Floatplane vs Swiftfin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Floatplane
This platform allows users to support content creators directly, offering an ad-free and high-quality video viewing experience. The mobile app extends this premium content access to users on the go.
- Ad-free viewing
- High-quality video
- Support content creators
- Personal premium experience
- Mobile access
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Say hello to Floatplane! We believe in supporting both content creators and fans by providing a stable platform to grow on, with ad-free viewing and high-quality video for a personal, premium experience for all. Floatplane’s iPhone app lets you bring all this awesomeness with you wherever you go!
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)
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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 monetization model: Swiftfin at free against Floatplane's freemium. Floatplane's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and rating (4.1 vs 3.8). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Floatplane holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 394 and 267 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of Floatplane's written reviews are positive against 53% of Swiftfin's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Floatplane ships an update every 3 weeks, Swiftfin every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Floatplane | Swiftfin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (394 ratings) — better | 3.8 (267 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 50.7% of reviews | 53.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 394 — better | 267 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 186 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Floatplane Media Inc. | Anthony Lavado |
Customer experience
Floatplane
Swiftfin
User reviews
Floatplane
From 394 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Clean and simple UI
- 🚀 Stable video playback
- 💡 Exclusive content access
- 🔒 Secure platform for creators
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes
- 🔍 Lack of search/discovery features
- 📱 Limited iPad support
- 🔇 No background audio playback
- 🖥️ No Apple TV/Chromecast support
Swiftfin
From 267 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
Floatplane
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inconsistent video loading indicators
- Unreliable login/sign-up process
- Orientation issues on iPad
- Casting/mirroring problems
Requested features
5 requests- Picture-in-Picture mode
- Resume playback across devices
- Notification settings
- Offline video downloads
- Improved video scrubbing
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
Floatplane
No in-app purchases
Swiftfin
No in-app purchases
