AirPlay icon

AirPlay

AirPlay is a proprietary protocol developed by Apple that allows wireless streaming between Apple devices and AirPlay-enabled speakers, TVs and other receivers. It lets users stream audio, video, device screens, and photos wirelessly to an Apple TV or other AirPlay-compatible devices.

What is AirPlay?

AirPlay is a proprietary protocol developed by Apple Inc. that allows wireless streaming between Apple devices and AirPlay-enabled speakers, TVs, AV receivers, and other hardware. It enables users to stream audio, video, device screens, photos, gameplay, and more wirelessly from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac to an Apple TV or other AirPlay 2–compatible smart TVs, speakers, and receivers.

Some key capabilities and uses of AirPlay include:

  • Streaming music, podcasts, and other audio seamlessly from an Apple device to AirPlay-enabled speakers - great for partys or whole home audio.
  • Viewing photos and slideshows from an iOS device or Mac on a TV screen wirelessly.
  • Mirroring your Mac, iPhone, or iPad display in real-time to a TV with Apple TV.
  • Extending your Mac or iPad display to an HDTV using AirPlay.
  • Playing videos, movies, TV shows, and more from apps on an Apple device to an Apple TV or smart TV.

AirPlay provides a convenient wireless second-screen experience for effortlessly consuming media, content, and screens across Apple devices. It takes advantage of hardware acceleration on Apple platforms for smooth, low-latency streaming. The AirPlay ecosystem continues to expand with more third-party speaker manufacturers and smart TVs integrating AirPlay 2 support.

The Best AirPlay Alternatives

Top Apps like AirPlay

SoundWire, Airfoil, WiFi Audio Wireless Speaker, Stream What You Hear, TuneBlade, Stardock Acoustic Bridge, AirAudio, Soundfly, Mkchromecast, SpeakerShare, Share Speaker Player, StreamToMe, Snapcast, Gnomecast, Flipps, Porthole, RaopX, withU, oAEP are some alternatives to AirPlay.

SoundWire

SoundWire is software designed for streaming audio between devices. It works by installing the SoundWire server on one device, like a desktop computer, and the SoundWire companion app on another device like a phone, tablet, or another computer.Once connected over the same WiFi network, SoundWire allows seamless streaming of...

Airfoil

Airfoil is an audio streaming software application developed by Rogue Amoeba. It allows users to wirelessly stream audio playing on their computer to a variety of devices that support AirPlay or Bluetooth.Some key features of Airfoil include:Streams audio from various sources on your computer like iTunes, Spotify, web...

WiFi Audio Wireless Speaker

A WiFi audio wireless speaker, sometimes called a smart speaker, is a type of wireless speaker that connects to your home WiFi network to enable streaming audio capabilities. This allows you to play music, podcasts, audiobooks and more from streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Audible or internet radio stations...

Stream What You Hear

Stream What You Hear is a software program that enables users to livestream any audio playing on their Windows computer. It works by capturing audio from applications and devices on the system, then streaming that audio in real-time to popular services like YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook.Some key features of...

TuneBlade

TuneBlade is a digital audio workstation (DAW) designed for music composition, songwriting, recording, and audio production. With TuneBlade, users can create professional-sounding music without needing expertise in music theory or high-end studio equipment.Some key features of TuneBlade include:Hundreds of customizable software instruments including pianos, drums, guitars, orchestral instruments...

Stardock Acoustic Bridge

Stardock Acoustic Bridge is a software designed to stream audio from your Windows PC to various wireless devices including smartphones, speakers, TVs, and more. It works by creating a bridge over your WiFi network so you can play audio on one device and hear it on another device on the...

AirAudio

AirAudio is an open-source AirPlay server software that allows you to stream audio from your computer to AirPlay devices like Apple TVs, AirPlay-enabled speakers, or receivers. It works by making your computer act like an AirPlay audio source on your local network that you can select from your AirPlay device...

Soundfly

Soundfly is an online music education platform designed to teach music production, audio engineering, songwriting, theory, and business skills. Founded in 2013, Soundfly offers video tutorials, downloadable production guides, mentoring sessions, and full courses taught by experienced music industry professionals.Soundfly aims to make high-quality music education accessible and affordable to...

Mkchromecast

Mkchromecast is an open-source command line utility that enables you to stream audio from your computer to Chromecast devices. It can discover Chromecast devices on your local network and send audio from various sources to them.Some key features of Mkchromecast include:Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows systemsStreams audio...

SpeakerShare

SpeakerShare is an innovative software solution designed specifically for speakers, presenters, and event organizers to effortlessly share presentation materials with audiences. It provides an intuitive interface and robust set of features to upload slides, videos, PDFs, and other files that attendees can access via a customized, event-specific web page.Some...

Share Speaker Player

Share Speaker Player is a free multi-platform music and audio player app that has the ability to stream what you're listening to in real time over WiFi or Bluetooth to other devices running the app. This allows you to have synchronized listening sessions where the audio plays at the exact...

StreamToMe

StreamToMe is an easy-to-use video streaming software designed to stream videos, music, and more from a Windows or Mac computer to other devices in real-time over a home network connection. With StreamToMe, users can stream their video files, online videos, webcams, computer screen activity, and media libraries to smartphones, tablets...

Snapcast

Snapcast is an open source, multi-room audio streaming software that is designed to synchronize audio playback across multiple devices and rooms. It works by connecting multiple audio playback devices like Bluetooth speakers, Raspberry Pis, PCs, or other Snapserver instances together on a local network to create a whole-house audio system...

Gnomecast

Gnomecast is an open source desktop application for Linux that allows you to easily cast or stream media from your computer to a TV or speakers using a Chromecast device. It provides a simple graphical user interface to wirelessly send videos, music, web pages, and more to your Chromecast without...

Flipps

Flipps is a cross-platform streaming application and service that consolidates many popular streaming services into one easy-to-use interface. It enables users to access, discover and stream content from services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon, and more from a single app on phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs and streaming devices.Some...

Porthole

Porthole is an open source application designed for system administrators to manage SSH and VNC connections.It allows you to organize and access multiple remote servers and desktops through a single window, instead of having multiple terminal windows open. Some key features include:Connect via SSH or VNC to remote...

RaopX

RaopX is an open-source AirPlay receiver application for Linux that enables you to stream audio from Apple devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs to your Linux computer. It works by implementing the AirPlay protocol to receive and decode audio streams sent from AirPlay compatible devices.Some key features of...

WithU

withU is a software that focuses on relationship intelligence for businesses. It analyzes communications data from sources like email, chat, phone calls, and meetings to provide insights into how to build stronger connections with both customers and employees.Some of the key features of withU include:Identifying engagement drivers -...

OAEP

oAEP (optimized asymmetric encryption padding) is an encryption scheme commonly used in public key cryptography systems to enhance security and prevent partial decryption of messages. It works by applying padding with randomness to messages before encryption using a public key.During oAEP padding, a random string of bits is generated...