HDHomeRun vs Tablo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
Tablo
Record and watch live TV from your antenna and streaming channels without a subscription. Access broadcast content and local news on any device in your home, including smartphones and tablets.
- Record live TV
- Watch streaming channels
- No subscription required
- Access on all home devices
- Includes local news and sports
- Works with TV antennas
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Tablo is a device that lets you watch and record live TV, with no subscription. Just one Tablo delivers antenna TV and streaming channels to every screen in your home, including your iPhone or iPad. Simply connect your TV antenna to Tablo, connect your Tablo to your home network, and you can enjoy live sports, local news, and favorite broadcast TV shows, and even ad-supported streaming channels on any iOS-enabled device via the Tablo app. Tablo also works with your smart TV and streaming media devices so you can catch up on your favorite shows.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: HDHomeRun at 2.5 against Tablo's 1.9. HDHomeRun also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
HDHomeRun holds the better App Store score, 2.5 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HDHomeRun has 465 ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of HDHomeRun's written reviews are positive against 20% of Tablo's.
HDHomeRun ships an update every 2 months, Tablo every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HDHomeRun | Tablo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (465 ratings) — better | 1.9 (57 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 26.6% of reviews — better | 20.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 465 — better | 57 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 152 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | SiliconDust USA, Inc. | Nuvyyo Inc. |
Customer experience
HDHomeRun
Tablo
User reviews
HDHomeRun
From 465 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
Tablo
From 57 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and reliable
- 🔓 Secure and stable
- 💰 Great value for cord-cutters
- 📺 Excellent OTA TV experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Inconsistent performance across devices
- 🕰️ Slow app load times
- 🔀 Confusing navigation and UI
Bugs and requests
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+
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- 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
Tablo
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to watch recordings in progress
- Unreliable channel scanning and guide data
- Connectivity issues with certain network setups
- Compatibility problems with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- Picture-in-picture mode
- Remote access to recordings
- Improved channel guide and DVR management
- Seamless integration with smart home devices
In-app purchases
HDHomeRun
No in-app purchases
Tablo
No in-app purchases
