# Photon Player vs cipherStream

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: cipherStream at none against Photon Player's 3. cipherStream also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). Photon Player's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 days). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Photon Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. cipherStream asks for nothing beyond the download.

Photon Player ships an update daily, cipherStream every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Photon Player | cipherStream |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-player/id6804291311/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1** | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Daily** | Every 3 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 37 MB | 35 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Oliver Walton](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797878404) | [IotSoftworks](https://appshunter.io/developer/6813863908) |

## What reviewers say

### Photon Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-player/id6804291311)

This app consolidates your media library from various sources like servers, cloud storage, and live TV subscriptions into a single, unified interface. Enjoy seamless playback with support for advanced features like Dolby Vision and HDR, and download content for offline viewing.

**Highlights:** Connects to Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, Photon, and Silo servers, Supports SMB, NFS, FTP, WebDAV, and UPnP shares, Live TV playback with M3U and Xtream Codes, Dolby Vision and HDR support, Offline downloads with Pro subscription, Handoff and Spotlight integration, Cross-platform compatibility (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS)

**Features:** SharePlay, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Photon Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Photon Pro Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Photon Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


### cipherStream

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cipherstream/id6813863906)

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Photon Player free?

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

### Is cipherStream free?

cipherStream is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Photon Player or cipherStream have ads?

Neither Photon Player nor cipherStream shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Photon Player or cipherStream?

Photon Player ships an update daily, and cipherStream every 3 days. Most recently, Photon Player was updated on November 6, 2026 and cipherStream on October 31, 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.*