Short on time? Compare plans → (plume.com earns a commission on purchases through this link.)
Short answer: most people don't need to leave TiviMate, but three groups should. Android users who want catch-up and deep customisation for less money should look at OTT Navigator (free, Premium about $19.99 lifetime). Apple TV and iPhone households, where TiviMate doesn't exist, should buy UHF ($17.99 a year). And antenna or HDHomeRun homes that want a proper DVR across every screen should pay for Channels DVR. Prices below are US figures as of October 2026.
At a glance
The TiviMate alternatives worth paying for
| Closest replacement | OTT Navigator |
| Apple TV and iPhone | UHF |
| Antenna and DVR homes | Channels DVR |
| Free and open source | Kodi with PVR IPTV Simple Client |
| Stay with TiviMate if | You're on Android and it already works |
The price table
All of these are players or DVR software. Like TiviMate, none ships channels; you bring a legal source such as a licensed provider's playlist, an HDHomeRun tuner or your own M3U. Prices are US figures from app store listings and published round-ups, as of October 2026, and in-app prices can differ by country.
| App | Price (Oct 2026) | Platforms | Records? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TiviMate (baseline) | Free; about $9.99/yr or $33.99 lifetime | Android TV, Google TV, Fire OS | Premium | Cable-style guide |
| OTT Navigator | Free; about $0.99/mo or $19.99 lifetime | Android, Android TV, Fire OS | Premium | Catch-up, tinkerers |
| Sparkle TV | Trial; about $7.49/yr or $19.99 lifetime | Android TV, Fire OS | Limited | A clean, modern look |
| Televizo | Free; about $10 to $14 lifetime | Android, Android TV | Premium | Cheapest lifetime |
| IPTV Smarters Pro | Free with ads on Android; paid tiers vary | Android, iOS, Fire OS, some smart TVs | Basic | Mixed-device homes |
| UHF | Free; $1.99/mo, $17.99/yr, $49.99 lifetime | Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, Mac | Via UHF Server | Apple households |
| Channels DVR | About $8/mo or $80/yr | Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, iOS, web and more | Yes, whole-home | Antenna and tuner homes |
| Kodi + PVR IPTV Simple Client | Free | Android, Fire OS, Windows, Mac, Linux | Via a backend | Media-centre users |
Before you buy any of these, confirm the price in the app store or in-app on your own device. Small developers change prices and tiers more often than big ones.
Who should actually switch
TiviMate is still the best cable-style live-TV player on Android, and switching for the sake of it costs you time, a new set of favourites and possibly a second purchase. These are the cases where we think it's worth it.
| Your situation | Switch to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You use Apple TV or iPhone | UHF or Channels | TiviMate doesn't exist on Apple devices |
| Your new Fire TV runs Vega OS | Channels, or a new device | No Android player installs on Vega OS |
| You rely on catch-up and like tweaking | OTT Navigator | Stronger archive handling, more settings |
| You record an antenna on several TVs | Channels DVR | One DVR library on every screen |
| You want to pay as little as possible | Televizo or Kodi | Cheaper lifetime, or free |
| You're on Android and happy | Stay with TiviMate | Nothing here is clearly better at its job |
One case people often misread: if streams buffer in TiviMate, a different player won't fix it. Buffering comes from the network, the source or the hardware, and it will follow you to any app.
Android and Fire TV players
OTT Navigator: the closest replacement
OTT Navigator is the app TiviMate users most often move to, and the most capable one on this list for a live-TV playlist. Its standout is catch-up: if your licensed provider offers archive streams, OTT Navigator handles them with more options than TiviMate does. It also supports multiple playlists, recording and a deep settings menu for layout, playback and guide behaviour.
The trade-off is polish. TiviMate looks and behaves like a cable box out of the box; OTT Navigator takes setting up to look as good, and its menus can feel busy. Premium costs about $0.99 a month or $19.99 lifetime, which undercuts TiviMate's lifetime price.
Buy it if catch-up matters and you enjoy configuring things. Skip it if you want something the rest of the family can use without a tutorial.
Sparkle TV: the looker
Sparkle TV is a newer Android TV player with a clean, modern interface and a quick guide. It offers a free trial, then roughly $7.49 a year or $19.99 lifetime according to recent round-ups. It's less mature than TiviMate or OTT Navigator, and recording and advanced playlist tools are thinner.
Buy it if TiviMate's look feels dated to you and your needs are simple. Skip it if you record.
Televizo: the budget lifetime
Televizo is a tidy Android player whose lifetime purchase costs roughly $10 to $14 and has been reported to cover up to five devices. It's the cheapest way to get a paid, ad-free player with a proper guide.
Buy it if price is the deciding factor. Skip it if you need multi-view or heavy recording.
