Comparison · verified on 2026-09-25
Megacubo vs TiviMate: Android TV or every device?
TiviMate is an app built for the living room, on Android TV; Megacubo is the same app on the computer, the phone and the TV. Both are players, both depend on your playlist and neither brings channels. The difference that decides it is the first question: how many different devices do you watch on?
In one sentence
In short: if you watch on one Android TV and want multi-view, recording and catch-up on that same screen, TiviMate is the natural choice — it was designed for exactly that; if you also watch on a computer, a phone or Linux, or want to cast from the computer to the TV, Megacubo covers both worlds with a single app.
Side by side
| Attribute | Megacubo | TiviMate |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An M3U/IPTV playlist player, with live TV, radio and VOD | A “media player”, in the site's own words, which states it is not affiliated with any content provider 1 |
| Where it runs | Windows 10/11 (x64 and ARM64), Linux, macOS, Android, Android TV and TV boxes | Android TV devices; the site says the app is not optimized for phones and tablets 1 |
| How it installs | An installer-downloader on Windows, packages on Linux, an APK on Android, besides GitHub Releases and SourceForge | An APK from the project's site — which checks for updates — or from Google Play 1 |
| Code | Open (GPL-3.0), with the source on GitHub | Distributed as an application only; the site publishes no source code 1 |
| Multi-view | No | Yes, among the features the site lists 1 |
| Recording | Yes, with the optional Premium license | Yes, among the features the site lists 1 |
| Catch-up | Depends on the provider of the playlist | Yes, listed among the features 1 |
| Favourites, search and parental controls | Favourites and search; there is no passcode lock | Listed among the features, together with personalization 1 |
| Radio | Yes | Not listed among the features 1 |
| Desktop (Windows, Linux, macOS) | Yes, on all three | Not among the platforms on its site 1 |
| Cast to the TV | Yes, from the computer to the TV, with the Premium license | The app already runs on the TV; there is no desktop version to cast from 1 |
| Accounts and profiles | No account and no login | Not listed among the features 1 |
| Content included | None: the playlist is the user's | None: the site states the app provides no content and no channels 1 |
| Price | Free; an optional one-time Premium license (recording, downloads, scheduled recordings and casting to the TV) | Advanced features depend on a premium upgrade or subscription; the site says it unlocks application features only, and not channels, streams or media 1 |
1 Source for the TiviMate facts: tivimate.com — the project's page, with its legal notice and feature list, checked on 2026-09-25. The Megacubo facts are on this section's facts and specifications page.
Pros and cons of both sides
Megacubo
- One app for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android and Android TV — the same playlist on all of them
- Recording, scheduled recordings and casting to the TV, with a one-time license
- Radio, community playlists and open source under GPL-3.0
- It does not watch several streams at once
- There is no passcode lock and no profiles
- On a TV it depends on an Android TV device or a TV box, not on a native Smart TV app
TiviMate
- Built for the living room: it was born for Android TV, with the remote control as the main input
- Multi-view, recording, catch-up and parental controls in one place
- Distributed from the project's site, with updates handled by the app itself
- There is no version for computers or phones — the site says it is not optimized for phone and tablet
- Advanced features depend on a premium upgrade
- No published source code, and no radio or desktop-to-TV casting
Frequently asked questions
Does TiviMate run on a computer?
No. The project's site says the app is intended for Android TV devices and is not optimized for phones and tablets; the platforms it lists do not include Windows, Linux or macOS. Megacubo has a native app for desktop and for Android, Android TV included.
Which of the two has multi-view?
TiviMate lists multi-view among its features, together with recording, catch-up, favourites, search and parental controls. Megacubo does not watch several streams at once; what it offers in that place is recording, scheduled recordings and casting to the TV.
Do either of them provide channels?
No. The TiviMate site states the app is a media player only, that it does not provide any content and that it is not affiliated with any content provider. The Megacubo facts page says the same on our side: no channel is provided, bundled or endorsed.