InstaTV Pro vs HDHomeRun
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
InstaTV Pro
Stream live and recorded television from your HDHomeRun tuner and DVR service directly to your iPhone or iPad. Enjoy hardware-accelerated decoding and program information when available. Fullscreen playback requires an in-app purchase.
- Stream live TV from HDHomeRun tuner
- Schedule and stream recordings from HDHomeRun DVR
- Discover HDHomeRun devices on local network
- Hardware accelerated decoding
- Program information display
- Gesture controls for brightness and volume
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Watch live and recorded TV on iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch with HDHomeRun Tuner and DVR Service New: - HDHomeRun DVR Service support Features: - Discover HDHomeRun tuner devices and DVR storage on local network - Stream live TV from HDHomeRun tuner - Discover and schedule recordings using HDHomeRun DVR service - Stream recordings from HDHomeRun DVR service - Hardware Accelerated decoding with HDHomeRun Extend - Show program information when guide data is available (Depending on region and HDHomeRun model) - Gesture for brightness and volume - Live TV supports all current HDHomeRun models (Prime/Extend/Connect/Expand) and legacy HDHomeRun models: - hdhomerun3_atsc - hdhomerun3_dvbt - hdhomerun3_dvbtc - hdhomerun_atsc - hdhomerun4_atsc - hdhomerun_dvbt - hdhomerun3_dvbc - DVR requires HDHomeRun DVR service. Please see Silicondust website for details. In-App Purchase required for fullscreen playback. (1) For HDHomeRun Regular - SD video requires iPhone 4S+ and iPad 2/3+ - HD video requires iPad 4+/iPhone5+ and WiFi-AC (2) For HDHomeRun Extend - 720p playback on iPhone4S+ and iPad2+ - 1080p playback on iPhone5+ and iPad4+ - 2.4G Wifi See http://instatv.org for more information.
HDHomeRun
Stream live, over-the-air, and cable TV channels directly to your iOS device. Pause, rewind, and fast-forward live broadcasts. Access program guides with images and logos for an enhanced viewing experience.
- Live TV streaming (OTA & Cable)
- Pause, FF, RW live TV
- HD channel support
- Program guide with images
- Fast channel changes
- Intuitive UI controls
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Enjoy free over-the-air TV throughout your home on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac with HDHomeRun and a TV antenna. Simply connect your HDHomeRun to your TV antenna and home network to enjoy a modern TV experience throughout your home. Discover shows, explore a beautiful guide, see what's on now and next, and start watching with fast channel changes and an intuitive interface. Add a USB hard drive to your HDHomeRun for DVR across your home. Pause and rewind live TV, record your favorite shows, and watch your recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) where available with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K. Features: • Watch free over-the-air TV from your TV antenna on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Discover shows with a beautiful guide • Pause and rewind live TV • Fast channel changes • Record your favorite shows with HDHomeRun DVR • Schedule series and movie recordings • Watch your HDHomeRun DVR recordings on Apple TV, iPad, iPhone, and Mac • Watch NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0) with the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K where available Requirements: • HDHomeRun connected to your TV antenna and home network • Wi-Fi or wired home network • Internet connection for guide data
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HDHomeRun at none against InstaTV Pro's 3. HDHomeRun also leads on rating (2.6 vs 2.2) and ratings volume (476 vs 30). InstaTV Pro's advantage is iOS requirement (9.3 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. InstaTV Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. HDHomeRun asks for nothing beyond the download.
HDHomeRun holds the better App Store score, 2.6 against 2.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HDHomeRun has 476 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of InstaTV Pro's written reviews are positive against 27% of HDHomeRun's.
InstaTV Pro ships an update monthly, HDHomeRun every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | InstaTV Pro | HDHomeRun |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (30 ratings) | 2.6 (476 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.5% of reviews | 26.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 30 | 476 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.3 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 18 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | KeYi Tech Inc. | SiliconDust USA, Inc. |
Customer experience
InstaTV Pro
HDHomeRun
User reviews
InstaTV Pro
From 30 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Works great with HDHomeRun
- 👍 Able to watch live TV on iPad
- 💡 Includes Apple TV app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Audio/video issues
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases required
- 🔒 Lacks transparency on pricing
HDHomeRun
From 476 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fastest TV app
- 📺 Great picture quality
- 🔍 Picks up more channels than TV tuner
- 🔌 Works reliably
- 🔨 Decent hardware
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔍 Unreliable channel detection
- 🤖 Clunky and unintuitive UI
- 🔇 No independent volume control
- 🔒 Lacks DRM support
Bugs and requests
InstaTV Pro
Reported bugs
3 issues- Fails to detect/connect to HDHomeRun device
- Playback freezes and stutters
- Crashes when changing channels
Requested features
3 requests- Add closed captioning support
- Improve channel switching and navigation
- Provide better guide data coverage
HDHomeRun
Reported bugs
6 issues- Fails to detect tuner device
- Channels not loading
- Playback issues after updates
- Crashes on channel change
- Compatibility problems with iOS 15+
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Lip-sync issues
Requested features
5 requests- Picture-in-Picture mode
- Channel favorites and filtering
- Improved DVR functionality
- Manual IP address entry
- Native Apple TV app
In-app purchases
InstaTV Pro
- HDHomeRun Plus Support$4.99
- Full Screen Playback$14.99
- Premium Features$14.99
HDHomeRun
No in-app purchases
