Is mpv or Showtime better?

Neither clearly leads. mpv 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, mpv or Showtime?

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

Does mpv or Showtime run on more platforms?

mpv runs on Mac, Windows, Linux. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.

Can I use mpv for free?

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

What is mpv best used for?

mpv is most often used for a developer who wants to script or automate media playback rather than click through a graphical app, a linux user who wants a lightweight player without the overhead of a full desktop application shell, someone embedding video playback into another tool or workflow rather than using it as a standalone app, a power user who prefers editing a text config file over navigating a settings panel. Of those, a developer who wants to script or automate media playback rather than click through a graphical app and a linux user who wants a lightweight player without the overhead of a full desktop application shell are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.

What can mpv do that Showtime cannot?

mpv covers Command line control, Lua and JavaScript scripting, Plain text configuration, Cross-platform. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports.

Entertainment · head to head

mpv vs Showtime

mpv

Entertainment

Free open source command line video player with no graphical interface, built for scripting and precision

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Showtime

Entertainment

Signature entertainment and sports

From: $10.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only mpv has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: mpv there is no graphical interface at all by default, so a typical non-technical user will find it unusable without significant setup.; 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: mpv covers Command line control, Showtime covers Streaming.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which mpv and Showtime actually diverge.

Attributes where mpv and Showtime differ
Attribute	mpv	Showtime
Starting price	Free	$10.99/month
Pricing model	Open source, no licence fee	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Linux	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 mpv

Command line control
Lua and JavaScript scripting
Plain text configuration
Cross-platform
Minimal on-screen overlay
Embeddable engine

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.

mpv

A developer who wants to script or automate media playback rather than click through a graphical appnot Showtime
A Linux user who wants a lightweight player without the overhead of a full desktop application shellnot Showtime
Someone embedding video playback into another tool or workflow rather than using it as a standalone appnot Showtime
A power user who prefers editing a text config file over navigating a settings panelnot Showtime

Showtime

Premium streamingnot mpv
Sports watchingnot mpv

Where each one falls short

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

mpv

There is no graphical interface at all by default, so a typical non-technical user will find it unusable without significant setup.
It has no library browser, artwork fetching or organised media collection view, unlike IINA or Infuse.
There is no Apple TV, iOS or Android version, so it cannot be used for a living room or mobile streaming setup.
Configuration is entirely file and flag based, so getting a specific behaviour set up correctly has a real learning curve compared with a settings panel.
Because it is a general-purpose engine rather than a consumer product, there is no dedicated support channel beyond community forums and documentation.

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

mpv

Free

mpvFree
- Free and open source under GPL or LGPL depending on build
- No account, subscription or paid tier
- Cross-platform, same engine on every OS

Showtime

$10.99/month

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

Which should you pick?

Choose mpv if

You need command line control.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Mac, Windows, Linux.
You also want lua and javascript scripting.

mpv 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 mpv or Showtime better?: Neither clearly leads. mpv 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, mpv or Showtime?: mpv has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for mpv and $10.99/month for Showtime.
Does mpv or Showtime run on more platforms?: mpv runs on Mac, Windows, Linux. Showtime runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv.
Can I use mpv for free?: Yes. mpv has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Showtime starts at $10.99/month.
What is mpv best used for?: mpv is most often used for a developer who wants to script or automate media playback rather than click through a graphical app, a linux user who wants a lightweight player without the overhead of a full desktop application shell, someone embedding video playback into another tool or workflow rather than using it as a standalone app, a power user who prefers editing a text config file over navigating a settings panel. Of those, a developer who wants to script or automate media playback rather than click through a graphical app and a linux user who wants a lightweight player without the overhead of a full desktop application shell are not what Showtime is typically brought in for.
What can mpv do that Showtime cannot?: mpv covers Command line control, Lua and JavaScript scripting, Plain text configuration, Cross-platform. Showtime covers Streaming, Original series, Movies, Sports.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

mpv: Is mpv free?

Yes, entirely, and it is open source with no paid tier of any kind.

mpv: Does mpv have a GUI?

Not by default. It shows the video and a minimal overlay, but there are no menus, library or settings panel; IINA is the graphical Mac interface built on the same engine.

mpv: Can mpv play from network shares or cloud storage?

It can play many stream types via command line arguments, but it has no built in browsable network or cloud library the way Infuse does.

mpv vs Showtime

mpv

Showtime

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in mpv

Only in Showtime

What people use each for

mpv

Showtime

Where each one falls short

mpv

Showtime

Pricing, plan by plan

mpv

Showtime

Which should you pick?

Choose mpv if

Choose Showtime if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on mpv

More on Showtime

Keep looking

Other head to heads