Nebula vs Swiftfin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nebula
Access a curated collection of videos, podcasts, and classes from independent creators. Enjoy exclusive original content, extended cuts, and offline downloads. Support creators directly through this ad-free streaming platform.
- Full catalog access
- Exclusive Nebula Originals
- Nebula Plus extended content
- Creator release notifications
- Offline video downloads
Read full descriptionHide full description
Premium streaming from independent creators. Enjoy exclusive originals, bonus material, and early releases from the best independent creators. Unlimited and ad-free. • Nebula Originals — Documentaries, collaborative series, animated specials, and more. • Nebula Plus — Bonus material including extended cuts, companion videos, and interviews. • Nebula First — Early releases available on Nebula before anywhere else. • Notifications when your favorite creators release a new video • Video downloads for offline viewing Usage of the app and its features requires an active subscription to Nebula. https://nebula.tv/terms
Swiftfin
Stream your video collection from a Jellyfin media server to your iOS device. Enjoy an easy-to-use interface for your media library and watch live TV if you have the necessary hardware.
- Native iOS/iPadOS video player
- Connects to Jellyfin media servers
- Stream video collection
- Easy-to-use interface
- Watch Live TV (with hardware)
Read full descriptionHide full description
Swiftfin is a fast, native video player that works with Jellyfin, the open source free software media server. To use the app, you must have a Jellyfin server set up and running. Find out more at https://jellyfin.org With a Jellyfin server, you can: - Watch Live TV and recorded shows from your Jellyfin server (additional hardware/services required) - Stream your video to your iOS/iPadOS device - View your collection in an easy to use interface This is an official Jellyfin companion app. Thank you for using Jellyfin!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Nebula at 4.8 against Swiftfin's 3.8. Nebula also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (14K vs 276). Swiftfin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 16). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Nebula sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Swiftfin asks for nothing beyond the download.
Nebula holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nebula has 14K ratings behind it against 276, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Nebula's written reviews are positive against 53% of Swiftfin's.
Nebula ships an update fortnightly, Swiftfin every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nebula | Swiftfin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (14K ratings) — better | 3.8 (276 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 54.4% of reviews — better | 53.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 276 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 186 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Standard | Anthony Lavado |
Customer experience
Nebula
Swiftfin
User reviews
Nebula
From 14K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Ad-free experience
- 💡 Creator-owned platform
- 🚀 Smooth app performance
- 🤩 Excellent content quality
- 💰 Affordable subscription
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Poor content discoverability
- 🔀 Confusing navigation and lack of user-friendly features
- 🔇 No background playback or audio-only mode
- 🔒 Lack of platform-wide login persistence
Swiftfin
From 276 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Smooth and responsive UI
- 🚀 Fast and efficient media playback
- 🔒 Secure user profiles and pin protection
- 💡 Seamless switching between multiple user accounts
- 👍 Clean and modern app design
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔋 Inconsistent battery performance
- 🔒 Difficulty changing server IP/domain
- 🐛 Issues with subtitle and audio track selection
- 🐛 Unreliable live TV and DVR functionality
Bugs and requests
Nebula
Reported bugs
4 issues- Downloaded videos disappearing from the app
- Inability to exit full-screen mode without restarting the app
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between portrait and landscape modes
- Frequent app crashes and freezes, especially on older devices
Requested features
5 requests- Add Chromecast and AirPlay support
- Implement a 'Watch Later' or 'Continue Watching' feature
- Allow users to adjust video quality and playback speed
- Introduce a comments section for user feedback
- Improve content organization and recommendation algorithms
Swiftfin
Reported bugs
5 issues- Unable to connect to Jellyfin server after recent updates
- Sorting and filtering not working as expected
- Playback issues with certain video codecs and formats
- Home bar not disappearing during video playback
- Sync issues between iOS and tvOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add offline media download capability
- Implement Picture-in-Picture mode
- Introduce a shuffle option for episodes
- Integrate e-book and audiobook support
- Allow customization of media library views
In-app purchases
Nebula
- MONTHLY$2.991 Month
- MONTHLY3 variants$4.991 Month
- MONTHLY$5.001 Month
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- MONTHLY2 variants$7.001 Month
- YEARLY$9.991 Year
- YEARLY$29.991 Year
- YEARLY2 variants$30.001 Year
- YEARLY3 variants$49.991 Year
- YEARLY$60.001 Year
Swiftfin
No in-app purchases
