Comparison

Zee 5 vs JioHotstar

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

Head to head
About

Zee 5

Access a vast library of Indian and international movies, series, live sports, and TV shows in multiple languages. Enjoy personalized recommendations, offline downloads, and a dedicated kids' zone. Offers both free and premium content with various subscription options.

Highlights
  • Extensive library of movies and series
  • Live sports streaming
  • Popular TV shows and channels
  • Free entertainment options
  • Personalized recommendations
  • Download and watch offline
  • Dedicated kids' zone
Features
Read full description

Home To India's Boldest Stories Where original voices, iconic franchises, blockbuster entertainment and unforgettable characters come together across languages, genres, and formats. And now, get ready to experience an all-new Zee 5. Faster, smarter, AI-powered, and built to help you discover more of what you love. Here's what's waiting for you: Series That Get Everyone Talking: Bold, contemporary storytelling across genres, with fresh titles premiering regularly. Dive into acclaimed Series like Gyaarah Gyaarah, Rangbaaz, Brown, Murshid, Sattamum Neethiyum, Ayana Mane, Abar Proloy and many more. A Vast Library Of Movies & Series: From the latest blockbusters to timeless classics and critically-acclaimed series, discover world-class entertainment on demand. Watch titles such as Bandar, Ghamasaan, Jana Nayagan, Sam Bahadur, Mrs., RRR, Tehran, Hanu-Man, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai and more. Live Sports & Unmissable Action: Experience the thrill of live sports with FIFA competitions, Bundesliga, Serie A, cricket, and other marquee sporting events, streamed live and on demand in India. Your Favourite TV Shows & Live Channels: Stay connected to the stories you love with popular Zee Network channels and catch-up content. Enjoy shows like Tumm Se Tumm Tak, Ganga Mai Ki Betiyan, Karthigai Deepam, Sanai Chaughade, Karna and more. Free Entertainment For All: Explore a rich collection of free movies, series, Korean and Chinese dramas, Reality TV, dubbed international hits, and much more. Premium Hollywood Blockbusters: Dive into critically-acclaimed cinema and top-tier titles like Normal, The Wizard Of Kremlin, Cold Storage, and more. A Dedicated Kids Zone: Safe, engaging and entertaining content tailored for younger viewers, featuring favourites such as Chhota Bheem, Shivlok ke Kundakka Mandakka, Inspector Chingum, Boonie Bears, and more. Entertainment In Your Language: Discover content across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, English and more, curated for your viewing experience. Look Out For: ● Personalised Recommendations: Discover content tailored to your tastes, habits, and viewing preferences. ● Download & Watch Offline: Whether you're travelling or simply offline, download your favourites and take your entertainment with you, anywhere. ● A Faster, Smoother Zee 5 Experience: Search less, watch more with redesigned navigation, faster playback, and AI-powered discovery. ● Profiles For The Entire Family: Create individual profiles, receive personalised recommendations, and keep everyone's watchlists and viewing history separate. Disclaimer: The availability of some content may differ based on content rights as per individual countries or regions. Please refer to the terms and conditions for details: https://www.zee5.com/termsofuse For details on the privacy policy, please visit https://www.zee5.com/privacypolicy

About

JioHotstar

Stream live sports, blockbuster movies, and popular TV shows from around the world. Discover exclusive web series and short-form content for entertainment anytime, anywhere. Enjoy a vast library of global hits and regional favorites all in one place.

Highlights
  • Live sports streaming
  • Blockbuster movie library
  • Hit TV shows and web series
  • Exclusive Hotstar Specials
  • Short-form micro shows (Tadka)
  • Content from HBO, Disney, Marvel
Read full description

Welcome to the world of infinite possibilities – where non-stop sports, endless entertainment, and countless stories come alive! Stream the biggest live sports and cricketing action, catch the latest Bollywood, Hollywood and regional blockbusters, binge on hit TV shows before they air on TV, and dive into exclusive Hotstar Specials created just for you. You can also enjoy global hits from HBO, Peacock, and Paramount and explore the magic of Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Whatever you love to watch, you'll find it here—all in one place, only on JioHotstar, the ultimate hub for explosive live sports, cricket highlights, web shows, blockbuster movies & more! Explore Tadka, an all-new tab on the JioHotstar app for dumdaar micro shows packed with mazedaar entertainment. Perfect for short escapes from everyday life, anytime & anywhere. Toh laga Tadka On JioHotstar. What you'll love: Non-stop sports. Endless entertainment. Only on JioHotstar. A. LIVE Sports • Watch TATA IPL • Enjoy a superlative cricket viewing experience with our Commentary feed and detailed scorecards. • Football fans, we've got you covered! B. Tadka On JioHotstar • Dumdaar micro shows for mazedaar entertainment available exclusively on a brand new tab called Tadka on the JioHotstar app. • Gripping micro shows like Mitti Ka Sher, Rukega Nahi Saala, Undercover Boss - Scam Smash, Chawl Ke Sultan - Billionaire Tenant, Proxy War - The Human Calculator. • Genres like Betrayal, Rivalry, Romance, Contract Marriage, Reconciliation, Enemies to Lovers, Fake Scandal, Glow-up, Hidden Superpowers, Love Triangle, Mafia, Rags to Riches, Revenge, Scam, Start-up, Thriller, Office Politics & more C. Blockbuster Movies Stream Bollywood blockbusters, regional gems, original movies, documentaries, and critically acclaimed films—all in one place. Hollywood Movies: Prey, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Jungle Cruise, Free Guy, & classics like Titanic, etc. Bollywood Movies: Kesari Chapter 2, 12th Fail, Sarfira, Brahmastra, Atrangi Re, Gaslight, Freddy, Cuttputli, Liger, Gulmohar, Shiddat, Sadak 2, Bhuj, etc. Regional Movies: Manjummel Boys, Aavesham, Premalu, Kannur Squad, Neymar, Salaar & more D. Superhit TV Shows Web series that the world can’t get enough of, TV serials that the nation comes together to enjoy, and titles that are the talk of the town - find them all under the same roof only at JioHotstar. Hindi Shows: Anupama, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin, Aashiqana, Gunaah, & more English Shows: Shogun, Skeleton Crew, Modern Family, Family Guy, Billions, The Bear, Only Murders in the Building & more Regional Shows: Bigg Boss, Cooku with Comali, Krishna Mukunda Murari, Anurager Chhowa, etc. Hotstar Specials: Special Ops 2, Criminal Justice, Thukra Ke Mera Pyaar, Koffee With Karan (All Seasons), Aarya (All Seasons), Aakhri Sach, The Trial, Commando, The Night Manager, City of Dreams, Kerala Crime Files & more E. The Ultimate Disney+ Destination: Enjoy the ever-expanding universe of stories from Disney+ Superhero movies & shows: Deadpool and Wolverine, Guardians of the Galaxy, Secret Invasion, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Avengers, Iron Man, Loki, Moon Knight, She-Hulk, etc. Disney+ Originals: Ahsoka, Rennervations, The Mandalorian, Encanto, Turning Red, Disenchanted, Moana, and more. If you subscribe to JioHotstar via iTunes, payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase and your membership will automatically renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscription will be renewed within 24-hours before the end of each period at the rate of your selected plan. Turn off auto-renewal anytime through iTunes. DISCLAIMER: Content, features & data practices vary by country/region. Refer to your region’s Privacy Policy & Terms. Privacy policy: https://www.hotstar.com/privacy-policy/in Terms of use: https://www.hotstar.com/tnc/in

