Comparison
Best AirPlay apps for Xbox in 2026: AirServer and the alternatives
Search the Microsoft Store for AirPlay on Xbox and you get half a dozen similar-looking receivers between free and $19.99 — here is what each one actually does.
Quick answer
For most living rooms, the strongest choice is Xaar, the Xbox Advanced AirPlay Receiver. It is the only receiver on the Xbox Microsoft Store that forwards the audio to HomePod, Sonos, and other AirPlay 2 speakers while the picture stays on the TV, in lip sync. The rest do one job: take a mirroring stream from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac and play it on the TV. Among them, cjw1115's AirPlay - Screen Mirroring Receiver ($4.94) is the best-reviewed at 4.1 stars, and AirServer Xbox Edition ($19.99) is the most expensive and the lowest rated at 2.4 stars.
The comparison
Everything in this table except Xaar comes from the US Microsoft Store listings as of October 2026, so you can check every number yourself.
| App | Price | Store rating (Sep 2026) | Protocols and sources | Audio out to AirPlay 2 speakers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AirServer Xbox Edition (App Dynamic) | $19.99 | 2.4 stars (1,920 ratings) | AirPlay, Google Cast, Miracast — iOS, Mac, Android, Windows | No |
| AirPlay - Screen Mirroring Receiver (cjw1115) | $4.94 | 4.1 stars (301 ratings) | AirPlay — iPhone, iPad | No |
| AirPlay Screen Mirrorring Receiver (Hao Cai) | $7.99 | 3.2 stars (2,873 ratings) | AirPlay — iPhone, Mac | No |
| AirPlayReceiver (YH Software) | $7.99 | 3.9 stars (555 ratings) | AirPlay — iPhone, iPad, Mac | No |
| AirPlayMirrorReceiver (Tatvik) | $2.99 | 2.8 stars (83 ratings) | AirPlay — iPhone, iPad, Mac | No |
| EasyCast (Hao Cai) | Free | 3.3 stars (6,358 ratings) | AirPlay and Android casting | No |
| Xaar (Xbox Advanced AirPlay Receiver) | $19.99 (one-time) | New, no ratings yet | AirPlay — iPhone, iPad, Mac | Yes — lipsync delay (Auto, On, Off) holds the video back to match the speakers |
What the ratings say
AirServer Xbox Edition is the incumbent: the only receiver that adds Google Cast and Miracast on top of AirPlay (so it also accepts Windows senders), with its own website at airserver.com. It is also the most expensive at $19.99 and carries the lowest all-time rating in the category — 2.4 stars from 1,920 ratings, with reviews citing connection drops. As of September 2026 the copy on airserver.com still describes the Xbox One.
The middle of the market ($4.94 to $7.99) is single-protocol AirPlay receivers. The best-reviewed is cjw1115's AirPlay - Screen Mirroring Receiver: 4.1 stars at $4.94, though it only takes iPhone and iPad senders. The biggest paid app by review count is Hao Cai's $7.99 receiver at 3.2 stars from 2,873 ratings. EasyCast, free from the same developer, holds 3.3 stars from 6,358 ratings and also accepts Android casting.
The same complaints repeat across the whole category: connection drops, black screens on protected content, and apps that worked in the trial but broke after purchase. An all-time average hides recent changes — read the newest reviews before paying for anything.
Three limits no app can fix
All three are properties of AirPlay mirroring itself, not defects of any one app. They apply to every receiver in the table above, Xaar included.
- Protected streaming content cannot be mirrored. Netflix and similar apps mark their video as DRM-protected, and the block is enforced on the sending device — the TV shows a black window. No receiver on any platform can work around this.
- Mirroring adds latency. The delay is fine for video, presentations, and photos, but it makes every receiver unsuitable as a display for fast-paced gaming.
- The sender and the Xbox must be on the same local network. Guest Wi-Fi and networks with client isolation prevent the Xbox from appearing in Screen Mirroring — this applies to every receiver equally.
