Comparison

M3u8 TV Player vs Lightning Player Pro

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

Head to head
About

M3u8 TV Player

This application allows users to add and organize M3u8 stream URLs in a local library. It features a curated database of free TV channel streams for online viewing.

Highlights
  • Add M3u8 stream URLs
  • Organize streams in a local library
  • Categorize streams
  • Add names and descriptions
  • Access free TV channel database
Read full description

ATTENTION: If you love to watch TV online, keep reading... ________________________ M3u8 TV Player is an extremely simple app, that allows you to add M3u8 stream urls to a very nice and easy to use local library. You can organize them in categories and provide a name and description for each one. The word "TV" is not a decoration. This app comes with an extremely great and well designed remote database full of TV channel streams, and all COMPLETELY FOR FREE, with ads of course, so you know, share the app with all your friends, don't be selfish ;). As you can see, all in this app is extreme. So, go ahead, follow to your heart and download it now!

About

Lightning Player Pro

Features
Read full description

Lightning Player is the elegant player for your own IPTV and M3U playlists. Enter your credentials – done. No detours, no content, just a really good player. YOUR PLAYLIST, YOUR PLAYER • Xtream Codes and M3U playlists • Multiple profiles with separate progress (Plus) • Lightning-fast startup thanks to a persistent cache – even with huge playlists of 100,000+ titles LIVE TV WITH EPG • Electronic program guide (XMLTV) with now/next and full-day schedule • Fast zapping, automatic channel categories (Live Auto) • Parental controls with PIN for bouquets, channels and titles MOVIES & SERIES • Hero recommendations: large rotating suggestions with movie backdrops • Watch trailers right inside the app • Covers, plots, cast, genres and ratings (TMDB) • Discover and Popular views, "New" and "Continue Watching" rows • Smart Search with personal ranking and actor search • Country and language filters – also shows versions available in other languages • German public broadcaster library (Mediathek): browse, stream and download – free, no playlist needed ON THE GO & OFFLINE • Download movies and watch offline (Plus) • Device sync: profiles, favorites, progress and watched status on all your devices – across platforms, even beyond the Apple universe. End-to-end encrypted, paired in seconds via QR code (Plus) FULL CONTROL • Playlist editor: sort bouquets, hide items, favorites (Plus) • All common formats and codecs (MKV, HEVC, AC3 …) – no transcoding, no quality loss PRICING Try free for 7 days – all features included. Then: Basic as a one-time purchase (core player with one playlist) or Plus as a subscription (all features). Transparent and cancellable anytime via the App Store. IMPORTANT Lightning Player is a pure player and contains NO IPTV content, channels or playlists. You need your own, legally obtained IPTV or M3U source (e.g. from your TV provider). The developer does not provide content and does not promote third-party providers. No ads, no tracking. Privacy: https://www.lightning-player.de/privacy Help & guides: https://www.lightning-player.de/help

Screenshots

M3u8 TV Player4 screens
Lightning Player Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: M3u8 TV Player at none against Lightning Player Pro's 6. M3u8 TV Player also leads on iOS requirement (7.0 vs 16.0). Lightning Player Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads and device support 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. Lightning Player Pro sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. M3u8 TV Player asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

M3u8 TV Player ships an update every 6 weeks, Lightning Player Pro every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
M3u8 TV Player versus Lightning Player Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterM3u8 TV PlayerLightning Player Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS7.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB53 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperLuis Cardenas MauToan Thanh Trieu

In-app purchases

None

M3u8 TV Player

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Lightning Player Pro

Subscriptions5
  • Pro – Monat$2.991 Month
  • Pro – 3 Monate$5.993 Months
  • Pro – 6 Monate$9.996 Months
Show 2 more
  • Pro – Jahr$17.991 Year
  • Pro Family – Jahr$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Basis (lebenslang)$2.99

Questions

Is M3u8 TV Player free?
M3u8 TV Player is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Lightning Player Pro free?
Lightning Player Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do M3u8 TV Player or Lightning Player Pro have ads?
Neither M3u8 TV Player nor Lightning Player Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, M3u8 TV Player or Lightning Player Pro?
M3u8 TV Player ships an update every 6 weeks, and Lightning Player Pro every 5 days. Most recently, M3u8 TV Player was updated on November 1, 2026 and Lightning Player Pro on October 31, 2026.

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