IPTV player apps, compared

An IPTV player is the app that turns your login details into a TV guide, a channel list and a picture. ProTVHub doesn't lock you into one app: your login works with any player that accepts Xtream-codes details or an M3U playlist, so you can choose the interface you like best on each device.

Quick comparison

Features, prices and availability are set by each app's developer and can change, so check the app's official store listing before you install.

TiviMate

TiviMate is the player most regular IPTV viewers settle on once they've tried a few. Its programme guide looks and behaves like a traditional TV guide, channel changes are quick, and it copes well with large channel lists.

Strengths: excellent EPG, favourites and custom groups, catch-up support, recording (premium), multiple playlists.

Things to know: it's designed for Android-based TV devices (Firestick, Android TV, Google TV, Nvidia Shield). The premium features need a separate licence from the developer.

To add ProTVHub: choose Add playlist → Xtream Codes, then enter the server URL, username and password from your welcome email.

IPTV Smarters Pro

Smarters is the easiest place to start. It runs on a wide range of devices — Firestick, Android phones and TVs, iPhone, iPad and computers — and its setup screen asks only for the details in your welcome email.

Strengths: beginner-friendly, separate sections for live TV, films and series, multi-screen view on some devices.

Things to know: the interface feels more like an app than a TV guide, and availability in app stores has varied over time.

To add ProTVHub: choose Login with Xtream Codes API, enter any name for the profile, then your username, password and server URL.

Smart IPTV (SIPTV)

Smart IPTV — often shortened to SIPTV — runs directly on many Samsung and LG smart TVs, so you don't need a stick or box. It works a little differently from other players: instead of typing your login on the TV, you send your M3U playlist to the TV through the developer's website.

How it works:

1. Install Smart IPTV from your TV's app store and open it. Note the MAC address shown on screen.
2. On a phone or computer, open the playlist upload page on the Smart IPTV website.
3. Enter the TV's MAC address and paste your ProTVHub M3U link, then submit.
4. Restart the app on the TV and your channels will load.

Things to know: after a short trial period the app asks for a one-off activation fee, paid to its developer. Availability varies by TV model and region. Our smart TV setup guide covers SIPTV and the alternatives in more detail.

Kodi

Kodi is a free, open-source media centre that plays almost anything. It isn't an IPTV app out of the box, but the official PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on turns it into one.

To add ProTVHub: open Add-ons → My add-ons → PVR clients → PVR IPTV Simple Client → Configure, paste your M3U link, add an EPG (XMLTV) guide link if you have one — ask support if it isn’t in your welcome email — then enable the add-on and restart Kodi. Channels appear under TV in the main menu.

Things to know: Kodi is powerful but has a learning curve, and large channel lists can load more slowly than in dedicated IPTV apps.

VLC

VLC is the quickest way to check a playlist on a computer. Choose Media → Open Network Stream, paste your M3U link and the channel list appears in the playlist panel. There's no proper TV guide, so it's best for testing or occasional viewing. For a full desktop set-up, see our Windows and Mac guide.

The best IPTV player for Firestick

For most Firestick owners, the choice comes down to two apps. TiviMate is the best overall experience if you watch a lot of live TV and value a proper guide. IPTV Smarters Pro is the better starting point if you want the simplest possible setup or you mostly watch on-demand films and series. Our Firestick guide walks through installing either one.

Choosing by device

• Firestick / Fire TV: TiviMate or IPTV Smarters Pro
• Android TV / Google TV: TiviMate — see the Android TV guide
• Samsung and LG TVs: SIPTV or another TV-native player — see the smart TV guide
• Apple TV, iPhone and iPad: GSE Smart IPTV or IPTV Smarters — see the Apple guide
• MAG boxes: the built-in portal — see the MAG box guide
• Windows and Mac: IPTV Smarters for desktop, or VLC for quick viewing

Your login works in every player

A player app holds no channels of its own — everything you watch comes from the IPTV service behind it. So whichever app you pick, the details in the welcome email for your IPTV subscription are the same: a server URL, username and password for Xtream-style players, and an M3U link for playlist-based players. If you want to know what each of those does — and how connections are counted — read our page on IPTV lines and logins.