The 7 Best Free IPTV Apps: How to Watch Live TV on Android
It’s easier than ever to watch on-demand TV shows and movies on your Android device. But what about live TV?
Yes, there are services like Sling and YouTube TV. However, if you know where to look, you don’t need to subscribe to their expensive plans. You can use free IPTV instead; you just need an IPTV app and an IPTV source.
But which is the best IPTV app for Android and Android TV? Keep reading to find out.
What Is an IPTV App?
IPTV apps are a bit like Kodi; they are empty shells that can’t stream any content without some user input. You have the responsibility for adding channels, playlists, and other sources.
Typically, you cannot use the apps to watch Netflix, Hulu, or direct content from other third-party providers. You need to grab an M3U file, which you add to the IPTV app.
1. IPTV Smarters Pro
If you have ever subscribed to a paid IPTV service, there’s a good chance the provider gave you access to a branded version of the IPTV Smarters Pro app. It’s the software of choice among many distributors. M3U IS REQURIED TO USE THIS APP
However, you don’t need to rely on a branded version. As long as you have an M3U URL from your provider, you can add it to the app and enjoy all the same features. Better yet, this “white label” version of Smarters Pro can accept multiple logins, while the branded versions typically cannot.
The app supports on-demand movies and TV shows, as well as catch-up channels, if your provider offers them. It even integrates with external video players (like Perfect Player and VLC) if you would rather use their respective interfaces.
IPTV Smarters Pro is great on mobile devices, but really shines on a TV. It’s definitely one of the must-have IPTV apps for Android TV.
Download: IPTV Smarters Pro (Free, premium version available)
2. STBEmu Pro
STBEmu Pro is one of the most popular apps that is used for Android devices as we as Amazon Fire Stick.
It s designed to run on IPTV STBs to watch internet TV. At this moment STBs MAG 250/254 Emulation
There are two versions of the app: a free one and a paid. It is recommended you use the paid version as the free one contains ads and popups and some servers will not work
To work with this application you have to create at least one STB profile – a set of options required for emulation.
3. TiviMate
In our opinion, TiviMate is comfortably the best IPTV app for Android TV. It’s not available as a mobile version. M3U ACTIVATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS APP
The app supports multiple playlists, renaming of channels and categories, and hidden categories. You can import your own channel logos, customize the order in which channels appear in the TV guide, and take advantage of the search feature (which works for both channel names and currently playing shows).
The free version of TiviMate will suffice for people with one playlist who don’t watch too often. If you’re an IPTV power user, it’s worth upgrading to the pro version. This costs $4.99 per year and allows you to install the app on up to five devices.
Download: TiviMate (Free, subscription available)
4. GSE Smart IPTV
GSE Smart IPTV is one of the most popular IPTV apps in the Google Play Store, and for good reason. First, it’s one of the best-designed IPTV apps for Android. Its crisp design and cable TV-like EPG layout make it easy to forget you’re even using an app. M3U ACTIVATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS APP
Second, GSE Smart IPTV is available on far more platforms than most of its competitors. You’ll find versions for Android, Android TV, iOS, and Apple TV. The app is also Chromecast-compatible. And remember, you can even install Android apps on Amazon Fire TV devices if you know how to sideload APK files.
Feature-wise, GSE Smart IPTV supports EPG content in the XML, ZIP, and GZ formats. It also offers native parental controls and subtitles (SRT files) support. It can play live streams from HTTP, HSL, M3U8, MMS, RTSP, and RTMP sources. The app is ad-supported and suitable for both Android TV and mobile Android devices.
Download: GSE Smart IPTV (Free, premium version available)
5. VLC
VLC Media Player is one of the widely acclaimed IPTV players for Windows 10 which doesn’t just let you play your local media but even IPTV contents using m3u files. Follow the path below to live stream IPTV content. M3U ACTIVATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS APP
Steps:
- Open VLC media player
- Go to Media
- From the dropdown that opens select Open Network Stream
- Paste m3U playlist
6. MyIpTV
Probably the best IPTV player for Windows, MyIPTV is easily available on Microsoft Store for free and lets you play live TV programs and videos via m3u playlists seamlessly with ease. It has an easy to use interface. M3U ACTIVATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS APP
Steps:
- Go to settings
- Add new playlist and EPG source
- Add local channel list (m3u playlist) or any remote URL
- Go back to “Settings”
- Select channel playlist and hit the refresh button.
7. OTT Navigator
OTT Navigator is the biggest IPTV rival to TiviMate on the Android TV platform. Like TiviMate, it is popular among power users. M3U ACTIVATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS APP
There is little difference between them; the two apps share a lot of similar features. OTT Navigator supports filters (by channels, categories, genres, seasons, years, favorite channels, rating, and country), customization of channels and categories, and a search tool.
In our view, the TiviMate interface is slightly more modern and the UI is a little more user-friendly, but you might think differently. Make sure you check out both options before deciding on which is the best IPTV app for your needs.
Download: OTT Navigator (Free, in-app purchases available)
What About Free IPTV on Kodi?
In this roundup, we focused on apps that specialize in IPTV. Kodi can play IPTV content, but also does so much more that we didn’t feel it was a fair comparison.
If you prefer to use Kodi, you won’t need to install any third-party Kodi add-ons. M3U playlist support is a native part of the Kodi app—you just need to add the right component. To get up and running, head to Add-ons > My Add-ons > PVR > PVR IPTV Simple Client > Configure. Enter your M3U playlist address when prompted.