The short answer
Spectati is the one to install first. It is the only app here that puts Plex, Jellyfin and SMB shares in the same library as your channels, and the only native Mac app. Its free tier shows no ads, so you can try it with your own playlist before paying anything.
The others make sense for one specific need:
- UHF if you record live TV or need a built-in VPN.
- Smarters Player Lite if your Apple TV is stuck on an old tvOS.
- IPTVX or Perfect IPTV Player if you already pay for one and only watch live channels.
Side by side
| Capability | Spectati | UHF | IPTVX | Smarters Player Lite | Perfect IPTV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M3U playlists | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Xtream login | Yes | Yes | Yes | In Premium, per its website | Yes |
| Program guide (EPG) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Catch-up from the provider’s archive | With a subscription | Yes | Yes | Listed on its website | Not listed |
| Plex libraries | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Not listed |
| Jellyfin libraries | Yes | Yes | No | No | Not listed |
| Recording live TV | No | With UHF Server | With IPTVX Media Server | Not listed | Not listed |
| Native Mac app | Yes | iPad app | iPad app | iPad app | Not listed |
| Oldest Apple TV software it runs on | tvOS 26 | tvOS 17 | tvOS 16 | tvOS 12 | tvOS 16 |
Written by Spectati, which is not affiliated with any app compared. Each column was checked against that app’s US App Store listing and website on October 21, 2026. “Not listed” means the listing does not mention it.
Our pick: Spectati
Spectati takes M3U, Xtream and JSON playlists with a full-screen XMLTV guide, and puts your Plex and Jellyfin servers and SMB shares in the same library and search, with Emby, WebDAV and SFTP in beta. On Apple TV you set it up by scanning a QR code and typing the playlist on your phone. For a lineup of thousands of channels it has hiding, favorites, renaming and custom categories.
The free tier shows no ads and puts nothing over the picture, with up to 2 sources running at once. The free tier direct-plays your 4K remuxes with no transcoding, in SDR. HDR and surround sound are what a subscription adds. Catch-up, your provider’s films and series, Multiview and automatic duplicate merging come with a subscription at $2.99 a month, $22.99 a year or $99.99 once, and one purchase covers Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac. It needs tvOS 26.
UHF
UHF, by Short Wavelength Applications, takes M3U8 and Xtream playlists and Plex, Jellyfin and Emby servers, with a guide, catch-up and downloads. It records through UHF Server, a free companion app for a Mac, Windows or Linux machine on your network. It also has a VPN client for WireGuard and OpenVPN, and casts to AirPlay and Chromecast.
It costs free with ads, or UHF Pro at $1.99 a month, $17.99 a year or $49.99 once. Pro removes the ads and watermark and unlocks the full guide. On a Mac it runs as the iPad app on Apple silicon. The UHF comparison goes row by row.
IPTVX
IPTVX, by Bending X, has been on the App Store since 2019. It takes Xtream, M3U and M3U8, and connects Plex and SMB shares, with an EPG grid that finds the provider’s guide by itself, catch-up, Multi-screens, parental control and iCloud sync. A separate IPTVX Media Server app on the Mac handles scheduled recordings. It does not list Jellyfin or Emby.
It costs IPTVX FULL at $3.99 a month or $28.99 a year, with shorter and Family Sharing plans as well. On a Mac it runs as the iPad app. The IPTVX comparison has the details.
Smarters Player Lite
Smarters Player Lite, by WHMCS Smarters, is the Apple version of the player many providers point their customers to, and it has hundreds of thousands of ratings. Its listing names M3U and JSON playlists; the Xtream login is part of Premium according to its website. It runs on Apple TVs as old as tvOS 12.
It is free with ads, or a $1.99 one-off Premium purchase. Several unrelated apps carry “Smarters” in their names, so check the developer before installing. The IPTV Smarters comparison covers which listing is which.
Perfect IPTV Player
Perfect IPTV Player is a straightforward player for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. It takes M3U and XSPF playlists and Xtream logins, with an XMLTV guide that can be gzip-compressed, and plays a wide range of stream types. Its listing does not mention catch-up, recording or media servers.
It costs $4.69 a month, $20.99 a year or $34.99 once.
Not on Apple TV
TiviMate is the usual answer on Android TV, and it has no tvOS version. Kodi runs on an Apple TV only if you sideload it with Xcode, and re-sign it every seven days on a free developer account. GSE Smart IPTV is still on the Apple TV App Store, but its last update was in 2023. iPlayTV is an iPhone and iPad app with no Apple TV version. More on the first two in TiviMate for Apple TV and Kodi on Apple TV.
What to check before you pay
- Your tvOS version. Settings, General, About shows it. An older Apple TV HD rules out apps that need a recent tvOS.
- Catch-up. It only works when the provider keeps an archive for the channel, whichever app you use.
- The size of your lineup. A playlist with thousands of channels needs hiding, favorites and duplicate merging more than it needs a theme.
- What else you watch. If your films are on Plex or Jellyfin, an app that shows both saves switching between two.
- Typing on the remote. Long URLs and passwords are slow with a Siri Remote; apps that let you enter them on a phone save the most time.
Whichever you pick, the M3U and Xtream setup guide and the XMLTV guide cover the details that are the same in every app.
