Comparison

CastPanda vs Infuse

Infuse is a media player you set up on your Apple TV. CastPanda streams straight from your Mac to almost any TV, with nothing to install or configure on the TV.

Last updated October 2026
5 min read

CastPanda and Infuse are often mentioned together, but they solve the “videos on my Mac, TV in the living room” problem from opposite ends. Infuse is a media player you install on the TV side, mostly on an Apple TV, that reaches back to your Mac for files. CastPanda runs on your Mac and pushes video to the TV over AirPlay or Google Cast, so there’s nothing to set up on the TV.

We make CastPanda. Infuse details come from Firecore’s own pages, linked in the sources.

Quick verdict

Our pick: CastPanda

More TVs from a Mac. Apple TV, AirPlay 2 smart TVs and Chromecast. Infuse on a Mac can’t cast to Chromecast.
No TV-side setup. No File Sharing, SMB passwords or library scan: open a video, pick a TV, press play.
Pay once. Infuse needs Pro, sold by subscription or as a $99.99 lifetime purchase, for AirPlay and Google Cast.

At a glance

Infuse details from Firecore’s website, support articles, forum and the App Store, October 2026. Not a full feature list.
Feature	CastPanda	Infuse
Setup	Install on the Mac, pick your TV	Install on the Apple TV, turn on File Sharing on the Mac, add the share
Chromecast from a Mac	Yes	No (iPhone and iPad only)
AirPlay from a Mac	Yes	Yes, with Infuse Pro
How video gets to the TV	Streams from the Mac: sent as is when the TV can play it, otherwise converted as it plays	Infuse on the Apple TV plays files from your Mac’s shared folder
MKV and other formats	MKV, AVI, WebM, MP4 and more; jump anywhere instantly	MKV, MP4 and more
Pricing model	One-time purchase	Infuse Pro: subscription or $99.99 lifetime
Free trial	7 days, every feature	7 days of Pro
Subtitles	Built-in text tracks, plus .srt, .ass, .vtt and more, with size, timing and background box	SRT, ASS and more

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Why CastPanda is the better choice

For most homes, the question isn’t how to build a media library on an Apple TV. It’s how to get the video that’s on your Mac onto whatever TV is in the room. CastPanda answers that directly.

It works with the TVs you actually have. AirPlay 2 smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio, Chromecasts, TVs with Google Cast built in, and Apple TV. Infuse on a Mac can’t cast to Chromecast at all, and smart TVs can’t run Infuse themselves.
No setup on the TV side. No file sharing, no SMB passwords, no library scan. Perfect for “I just downloaded this, let’s watch it.”
Original quality when it can, light on your Mac when it can’t. H.264 videos in MP4 or MKV files, which TVs already play, are sent as they are, with no re-encoding. Everything else is converted on your Mac’s built-in media engine, which uses a fraction of the CPU that software encoding would. Either way, you can jump to any point instantly.
Any format, instant seeking. A bundled ffmpeg handles MKV, AVI, WebM, WMV, FLV and more, preparing each part on demand, so jumping to any point starts right there.
Playlists and resume. Drop several videos, a whole folder or an .m3u file and they play one after another; reorder by dragging and save the list as an M3U playlist. Reopen a video and it picks up where you stopped.
Built-in subtitles and audio tracks. Text subtitle tracks inside MKV and MP4 files are listed and shown, and one marked default or forced turns on by itself. Files with several audio tracks, such as dubs or commentary, let you pick the one you want.
Subtitles you can read from the couch. Separate .srt, .ass, .vtt and other subtitle files work too, and one named after the video is picked up automatically. CastPanda draws every subtitle into the picture in its own adjustable style, so it shows on any TV: change the size, nudge the timing and add a background box for bright scenes.
5.1 surround. 5.1 and 7.1 soundtracks are kept as 5.1 surround (7.1 is folded down), with a setting to switch back to stereo.
Pay once. No subscription and no account. Infuse needs Pro for AirPlay and Google Cast.
Your Mac does the work, privately. Video streams over your local network only, and CastPanda keeps your Mac awake while it plays.

Two different ways to watch

The Infuse way: set up the Apple TV

Firecore’s recommended setup is to install Infuse on your Apple TV and point it at a shared folder on your Mac:

On the Mac, open System Settings › General › Sharing and turn on File Sharing.
Add the folders with your videos to the shared folders list, and in the options make sure your user account has Windows File Sharing (SMB) turned on. Firecore notes this is required for Infuse.
On the Apple TV, open Infuse, choose to add a share, pick your Mac, and sign in with your Mac user name and password.
Infuse scans the shared folder before you can browse it.

It only works where Infuse runs (Apple TV, not your Samsung or LG TV’s own apps or a Chromecast), your Mac must stay on and awake with sharing enabled, and some features need Pro.

The CastPanda way: send from the Mac

Open a video, a folder or a playlist on the Mac, choose a TV, and CastPanda streams it over your local network. There’s nothing to install on the TV, which is why it works with AirPlay 2 smart TVs, Chromecasts and TVs with Google Cast built in, not just Apple TV.

Pricing and trials

CastPanda is a one-time purchase of $9.99, with a 7-day free trial that includes every feature. See current pricing.

Infuse Pro, which you need for AirPlay and Google Cast, costs $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 for lifetime access, with a 7-day free trial.

The bottom line

If you want your Mac’s videos on the TV without setting anything up, CastPanda is the better choice. It streams almost any file to Apple TV, AirPlay 2 smart TVs and Chromecast, starts in a couple of clicks, lets you skip anywhere instantly, handles playlists, subtitles and audio tracks, and you pay once. Try CastPanda free for 7 days.

Frequently asked questions

Can Infuse on a Mac cast to a Chromecast?

No. Infuse supports Google Cast on iPhone and iPad, but not on macOS; Firecore staff have confirmed on their forum that casting from macOS isn’t supported. From a Mac, Infuse can stream over AirPlay with an Infuse Pro subscription or lifetime purchase. CastPanda casts to Chromecasts and Google Cast TVs straight from the Mac.

Do I need CastPanda if I already have Infuse on my Apple TV?

Infuse on an Apple TV can play files from your Mac once you’ve turned on File Sharing and added the share. CastPanda skips that setup entirely: open a video and pick a TV. It also reaches TVs that can’t run Infuse, such as AirPlay 2 smart TVs, Chromecasts and TVs with Google Cast built in.

Does Infuse need a subscription?

For AirPlay and Google Cast, you need Infuse Pro: $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 for a lifetime license, with a 7-day free trial. CastPanda is a one-time purchase.

Sources

Competitor details were checked on each vendor’s own website or App Store page in October 2026. Prices and features change; check the vendor’s site before you buy.