PlayOn In-Depth Reviews: Is It Worth to Try [2025 Update]
Erika09/09/2025Summary: What do users think about PlayOn? Dive into authentic reviews to see if PlayOn is the right choice for you. If you want to download videos with PlayOn, but are a bit hesitant, this review is for you.
Introduction: What is PlayOn
PlayOn is a streaming solution that allows users to record their favorite TV shows, movies, and other media content from a wide range of streaming services and channels.
PlayOn offers 2 plans: PlayOn Cloud (for mobile & Mac) and PlayOn Home (for Windows PC only). You have to pay them separately, and the license for different devices cannot be shared.
| 💰 Subscription Plan |
[PlayOn Cloud]
[PlayOn Home]
|
|---|---|
|
🤖 System Requirement
|
[PlayOn Cloud]
[PlayOn Home]
|
|
💡Troubleshooting Method
|
In the next sections, we will explore the key features and advantages of PlayOn, supported devices and platforms, and how to set up PlayOn on your devices, allowing you to make the most of this innovative streaming solution. Stay tuned for an in-depth review of PlayOn, as we delve into the world of streaming and entertainment.
Is PlayOn Legal & Safe to Use?
PlayOn allows you to record and save your favorite streaming shows for offline viewing. In the US, using PlayOn for your own paid content is typically considered personal use, which is generally safe and rarely leads to issues. In simple words, if you only keep the recordings for yourself, you’re unlikely to face problems. But if you share or distribute those files, you risk suspension or termination of your streaming account.
For security, always download PlayOn from its official website to avoid malware or fake versions. And it doesn't bypass the paywall or exhibit suspicious behaviours in the view of streaming services, so you don't have to worry about your account being compromised or getting banned as well.
PlayOn's Pros & Cons Review
With its range of impressive features and advantages, PlayOn has become a popular choice among streaming enthusiasts. Here are the key features that make PlayOn stand out:
- Available on both Mobile and PC devices (although you have to pay for them separately)
- Skip ads when you watch the recorded videos
- Schedule time to record the newly released episodes automatically
- Set time to record at off-peak bandwidth
- You can get videos in 1080P recording quality
- Over 20+ streaming services are supported for recording
However, after our deep research and in-person test, we've found that compared with the features, the disadvantages of PlayOn catch our attention.
- The quality of recorded videos isn't equal to downloaded videos, although the official announced they support 1080P, there are still very obvious edge blurs and frame duplication
- Excessive CPU occupancy over 40%, even 60%, which will; push your device shut down
- It takes a long time to wait for the recording procedures. If you need to record a 2-hour movie, you have to spend over 2 hours on the recording
- Super large file size. I record a 30-minute episode in 480p, and it takes up 470 MB
- Unable to record multiple videos at the same time, you need to finish them one by one
- Negative ratings from users on Trustpilot, especially complaints about quality, fake LFT plan, support, etc.
*The below pic refers to the sample recorded with PlayOn from Prime Video. In the output video, there are still stalling and buffering effects ⬇️
User Reviews
PlayOn has a 1.5-star rating on Trustpilot with 52 reviews in total. Most recent reviews complain about the functional issues, poor customer support, and scam-like license changes. If you turn your sight to Reddit, here are the top results of the search for PlayOn.
Having experienced the full functions of PlayOn, is it a qualified option for you? If not, you're in luck since we found a better solution for you.
A Better Alternative to PlayOn: StreamFab Video Downloader
When comparing StreamFab to other similar streaming solutions, it stands out with its comprehensive features, user-friendly interface, and reliable support. While PlayOn is a feasible method to get videos, StreamFab offers a more seamless and superior streaming experience.
With StreamFab, you can download a wide range of content from popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more in 1080p MP4/MKV format without ads.
| StreamFab | PlayOn | |
|---|---|---|
| OS |
Win & Mac & Android
|
Win & Mac & Android & iPhone |
| Supported services |
50+ main OTTs and 1000+ online sites
|
20+ main OTT
|
|
Auto download
|
✅
|
❌
|
|
Video quality
|
8K/4K/1080p
|
1080p
|
|
Audio quality
|
Dolby Atmos/EAC3 5.1/AAC 2.0
|
Original Audio
|
|
Bitrate
|
2547K
|
❌ |
|
Meta info
|
Collection, Season, Track name, Description, Writing application, Cover, Part_ID | ❌ |
|
Free trial
|
3 free downloads
full-length
All functions are available
|
Record video with Ads |
| 📖 Reviews | StreamFab Review: Real Person Test | Objective & Comprehensive 2025 | PlayOn In-Depth Reviews: Is It Worth to Try [2025 Update] |
Choose the streaming service
Find the streaming website you want. You can also copy and paste your video URL directly into the address bar on the Homepage. Here we take Netflix as an example.
Customize the file
Please search for the video, for example, Squid Game, and play it; then a pop-up window will ask for your customization. You can choose the audio, subtitle language, format, resolution, etc.
Click the download button
After customization, you can download it right now or add it to the queue.
FAQs
PlayOn Desktop is the previous version of PlayOn Home, and it cannot be used on Windows 11, does not support Closed-Captioning, and does not support numerous content channels that are supported in PlayOn Home. Since PlayOn Desktop has been significantly upgraded and transformed into PlayOn Home, the PlayOn Desktop version is no longer under active maintenance and support.
Conclusion
One of the key highlights of PlayOn is its extensive support for devices and platforms. Whether you prefer streaming on your computer, smartphone, or tablet, PlayOn has got you covered. However, it works as a recorder, not a downloader, indeed, so it is hard to get qualified or clear videos as you expected.
If you would like to use PlayOn to save videos, personally, I don't recommend that you do that. There are many better video downloaders than PlayOn, which always asks for more pennies, but offers fewer functions.