How to choose
- Cheapest way to try mirroring at all: EasyCast is free, at 3.3 stars.
- Plain iPhone or iPad mirroring with the best reviews: the $4.94 cjw1115 receiver at 4.1 stars.
- Casting from Windows too: AirServer is the only option with Google Cast and Miracast — weigh that against its 2.4-star rating and $19.99 price. For Android alone, the free EasyCast also accepts Android casting.
- Audio on AirPlay 2 speakers instead of the TV: Xaar is the only app in the category that does it. It is ours.
Where Xaar fits
For the single job of putting an iPhone screen on the TV, a well-reviewed $4.94 receiver does it. Xaar is built for a different setup: a TV that is only as good as its built-in speakers, and AirPlay 2 speakers such as HomePod or Sonos already on the network.
Every other app in the table stops at the TV. Xaar also forwards the audio to AirPlay 2 speakers such as HomePod and Sonos while the video plays on the TV. The lipsync delay is a menu row that cycles Auto, On, and Off: AirPlay 2 schedules audio playback at exact timestamps, so the bulk of the speaker latency is known from the protocol, and while the delay is active Xaar holds the video back to match. A per-device fine-trim setting covers the fixed output lag of the speaker and the TV themselves.
Xaar runs on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S and is a paid one-time purchase on the Microsoft Store — no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads, no accounts, no tracking.
Guide
Use Sonos as your TV speakers — no soundbar
The setup Xaar's audio forwarding was built for, explained step by step.
How-to
How to AirPlay to an Xbox
The Control Center steps, the network requirements, and what to expect.
FAQ
What is the best AirPlay app for Xbox?
For most living rooms, Xaar (Xbox Advanced AirPlay Receiver) is the strongest choice. Besides mirroring an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the TV, it is the only receiver on the Xbox Microsoft Store that can send the sound to HomePod, Sonos, or any other AirPlay 2 speaker, in lip sync. If you only need plain mirroring through the TV speakers, the best-reviewed budget option is cjw1115's AirPlay - Screen Mirroring Receiver (4.1 stars, $4.94, as of October 2026). AirServer Xbox Edition ($19.99) is the only app that also accepts Google Cast and Miracast, but it holds the category's lowest rating at 2.4 stars.
Can any Xbox AirPlay app play Netflix or other streaming services?
No. Streaming apps mark their video as DRM-protected content, and the sending device refuses to mirror it, so the TV shows a black window. This restriction is enforced on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac side and affects every AirPlay receiver on the Xbox store equally.
Is AirServer Xbox Edition worth $19.99?
AirServer Xbox Edition is the only Xbox receiver that accepts Google Cast and Miracast in addition to AirPlay, so it is the only option for casting from Windows devices; for Android, the free EasyCast also accepts Android casting. Against that: it holds 2.4 stars from 1,920 ratings on the US Microsoft Store as of October 2026, reviews cite connection drops, and the copy on airserver.com still describes the Xbox One. If you only need AirPlay from Apple devices, cheaper receivers rate higher.
Can any Xbox app send audio to Sonos or other AirPlay 2 speakers?
Every established AirPlay app on the Xbox store is a receiver only: it takes a stream in and plays it on the TV. Xaar is the only one that also forwards the audio to AirPlay 2 speakers such as HomePod and Sonos. While the lipsync delay is active (its menu row cycles Auto, On, and Off), Xaar holds the video back to match the speakers: AirPlay 2 schedules audio at exact timestamps, so the bulk of the speaker latency is known from the protocol, and a per-device fine-trim covers the fixed output lag of the speaker and the TV.
Why are Xbox AirPlay app ratings so mixed?
The same complaints repeat across the category: connection drops, black screens on DRM-protected content, and apps that worked during the trial but broke after purchase. All-time averages also hide recent changes, so the newest reviews are a more useful signal than the star number alone.