Short answer: UHF is one of the best IPTV players you can put on an Apple TV, iPhone or Mac, and its free tier is usable enough to find out for yourself. It looks and behaves like a proper Apple app, handles Dolby Vision and Atmos, and plays your Plex or Jellyfin library alongside live channels. The catches: it's Apple-only, with no Android or Google TV version, and recording needs a separate server app running on a computer. At $17.99 a year for Pro, it's cheaper than IPTVX and worth it if you watch every week.
At a glance
UHF in brief
| Publisher | Short Wavelength Applications Ltd |
| Runs on | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Vision Pro |
| Price | Free; Pro $17.99/yr or $49.99 lifetime |
| Best at | Polish, HDR, Plex and Jellyfin in one app |
| Missing | Android version; on-device recording |
Who UHF is for
The buyer's question here is simple: is your household Apple, or mixed?
If you watch on an Apple TV 4K, an iPhone and maybe an iPad, UHF is near the top of the list. It's built for those devices and nothing else, and it shows. Menus respond the way Apple's own apps do, the Siri Remote works as you'd expect, and settings sync across your devices with Pro.
If anyone in the house watches on an Android TV box, a Google TV or a Fire TV, UHF won't follow them. There's no Android version at all. A mixed household is better served by IPTVX, which runs on both, or by different players on different devices.
And as with every legitimate player, UHF contains no channels. It plays an M3U playlist or Xtream Codes login you already have from a service. Setting up IPTV on Apple TV covers the basics.
What you get
From the App Store listing and the developer's site, as of September 2026:
- Sources: M3U and M3U8 playlists, Xtream Codes logins, plus Plex, Jellyfin and Emby libraries in the same app.
- Picture: Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Dolby Atmos where the stream carries them.
- Guide: an electronic programme guide redesigned for touch and remote use, with instant search across everything.
- Catch-up: plays provider archives where your source supports them. What catch-up is.
- Multiview: up to four streams at once in picture-in-picture.
- Casting: AirPlay and Chromecast.
- Extras: Trakt history, OpenSubtitles, playlist merging and renaming, PIN-based parental controls, automatic reconnect when a stream drops.
The Plex and Jellyfin support deserves a mention. If you already run a media server for films, UHF puts your library and live channels in one place, which neither TiviMate nor most IPTV players do.
Free vs Pro, and what it costs
UHF is free to download. Pro removes ads and watermarks, adds sync across devices and Family Sharing, unlocks the full guide range and adds reminders.
| Plan | US price (Sept 2026) | Worth it for |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Trying it; occasional viewing |
| Pro monthly | $1.99 on the App Store listing ($2.99 quoted on UHF's site) | A month to decide |
| Pro annual | $17.99 | Most regular viewers |
| Pro lifetime | $49.99 | Committed Apple households, after a year |
The two monthly figures reflect a difference between the App Store listing and the developer's own site; the App Store shows your local price before you confirm, so trust that. Lifetime overtakes the annual plan in just under three years. As with any "lifetime" app licence, it lasts as long as the app does, so we'd start with a year.
Family Sharing in Pro is a quiet win: one purchase covers everyone in an Apple family group.
Getting set up on Apple TV
Typing a long server address with a Siri Remote is miserable, and UHF's setup is one of the reasons people like it. You can add your source on an iPhone and, with Pro sync, have it appear on the Apple TV, or type it on the TV once and be done.
- Install UHF from the App Store on the Apple TV, and on your iPhone if you have one. Check the publisher reads Short Wavelength Applications Ltd.
- Add a source. Choose Xtream if your service gave you a server, username and password; choose M3U if it gave you a single link. Which one you have.
- Add a guide URL if your provider supplies it separately. Give it a few minutes to load the first time.
- Hide the channel groups you won't use and set favourites. A short list is far quicker with a remote.
- Watch a busy evening's live channel before deciding on Pro. That's when any weakness in your source shows up.
If the guide stays empty, that's almost always a guide URL or channel-matching issue, not the app. Fixing a guide that won't load.
Is Pro worth it?
For a single Apple TV that you use a couple of times a week, the free tier may be enough, provided the ads and guide limits don't bother you. Pro makes sense once you watch most evenings, want the same setup on an iPhone and iPad, or share with family. At $17.99 a year it's roughly the price of one month of a mid-range streaming service, which is fair for an app you'd open daily. The lifetime tier at $49.99 is only a bargain if you're sure you'll still be on Apple devices and still using a playlist in three years.
Recording and UHF Server
tvOS doesn't let apps store large recordings on the Apple TV itself. So UHF, like every Apple TV player, can't record on the device.
UHF's answer is UHF Server, a separate app you run on a Mac, Windows or Linux machine on your home network. It handles scheduling and recording, and UHF on your Apple TV or iPhone plays the results back. It works, but it means leaving a computer on. If you already have a Mac mini or a NAS running, it's a sensible setup. If you don't, recording probably isn't worth buying hardware for.
Channels DVR is the other route on Apple TV, at $80 a year, and it's the better choice if your household also has non-Apple devices. Every way to record IPTV, compared.
The weak points
Apple only. We've said it, but it's the single biggest limitation. No Android, no Google TV, no Fire TV, no smart TV apps.
Mac needs Apple silicon. The Mac version requires an M1 chip or later and macOS 13 or newer. Older Intel Macs are out.
A newer tvOS. The Apple TV app needs tvOS 17 or later, which rules out the oldest Apple TV HD units that can't update.
Pricing clarity. Monthly prices differ between the developer's site and the App Store, which is a small thing but a bit sloppy.
Your source still matters most. UHF can't fix a guide your provider doesn't supply, or a stream that buffers because the source is overloaded. Where buffering usually comes from.
UHF vs IPTVX vs iPlayTV
| UHF | IPTVX | iPlayTV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $17.99 | $28.99 | Paid app; check App Store |
| Android / Google TV | No | Yes | No |
| Plex / Jellyfin | Plex, Jellyfin, Emby | Plex, plus SMB shares | No |
| Multiview | Up to 4 in PiP | Yes | Limited |
| Recording | Via UHF Server | Via IPTVX Media Server | No |
| Best for | All-Apple homes | Mixed Apple and Android | Simple iPhone use |
For an all-Apple household, UHF is the better value. If you need one app across an iPhone and a Google TV box, IPTVX earns its higher price. Our IPTVX review goes into it.
About the built-in VPN
UHF includes a VPN client supporting WireGuard and OpenVPN, with presets for well-known providers. It's a convenience for people who already use a VPN for privacy on public Wi-Fi.
It isn't a reason to choose the app, and it doesn't change what's licensed. Using a VPN to reach services that aren't sold in your country usually breaks their terms, and a VPN doesn't make an unlicensed stream legal. Whether you need a VPN for IPTV at all.
Quick answers
Is UHF a good IPTV player? Yes. It's one of the most polished players for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Is UHF free? The app is free with ads and some limits. Pro is $17.99 a year or $49.99 lifetime in the US.
Is UHF on Android or Fire TV? No. It's only on Apple devices.
Can UHF record? Not on the Apple TV itself. Recording works through the separate UHF Server app on a Mac, Windows or Linux computer.
Does UHF work with Plex and Jellyfin? Yes, alongside M3U playlists and Xtream Codes logins.
UHF or IPTVX? UHF for all-Apple homes and lower cost; IPTVX if you also use Android or Google TV.
Does UHF include channels? No. It plays a playlist or login you already have.
Based on the App Store listing, the developer's published features and reported 2026 prices, not hands-on testing. Prices vary by country. Checked September 2026.