Both are players. Neither supplies channels — you bring an Xtream or M3U playlist and the app organises it. On the same playlist the picture is the same, because it is the same stream. What differs is everything around it.
The short version: if you watch live TV on one television and want the most proven guide available, TiviMate is still the safer choice. If you have several televisions in the house, CobraTV Pro does something TiviMate does not attempt — it keeps them in step with each other.
TiviMate has been refined over years and has a far larger user base, so its behaviour on unusual playlists and odd hardware is well understood. CobraTV Pro is newer. That is a real advantage and no feature list changes it.
TiviMate's multi-view goes beyond two streams. Our split-screen does two. If you want four games on one screen, that is TiviMate.
TiviMate supports Stalker Portal, which we do not. It also has a free tier that is genuinely usable with a single playlist — ours is a paid app with a 7-day trial.
This is the one no other player answers. Pair your TVs with a code and a PIN and they stay in step: favourite a channel in the garage and it is already there in the lounge; start a film in the bedroom and finish it in the office. Favourite groups, My List, recently watched and the colour and name you gave each playlist all follow you from room to room. Set a playlist up once, not five times. Unlink a device and it goes back to being on its own.
Most providers allow one connection at a time, so switching on a second television knocks the first one off mid-match with no warning. CobraTV Pro shows which room is already using a line, in that playlist's own colour, before you press play — and it will not open an automatic preview on a line someone else is using. Take it anyway if you want; at least it is a decision.
Record now, or schedule from the guide days ahead, with instant replay to jump back to the start of something already running. It records from two providers at once and keeps track of single-connection lines, so a recording is not cut short by somebody in another room pressing play.
The same app, remote-first on Android TV and Firestick, touch-friendly on a phone or tablet — and you can cast from the phone to the TV, with the phone becoming the remote.
A built-in hub of radio, news, weather, podcasts, audiobooks, sports scores, trivia and ambient screens, so the television is useful when there is nothing on. Plus profiles, a parental PIN, and your own local video and music files alongside the playlists.
No premium unlock to buy on top. Annual plans cover one to five devices, and a limited number of lifetime licences are available — one payment, no renewal.
| CobraTV Pro | TiviMate | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Living-room app and player | Live-TV player |
| Channels included | None — you add playlists | None — you add playlists |
| Linked devices, shared favourites and history | Yes | No |
| Warns before taking a busy line | Yes | No |
| Multi-view | 2 streams | More than 2 |
| Stalker Portal | No | Yes |
| Catch-up | Where the provider supplies it | Where the provider supplies it |
| Recording | Now, scheduled, instant replay, two providers at once | Yes |
| Cast phone to TV | Yes | Companion remote instead |
| Radio, news, weather, podcasts built in | Yes | No |
| Free tier | 7-day trial, no card | Yes, limited |
| Track record | Newer, updated weekly | Years, very widely used |
Accurate as at October 2026, for CobraTV Pro 0.9.1408. TiviMate's features are as published by its developer; if anything here is out of date we would rather correct it than leave it wrong.