Comparison

Jellyfin Mobile vs Paperback

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Jellyfin Mobile

Access and stream your entire media collection from your own server. Enjoy your audio, video, and photos on your device with a user-friendly interface. This app requires a Jellyfin server to be set up and running.

Highlights
  • Stream personal media collections
  • Access audio, video, and photos
  • User-friendly interface
  • Watch Live TV and recorded shows
  • Official companion app
Features
Read full description

The Jellyfin project is an open source, free software media server. No fees, no tracking, no hidden agenda. Get our free server to collect all your audio, video, photos, and more in one place. 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 media to your iOS/iPadOS device - View your collection in an easy to use interface This is the official Jellyfin companion app. Thank you for using Jellyfin!

About

Paperback

This app provides an ad-free reading experience for comics and manga from a Komga server. It offers extensive customization through a scripting API, allowing users to extend its functionality with TypeScript or JavaScript.

Highlights
  • Ad-free reading
  • Komga server support
  • TypeScript/JavaScript scripting API
  • Extensible functionality
Features
Read full description

An Ad-Free Komga client for iOS. Supports an extensive scripting API using TypeScript/JavaScript to extend the app functionality.

Screenshots

Jellyfin Mobile4 screens
Paperback4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Paperback at every 2 weeks against Jellyfin Mobile's every 4 months. Paperback also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Paperback holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 499 and 643 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Jellyfin Mobile's written reviews are positive against 54% of Paperback's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Jellyfin Mobile ships an update every 4 months, Paperback every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Jellyfin Mobile versus Paperback: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJellyfin MobilePaperback
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (499 ratings)4.3 (643 ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.8% of reviews53.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings499643 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.4 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB33 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAnthony LavadoFaizan Durrani

Customer experience

Jellyfin Mobile

All ratings467 ratings
Positive74.3%
Neutral6.6%
Negative19.1%
Written reviews285 reviews
Positive49.8%
Neutral18.9%
Negative31.2%

Paperback

All ratings569 ratings
Positive82.4%
Neutral3.5%
Negative14.1%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive53.5%
Neutral14.6%
Negative31.8%

User reviews

Jellyfin Mobile

From 499 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Wonderful FOSS app
  • 🚀 Light weight and effective
  • 🚀 Getting close to Plex
  • 👍 Amazing!
  • 👍 Works great

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio problems with background playback
  • 🐛 Download on iPad not working
  • 🐛 Background play does not work
  • 🐛 Slow on RasPi
  • 🐛 Clunky but functional

Paperback

From 643 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic app with great features
  • 👍 Clean and efficient UI
  • 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🎨 Customizable themes and settings
  • 📚 Wide range of manga/comics sources

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔍 Confusing setup and onboarding process
  • 🔄 Unreliable library sync and update features
  • 🕰️ Slow download and loading speeds
  • 📱 Compatibility problems on some devices

Bugs and requests

Jellyfin Mobile

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Audio problems with background playback
  • Download on iPad not working
  • Background play does not work
  • Slow on RasPi
  • Won't connect
Show 7 more
  • Couldn't connect to server
  • Subtitle scaling issues
  • Buggy client state
  • Transcoding issues
  • Chromecast connection failure
  • Stops playing after 30 seconds
  • Buggy and feature limited

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add background playback
  • Add Chromecast support
  • Add offline downloads
  • Add shuffle functionality
  • Add Apple TV support
Show 3 more
  • Add external subtitle support
  • Add lockscreen controls for music
  • Add download offline functionality

Paperback

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • JSON token errors when interacting with server
  • Inability to add/remove manga from library
  • Disappearing navigation UI elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Bookmark/resume reading feature
  • Panel-by-panel/smart panel reading mode
  • Sync reading progress across devices
  • Better documentation and support resources

In-app purchases

None

Jellyfin Mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Paperback

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Jellyfin Mobile free?
Jellyfin Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Paperback free?
Paperback is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Jellyfin Mobile or Paperback?
Paperback is rated higher. Jellyfin Mobile averages 4.1 out of 5 from 499 ratings, while Paperback averages 4.3 from 643 ratings.
Do Jellyfin Mobile or Paperback have ads?
Neither Jellyfin Mobile nor Paperback shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Jellyfin Mobile or Paperback?
Jellyfin Mobile ships an update every 4 months, and Paperback every 2 weeks. Most recently, Jellyfin Mobile was updated on October 29, 2026 and Paperback on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons