Is IINA or Philo better?

Neither clearly leads. IINA starts at Free and Philo at $33/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, IINA or Philo?

IINA has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for IINA and $33/month for Philo.

Does IINA or Philo run on more platforms?

IINA runs on Mac. Philo runs on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV.

Can I use IINA for free?

Yes. IINA has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Philo starts at $33/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 Philo is typically brought in for.

What can IINA do that Philo cannot?

IINA covers mpv playback engine, Native macOS interface, Trackpad gestures, Picture-in-picture. Philo covers Unlimited cloud DVR, Around 70 channels, No contracts, Multiple simultaneous streams.

Entertainment · head to head

IINA vs Philo

IINA

Entertainment

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

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Philo

Entertainment

Cheap entertainment-only live TV streaming with no sports and no local broadcast channels

From: $33/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.; Philo there is no sports coverage of any kind, and no add-on exists to get it, so anyone wanting even occasional live sports needs a different service entirely.
They diverge on capability: IINA covers mpv playback engine, Philo covers Unlimited cloud DVR.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IINA and Philo actually diverge.

Attributes where IINA and Philo differ
Attribute	IINA	Philo
Starting price	Free	$33/month
Pricing model	Open source, no licence fee	Per household per month, single plan
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Mac	Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV

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 Philo

Unlimited cloud DVR
Around 70 channels
No contracts
Multiple simultaneous streams
Low base price
On-demand library

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 Philo
Someone who wants a free player with real trackpad gesture support for seeking and volumenot Philo
A user who wants picture-in-picture video while working in other appsnot Philo
Anyone who prefers a graphical Mac-native player over configuring raw mpv from the command linenot Philo

Philo

A household that gets local news over an antenna and does not need it duplicated in a streaming bundlenot IINA
Someone who wants reality, lifestyle and general cable channels and has no interest in sports at allnot IINA
A budget cord-cutter comparing the lowest possible monthly cost among mainstream live TV servicesnot IINA
A second household or vacation home subscription where a full sports-inclusive bundle is not worth the costnot 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.

Philo

There is no sports coverage of any kind, and no add-on exists to get it, so anyone wanting even occasional live sports needs a different service entirely.
It carries no local ABC, CBS, Fox or NBC affiliate feeds, so live local news and network prime time require an antenna or another service.
The channel count, at around 70, is meaningfully smaller than fuboTV or DirecTV Stream, so genre variety outside entertainment and lifestyle is limited.
News coverage is thin, with no major 24-hour cable news network included on the base lineup in the way some competitors carry CNN or Fox News.
Because it deliberately stays in one narrow lane, households whose needs change to include sports have to switch providers entirely rather than upgrading a Philo tier.

Pricing, plan by plan

IINA

Free

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

Philo

$33/month

Philo$33/month
- Around 70 entertainment and lifestyle channels
- Unlimited cloud DVR
- No sports or local broadcast channels

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 Philo if

You need unlimited cloud dvr.
You work on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV.
You also want around 70 channels.

Philo review

Questions people ask

Is IINA or Philo better?: Neither clearly leads. IINA starts at Free and Philo at $33/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IINA or Philo?: IINA has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for IINA and $33/month for Philo.
Does IINA or Philo run on more platforms?: IINA runs on Mac. Philo runs on Web, iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV.
Can I use IINA for free?: Yes. IINA has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Philo starts at $33/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 Philo is typically brought in for.
What can IINA do that Philo cannot?: IINA covers mpv playback engine, Native macOS interface, Trackpad gestures, Picture-in-picture. Philo covers Unlimited cloud DVR, Around 70 channels, No contracts, Multiple simultaneous streams.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IINA: Is IINA free?

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

Philo: Does Philo have any sports channels?

No, it excludes sports entirely, including ESPN and regional sports networks, and there is no add-on to get them.

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.

Philo: Does Philo include local channels like ABC or NBC?

No, local broadcast affiliates are not included; you would need an antenna or a different streaming service for those.

IINA: Does IINA work on Apple TV?

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

Philo: Why is Philo so much cheaper than fuboTV?

Because it excludes the two most expensive categories of content to carry, sports rights and local broadcast retransmission fees.

IINA vs Philo

IINA

Philo

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in IINA

Only in Philo

What people use each for

IINA

Philo

Where each one falls short

IINA

Philo

Pricing, plan by plan

IINA

Philo

Which should you pick?

Choose IINA if

Choose Philo if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on IINA

More on Philo

Keep looking

Other head to heads