An Infuse alternative that speaks IPTV too.
Infuse plays what you own. Spectati does that too, and takes your IPTV subscription in the same app.
- Plex & Jellyfin
- Emby
- SMB shares
- Direct play
- Dolby Vision
- Dolby Atmos
- M3U & Xtream
- XMLTV guide
Where the two actually differ.
Most of the file-playback story is a tie. The gap is live television.
| Capability | Spectati | Infuse |
|---|---|---|
| Native on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac | Yes | Yes |
| Plex, Jellyfin and Emby libraries | Yes | Yes |
| SMB and network shares, with no media server | Yes, in beta | Yes |
| Direct play of 4K remuxes, no server transcoding | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Vision and HDR10+ to the display | Yes | Yes |
| TrueHD Atmos and DTS:X with their height channels | With a subscription | No |
| Dolby Vision Profile 7 from UHD Blu-ray remuxes | Converted to 8.1 | Profiles 5 and 8 listed |
| TrueHD and DTS without Atmos as 7.1 PCM | 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus | Yes |
| ISO disc images | No | Yes |
| IPTV: M3U, M3U8 and Xtream playlists | Yes | No |
| Full XMLTV program guide with now and next | Yes | No |
| Catch-up and your provider’s on-demand catalogue | Yes | No |
| Channel curation for large IPTV lineups | Yes | No |
| Plays a real film before you connect anything | Four sample films | No |
Written by Spectati and checked against Infuse's published feature list in August 2026, and its audio, Dolby Vision and format support again in October 2026. Spectati is not affiliated with Firecore or Infuse; feature sets change, so check theirs before you decide.
Your playlist and your server, in one library.
A file player treats live TV as somebody else's problem, which leaves you switching apps every time you want the news. Spectati loads M3U, M3U8 and Xtream playlists beside your Plex, Jellyfin and Emby servers, builds a full-screen guide from your XMLTV data, and puts everything behind one search and one Continue Watching row.
- M3U, M3U8 and JSON playlists, plus Xtream-compatible providers
- Full XMLTV timeline with now, next and live progress per channel
- Catch-up and your provider’s films and series, with a subscription
- Curation that trims a huge lineup and survives a refresh
- One search across movies, shows, episodes and live channels
Your remuxes play exactly as they should.
The file playback is not a compromise you accept for the live TV. Spectati direct-plays high-bitrate 4K remuxes with no server transcoding, hands Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG to your display, and falls back to software decoding for the formats hardware refuses. Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus reaches the receiver untouched, TrueHD and DTS play as 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus, and TrueHD Atmos and DTS:X keep their height channels on AirPods, HomePods and Atmos receivers.
- Direct play at full bitrate, with your server CPU idle
- Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG passthrough
- Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus untouched, TrueHD Atmos and DTS:X with their height channels
- PGS, ASS and teletext subtitles, with delay and styling controls
- SMB shares read directly, with artwork and metadata filled in
Press play before you connect anything.
A new install is not an empty shelf asking for a server address. Four films are already on Home, and they play in seconds with no account, no playlist and no card. It is the real player on your own television, not a demo mode.
- Four Blender open movies, ready the moment you open the app
- Singularity is served in HDR10, so you see what full quality buys
- Nothing to sign up for and nothing that expires
- Connect Plex, Jellyfin or a playlist whenever you feel like it
- Singularity2026 · 6 min · HDR10
- Charge2022 · 4 min · 1440p
- Sprite Fright2021 · 10 min · 1080p
- Big Buck Bunny2008 · 10 min · 720p
Blender open movies, licensed CC BY. Spectati streams them to a fresh install so there is something to watch before you connect anything.
Free to use. Pay only for full quality.
No trial clock, and nothing to decide before you have watched something. The free tier direct-plays your 4K remuxes with no transcoding, in SDR. HDR and surround sound are what a subscription adds.
Free
No account neededInstall it and press play. There is no trial clock and no card.
- Plex, Jellyfin, IPTV and SMB file shares, plus Emby, WebDAV and SFTP in beta
- Up to 2 sources running at once
- Direct play of high-bitrate 4K remuxes, no transcoding
- Live TV with a full XMLTV program guide
- Favorites, hiding, renaming and sorting, channel by channel
- Parental PIN, age-rating limits and per-provider locks
Full quality
OptionalOr $2.99/month, or $99.99 once and never again
- HDR and surround sound
- More than 2 sources at once
- Offline downloads
- IPTV catch-up and on-demand
- Bulk channel tools and program reminders
- iCloud sync across your devices
- Automatic subtitles
- SIMKL and Trakt watch-history sync
- App icons and accent colors
- Automatic intro skipping
- Up to four live channels at once with Multiview
Bought inside the app, whenever you decide you want it. Apple handles it via In-App Purchase, with Family Sharing. Both subscriptions start with a 7-day free trial. Manage or cancel anytime from your Apple ID.
- Unlimited devices
- All providers
- tvOS, iOS, iPadOS and macOS
- Family Sharing
- Cancel anytime
Switching questions, answered.
Weighing the two up and still unsure? Get in touch.
What is the best Infuse alternative for Apple TV?
If Infuse already plays everything you own and you have no live TV in your setup, keep Infuse. Spectati is the alternative worth looking at when your setup includes an IPTV subscription as well as a Plex, Jellyfin or Emby server, because it is one app for both: the same library, the same search and the same Continue Watching row across your files and your live channels, with a full XMLTV guide and catch-up.
Does Spectati do everything Infuse does?
On the parts that overlap, close to it: native apps on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac, Plex, Jellyfin and Emby libraries, SMB shares with no media server needed, direct play of high-bitrate 4K remuxes with no transcoding, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG to the display, and Dolby Atmos to the receiver.
Can Spectati play IPTV and M3U playlists?
Yes. Spectati loads M3U, M3U8 and JSON playlists and Xtream-compatible providers, builds a full-screen program guide from your XMLTV data, and gives you the tools to cut a huge lineup down to the channels you actually watch. Catch-up and your provider’s films and series are there too, with a subscription.
Is Spectati cheaper than Infuse?
Spectati is free to use, with no trial clock: browsing, live TV and playback work with up to 2 sources connected, and your files direct-play in SDR. Full quality, HDR and surround sound, plus unlimited sources, offline downloads, catch-up, iCloud sync and automatic subtitles cost $22.99 a year, $2.99 a month, or $99.99 once. Infuse sets its own price, so check their App Store listing for what it costs today.
Can I try Spectati without moving anything over?
Yes. A new install carries four real films on Home (Blender open movies streamed from spectati.com), so you can judge the interface and the player before you type a single server address. Adding a Plex or Jellyfin server afterwards takes a couple of minutes, and nothing about your existing setup has to change to find out.
Keep your library. Add your channels.
Spectati is free on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac. Press play on a sample film, connect a server when you feel like it, and keep Infuse installed while you decide.
Also on Apple TV, iPad and Mac
Requires tvOS, iOS, iPadOS or macOS 26