What IPTVX is
IPTVX is published by Bending X, a company founded in 2019, and is actively developed: its latest version came out days before we wrote this. One App Store app covers iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro and the Mac, and there is a separate Android version. It reads M3U links and Xtream logins, and can also show a Plex library or a network folder.
Why people look for an alternative
- There is no Windows version. IPTVX’s site and store listings mention none.
- On the Mac it needs Apple silicon. The Mac app is the App Store app for M-series Macs; an Intel Mac cannot install it.
- It is a subscription. In the US App Store it costs $3.99 a month or $28.99 a year, and a purchase on Apple devices does not unlock the Android version. Reviewers on the App Store have asked for a one-time price.
- Arabic. The website has an Arabic version, but Arabic is not in the App Store’s list of the app’s languages.
TV Flow and IPTVX, side by side
| TV Flow | IPTVX | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Mac (Intel and Apple silicon, macOS 11 or later) and Windows 10/11, as a desktop program | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro and Macs with Apple silicon; Android separately. No Windows version |
| Price | $19.99 once, for life, after a free three-day trial | Subscription: $3.99 a month or $28.99 a year in the US App Store |
| One purchase covers | One Mac or Windows computer | Your Apple devices; Android is bought separately |
| Playlists it opens | M3U link or file, Xtream Codes login | M3U link, Xtream login; also Plex and network folders |
| Stalker / MAC portals | No | Not listed |
| Films and series | A library with posters and ratings; series by season and episode | Yes, films and series |
| TV guide | Now and next on each channel (Xtream logins); no full grid | Yes, a guide grid |
| Catch-up | No | Yes, if your provider offers it |
| Recording | No | Listed; scheduled recording uses a separate server program |
| Arabic interface | Complete, right to left | Not among the 11 languages on its App Store listing |
| Parental lock | PIN lock for groups and collections | Parental control and a PIN per playlist |
Where IPTVX is the better choice
- You live on Apple devices and want the same player, synced through iCloud, on the phone, the TV and the Mac.
- You want a full guide grid, catch-up, AirPlay or picture in picture.
- You also keep films on a Plex server or a network drive and want them in the same app.
TV Flow offers none of these today.
Where TV Flow is the better choice
- Windows. TV Flow runs on Windows 10 and 11, with the same design as on the Mac.
- Pay once. $19.99 for life, after a free three-day trial. Over two years, that is about a third of what IPTVX’s yearly plan costs.
- Arabic from the first screen. A full right-to-left interface in an Arabic typeface, switchable to English in a click.
- A tidy list. Channels that would not play are hidden, repeats of the same channel are trimmed by a quality filter, and you can gather channels into your own collections.