IPTV Smarters Pro: the cross-platform option
IPTV Smarters runs on more platforms than anything else here, including iPhone and some smart TVs, which is its whole appeal for mixed-device homes. On Android it's free with ads; paid tiers vary by platform. Its guide and recording are basic next to TiviMate's.
A caution: the Smarters name is widely used by unofficial resellers bundling their own builds. Install it only from an official app store listing.
Buy it if you need one app on an Android TV, an iPhone and a smart TV. Skip it if everything you own is Android; TiviMate or OTT Navigator is better.
Apple TV and iPhone players
UHF: the best Apple-side player
UHF is what we'd use on Apple TV. It runs on Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Apple-silicon Macs, has a proper TV guide and a polished, Apple-native feel. Recording works through a free companion app, UHF Server, running on a Mac, Windows or Linux computer on your network.
The App Store lists PRO at $1.99 a month, $17.99 a year or $49.99 lifetime. PRO adds multi-device sync, an unlimited guide with alerts and removes ads. Lifetime is expensive next to Android players; yearly is the sensible start.
Buy it if your household is on Apple TV. Skip it if you'd rather buy a $60 Google TV box and run TiviMate on it.
For antenna and DVR households
Channels DVR: a different class of product
Channels isn't a TiviMate clone; it's a whole-home DVR. You run Channels DVR Server on a computer or NAS, point it at an HDHomeRun tuner and, if you have one, a licensed provider's M3U, and every TV in the house gets the same guide and the same recordings. The apps run on Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, iPhone and the web.
The DVR subscription has long been about $8 a month or $80 a year; check the current price on Channels' own site. That's more than any player here, but it replaces the need for a separate DVR box and works across Apple and Android alike.
Channels can also output its live channels as an M3U playlist, so some people run Channels DVR and still use TiviMate on their Android TVs. That's a good setup if you like TiviMate's guide but want Channels' recording.
Buy it if you record over-the-air TV on more than one screen. Skip it if you only watch live on one TV.
The free route: Kodi
Kodi with the PVR IPTV Simple Client add-on turns a free, open-source media centre into a live-TV player with a guide. It's free and runs almost everywhere except Vega OS and, without effort, Apple TV. If you already use Kodi for your own media library, adding live TV to it makes sense.
It's also the most work: the guide is less fluid than TiviMate's, and recording needs a separate backend such as a DVR server. Install Kodi only from its official site or your device's app store, and leave aside the "builds" and third-party add-ons bundled with unofficial copies.
Use it if you're already a Kodi user. Skip it if you want a set-and-forget live-TV app.
What to avoid while shopping
- "Pro", "modded" or "cracked" versions of any of these apps. They're unofficial, often outdated, and a common way to put unwanted software on a device that's signed in to your accounts.
- Players sold with channels included. Legitimate players ship empty. An app that arrives with a channel list is something else.
- Activation codes from third parties. Buy upgrades in-app through Google Play, the App Store or the developer's own site.
- Switching to fix buffering. It won't. Wire the device or improve the source.
Our pick
On Android, stay with TiviMate unless catch-up is central to how you watch, in which case OTT Navigator Premium at $19.99 lifetime is the best alternative and slightly cheaper.
On Apple TV, buy UHF yearly. If your household records antenna TV on several screens, Channels DVR is worth its subscription, and it works with TiviMate rather than against it.
And if your only reason to look elsewhere is that your device can't run TiviMate, compare the cost of a new player app with a $60 Google TV box. The box is sometimes the better buy.
Quick answers
What is the best alternative to TiviMate? OTT Navigator on Android and Fire TV. On Apple TV, UHF. For antenna DVR across a whole house, Channels DVR.
Is there a free TiviMate alternative? Yes. Kodi with the PVR IPTV Simple Client is free, and OTT Navigator, Televizo and UHF all have free versions.
Is OTT Navigator better than TiviMate? For catch-up and customisation, often yes. For a simple, cable-like guide the whole family can use, TiviMate is better.
What can I use instead of TiviMate on Apple TV? UHF is the closest equivalent. Channels is the better choice if you also want a DVR.
Do TiviMate alternatives include channels? No. Like TiviMate, they're players. You add a legal source such as a licensed provider's playlist or an HDHomeRun tuner.
Will switching apps stop buffering? Usually not. Buffering comes from the network, source or device, so it follows you to any player.
Which alternative is cheapest? Kodi is free. Among paid players, Televizo's lifetime purchase, at roughly $10 to $14, is the lowest one-off price.
App prices are US figures from app store listings and published round-ups and can change or differ by country; confirm in-app before paying. All apps listed are players or DVR software and supply no channels. Checked October 2026.