Is IINA or Showtime better?

Neither clearly leads. IINA starts at Free and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, IINA or Showtime?

IINA has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for IINA and $10.99/month for Showtime.

Does IINA or Showtime run on more platforms?

IINA runs on Mac. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.

Can I use IINA for free?

Yes. IINA has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Showtime starts at $10.99/month.

What is IINA best used for?

IINA is most often used for a mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats quicktime player does not support, someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volume, a user who wants picture-in-picture video while working in other apps, anyone who prefers a graphical mac-native player over configuring raw mpv from the command line. Of those, a mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats quicktime player does not support and someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volume are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.

What can IINA do that Showtime cannot?

IINA covers mpv playback engine, Native macOS interface, Trackpad gestures, Picture-in-picture. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports.

Entertainment · head to head

IINA vs Showtime

IINA

Entertainment

Free open source Mac video player built on mpv, with a native macOS interface

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Showtime

Entertainment

Signature entertainment and sports

From: $10.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only IINA has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: IINA there is no Apple TV or iOS app, so it cannot be used for a living room streaming setup the way Infuse can.; Showtime showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
They diverge on capability: IINA covers mpv playback engine, Showtime covers Streaming.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IINA and Showtime actually diverge.

Attributes where IINA and Showtime differ
Attribute	IINA	Showtime
Starting price	Free	$10.99/month
Pricing model	Open source, no licence fee	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Mac	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv
Founded	Unknown	1983

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Entertainment).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in IINA

mpv playback engine
Native macOS interface
Trackpad gestures
Picture-in-picture
Subtitle and audio track control
Music mode

Only in Showtime

Streaming
Original series
Movies
Sports
Live events
Smart TVs
Streaming devices
Account security

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IINA

A Mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats QuickTime Player does not supportnot Showtime
Someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volumenot Showtime
A user who wants picture-in-picture video while working in other appsnot Showtime
Anyone who prefers a graphical Mac-native player over configuring raw mpv from the command linenot Showtime

Showtime

Premium streamingnot IINA
Sports watchingnot IINA

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IINA

There is no Apple TV or iOS app, so it cannot be used for a living room streaming setup the way Infuse can.
It has no polished network share or cloud storage library browser, so streaming from a NAS or cloud drive is more manual than with Infuse.
As a volunteer open source project, new feature development and bug fixes depend on contributor availability rather than a funded team.
It is Mac only, so there is no equivalent app for Windows users in a mixed household.
Advanced mpv configuration is still exposed for power users, which can be confusing for someone who just wants simple playback with no options.

Showtime

Showtime is now offered only as part of Paramount+'s Premium plan, per the App Store listing (Paramount+ by CBS Mobile)
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current subscription period rather than immediately, with continued access through the paid period, per the App Store listing

Pricing, plan by plan

IINA

Free

IINAFree
- Free and open source
- No account or subscription
- Full feature set with no paywall

Showtime

$10.99/month

Showtime Standalone$10.99/month
- Original content
- Ad-free

Which should you pick?

Choose IINA if

You need mpv playback engine.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Mac.
You also want native macos interface.

IINA review

Choose Showtime if

You need streaming.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
You also want original series.

Showtime review

Questions people ask

Is IINA or Showtime better?: Neither clearly leads. IINA starts at Free and Showtime at $10.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IINA or Showtime?: IINA has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for IINA and $10.99/month for Showtime.
Does IINA or Showtime run on more platforms?: IINA runs on Mac. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
Can I use IINA for free?: Yes. IINA has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Showtime starts at $10.99/month.
What is IINA best used for?: IINA is most often used for a mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats quicktime player does not support, someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volume, a user who wants picture-in-picture video while working in other apps, anyone who prefers a graphical mac-native player over configuring raw mpv from the command line. Of those, a mac user who wants to play locally stored or downloaded video files in formats quicktime player does not support and someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volume are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.
What can IINA do that Showtime cannot?: IINA covers mpv playback engine, Native macOS interface, Trackpad gestures, Picture-in-picture. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IINA: Is IINA free?

Yes, entirely, and it is open source with no paid tier or subscription.

IINA: What is the difference between IINA and mpv?

IINA is built on the mpv engine but adds a full native macOS graphical interface, menus and gestures that mpv does not have on its own.

IINA: Does IINA work on Apple TV?

No. IINA is Mac only. For Apple TV playback, Infuse is the comparable option.

IINA vs Showtime

IINA

Showtime

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in IINA

Only in Showtime

What people use each for

IINA

Showtime

Where each one falls short

IINA

Showtime

Pricing, plan by plan

IINA

Showtime

Which should you pick?

Choose IINA if

Choose Showtime if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on IINA

More on Showtime

Keep looking

Other head to heads