Screenshots

Zee 54 screens
JioHotstar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Zee 5 at every 6 days against JioHotstar's fortnightly. Zee 5 also leads on chart position (#97 vs unranked). JioHotstar's advantage is ratings volume (102K vs 24K). On price, rating, review sentiment 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Zee 5 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and JioHotstar sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Zee 5 against 4.6 for JioHotstar. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 24K and 102K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 15% and 15% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zee 5 ships an update every 6 days, JioHotstar fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 4, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Zee 5 versus JioHotstar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZee 5JioHotstar
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (24K ratings)4.6 (102K ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.8% of reviews15.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24K102K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#97 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size207 MB170 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperZ5X Global FZ-LLCJIOSTAR INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED

Customer experience

Zee 5

All ratings24,263 ratings
Positive90.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews1,114 reviews
Positive14.8%
Neutral7.0%
Negative78.2%

JioHotstar

All ratings102,210 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral4.1%
Negative4.8%
Written reviews422 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral10.2%
Negative74.4%

User reviews

Zee 5

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent streaming quality
  • 👍 Great content selection
  • 💡 Affordable subscription
  • 🎨 Visually appealing app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find content
  • ⏱️ Slow loading times
  • 📺 Casting and TV integration issues
  • 🔒 Problematic subscription management

JioHotstar

From 102K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 High-quality content
  • 🚀 Reliable live streaming
  • 🚀 Extensive Indian entertainment library

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent content availability
  • 🐛 Buggy app performance
  • 💰 Expensive subscription fees
  • 🙅‍♀️ Poor customer service
  • 🙄 Intrusive advertisements

Bugs and requests

Zee 5

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes during playback
  • Subscription not recognized or renewed properly
  • Inability to cancel subscription
  • Incorrect content availability based on region

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve search and browsing functionality
  • Add resume playback feature
  • Provide better language support and subtitles
  • Enhance Chromecast and smart TV compatibility

JioHotstar

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent playback issues and freezes
  • Inability to resume content from where it was left off
  • Inconsistent Chromecast/Apple TV integration

Requested features

3 requests
  • Improved content organization and search
  • Seamless integration with Disney+ for US subscribers
  • Consistent subtitle support across all content

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Zee 5

Subscriptions10
  • ZEE5-Simply South-Monthly$4.991 Month
  • ZEE5 Chaupal Monthly$5.991 Month
  • HD Monthly$5.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • 4K Monthly$17.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan (Discontinued)$99.991 Month
  • 4K Monthly (Discontinued)$100.991 Month
  • All Access Plan (Discontinued)$109.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan (Discontinued)$109.991 Month
  • 4K Annual$124.991 Year
  • 40% Off (Discontinued)$499.991 Year
10 purchases

JioHotstar

Subscriptions10
  • Mobile 3 Months Plan$1.493 Months
  • Premium Monthly Plan$3.491 Month
  • Ent. monthly (Discontinued)$3.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Hotstar VIP (Discontinued)$4.491 Year
  • Super Annual Plan$9.991 Year
  • Premium (Discontinued)$9.991 Month
  • Premium Annual (Discontinued)$11.991 Year
  • Premium Annual Plan$16.491 Year
  • Premium Membership Monthly$19.991 Month
  • Sports & Entertainment Annual$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Zee 5 free?
Zee 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is JioHotstar free?
JioHotstar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Zee 5 or JioHotstar?
JioHotstar is rated higher. Zee 5 averages 4.6 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while JioHotstar averages 4.6 from 102K ratings.
Do Zee 5 or JioHotstar have ads?
Both Zee 5 and JioHotstar show ads.
Which is updated more often, Zee 5 or JioHotstar?
Zee 5 ships an update every 6 days, and JioHotstar fortnightly. Most recently, Zee 5 was updated on November 4, 2026 and JioHotstar on November 4, 2026.

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