Vela
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VLC or a dedicated IPTV player on iPhone?

VLC is a free, open-source player that opens almost any file or stream, M3U playlists included. A dedicated IPTV player is built around a TV service, with a guide grid, categories and an Xtream sign-in. Here's a fair look at both, from the developer of Vela, which uses VLC's engine for some formats.

What VLC does well

VLC for iOS comes from VideoLAN, the project behind VLC on computers. Its App Store page and website say it:

  • plays most formats directly, without converting them first;
  • streams from the web and from network shares and servers (SMB, FTP, SFTP, NFS and UPnP/DLNA), and opens network streams including HLS and RTSP;
  • syncs files with iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Box, and over Wi-Fi from a computer;
  • handles advanced subtitles, several audio tracks and playback speed;
  • renders through Chromecast, and works with AirPlay;
  • runs on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro, and is completely free and open source, with no in-app purchases.

Its privacy label lists only crash and performance data, not linked to you. For a general-purpose player, that's hard to argue with.

Playing an M3U playlist in VLC

In VLC, Open Network Stream takes a link, and that includes a playlist link. A single stream address, or a short playlist of a few streams, works well this way.

A provider's full list is a different job. VLC opens it as it would any playlist, and its App Store page and website don't mention a TV guide, categories or an Xtream sign-in. If you only watch a handful of streams, or already use VLC for everything else, that may be all you need.

What a dedicated IPTV player adds

An IPTV player is built around one thing: turning a provider's login or playlist into something you can browse like TV. In Vela, that means:

  • A TV guide grid: channels against the clock, with a line at now, from an XMLTV link or straight from an Xtream server, plus now and next on every channel.
  • Categories from the provider's groups, which you can search and star, with favourites and Recently Watched channels.
  • Xtream sign-in: a server, a username and a password, which bring live channels, films and series as separate lists, with plot, cast and ratings where the provider has them, and the account's expiry and connection limit.
  • Continue Watching for films and episodes, with the next episode a tap away in the player.
  • Channel changes from the player, full screen, as with a TV remote.
  • Casting with the phone as the remote: AirPlay, Google Cast and DLNA TVs, in every plan. While the TV plays, you can pause, seek, change channel, set the TV's volume or bring the picture back to the phone.
  • Help finding something (Vela Pro): a match score on every film and series, with Top Picks for You and More Like This, worked out on your iPhone and never uploaded, and search as you type (Vela Pro).

The engine they share

Vela plays through the iPhone's own player, AVFoundation, when it can, because Picture in Picture depends on it. For what that player can't open, such as MKV and AVI files, raw MPEG-TS streams, HEVC outside HLS, and AC3 or DTS audio, Vela switches to VLCKit, the playback engine from the VideoLAN project, used under the LGPL. It does that by itself and carries on from the same place.

So the formats VLC is known for play in Vela too. Two differences worth knowing: Picture in Picture works while the iPhone's own player is playing, not while VLCKit is; and unlike VLC, Vela isn't open source.

Side by side

  • Price: VLC is free, with no in-app purchases. Vela is free to download; on its free plan, playback pauses for a moment every 10 minutes, and Vela Pro is USD 14.99 a year or USD 29.99 once in the US.
  • Source code: VLC for iOS is open source, under the Mozilla Public License 2 and the GPL 2 or later. Vela isn't, though it uses VLCKit under the LGPL.
  • What it opens: VLC takes files, network shares, cloud storage and stream links. Vela takes Xtream logins and M3U or M3U8 playlists, by link or from Files, with an XMLTV guide.
  • Guide and categories: not mentioned for VLC; in Vela, a guide grid and categories you can search and star.
  • Casting: VLC renders through Chromecast and works with AirPlay. Vela casts to AirPlay, Google Cast and DLNA TVs.
  • Devices: both run on iPhone, iPad and Apple Vision Pro. VLC has an Apple TV app and Vela doesn't yet; Vela also runs as the iPad app on Macs with Apple silicon.
  • Privacy label: VLC lists crash and performance data, not linked to you. Vela's reads Data Not Collected.

Which one to use

  • VLC, if you play files and shares as much as TV, if open source matters to you, or if your playlist is a few streams.
  • An IPTV player, if you have a provider's Xtream login or a long playlist with a guide, and want to browse it like TV.

Plenty of people keep both. VLC is free and Vela's 14-day trial covers everything, so try your own playlist in each. Setting up an IPTV player on iPhone has the steps for Vela, and how to open an M3U file on iPhone covers links and files.

Vela includes no channels or content. Use it only with a subscription or playlist you're entitled to use.