sphinx Pro is an auto-renewable subscription: $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The yearly plan includes a 7-day free trial for new subscribers; unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the trial ends, the yearly subscription begins automatically. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in Settings on your device. Privacy Policy: https://kevinnguyen2321.github.io/sphinx-privacy/ Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Tub IPTV4 screens
Sphinx4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Sphinx at 17.0 against Tub IPTV's 26.5. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Tub IPTV sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and Sphinx sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tub IPTV ships an update every 11 days, Sphinx every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Tub IPTV versus Sphinx: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTub IPTVSphinx
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 daysEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.517.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB10 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAzad MohamedKevin Nguyen

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Tub IPTV

Subscriptions2
  • Weekly Access$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Access$3.991 Month
One-time1
  • Lifetime Access$49.99
2 purchases

Sphinx

Subscriptions2
  • Sphinx Pro$4.991 Month
  • Sphinx Pro7 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Tub IPTV free?
Tub IPTV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sphinx free?
Sphinx is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tub IPTV or Sphinx have ads?
Neither Tub IPTV nor Sphinx shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tub IPTV or Sphinx?
Tub IPTV ships an update every 11 days, and Sphinx every 10 days. Most recently, Tub IPTV was updated on October 25, 2026 and Sphinx on October 29, 2026.

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