# SpectrumU vs TBPS Premium

The clearest difference is price: SpectrumU at Free against TBPS Premium's $2.99. TBPS Premium's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

SpectrumU is free to download; TBPS Premium costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

SpectrumU ships an update every 2 weeks, TBPS Premium weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SpectrumU | TBPS Premium |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.4 (317 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectrumu/id827887111/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **317** | — |
| Positive reviews | 10.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 76 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Charter Communications](https://appshunter.io/developer/396670004) | [Wu Bin](https://appshunter.io/developer/625703424) |

## What reviewers say

### SpectrumU

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectrumu/id827887111)

Stream live TV and thousands of on-demand shows and movies on your mobile device. Access your Spectrum TV experience on campus by connecting to your university's WiFi. Discover new content and manage your viewing with personalized guides and watchlists.

**Highlights:** Stream live TV on campus WiFi, Thousands of On Demand shows and movies, Discover Spectrum Originals, Cast to compatible TVs, Search by title, network, actor, or team, Personalize watchlists and guides

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Amazing features when working
- 📺 Many sport channels available
- 🌟 Great update for Chromecast support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App frequently crashes
- 🐛 Audio/video sync issues during ads
- 🐛 Audio cuts out after ad breaks
- 🐛 App freezes or won't load
- 🐛 Login issues (404 errors, sign-in problems)

**Reported bugs**

- Audio/video sync issues during ads
- Audio cuts out after ad breaks
- App crashes every few minutes
- Video doesn't pause during ads
- Login page redirects to 404

**Requested features**

- Fix ad break audio/video sync
- Fix audio cutting out after ads
- Fix app crashing
- Fix login page redirects to 404
- Fix live TV closing app


### TBPS Premium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tbps-premium/id6739725463)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SpectrumU free?

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

### Is TBPS Premium free?

TBPS Premium costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SpectrumU or TBPS Premium have ads?

SpectrumU shows ads; TBPS Premium does not.

### Which is updated more often, SpectrumU or TBPS Premium?

SpectrumU ships an update every 2 weeks, and TBPS Premium weekly. Most recently, SpectrumU was updated on October 18, 2026 and TBPS Premium on October 2, 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.*