Jellyfin Mobile vs SonicHue Sync
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Stream personal media collections
- Access audio, video, and photos
- User-friendly interface
- Watch Live TV and recorded shows
- Official companion app
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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!
SonicHue Sync
Transform your Philips Hue lights into a dynamic visual experience synchronized with your music. Enjoy real-time light shows, customizable effects, and precise control over your atmosphere. Works in the background for uninterrupted enjoyment.
- Real-time music-to-light synchronization
- Customizable color palettes and effects
- Light order mapping for directional experience
- Background sync functionality
- DJ performance panel for on-the-fly effects
- MIDI device support for physical control
- Advanced color distribution and individual light dimming
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SonicHue Sync: Pure Magic for Your Philips Hue Turn your living room into a concert hall, a chill lounge, or a vibrant party space. SonicHue Sync analyzes your music in real-time and transforms it into a breathtaking light show using your Philips Hue Entertainment system. Key Features: REAL-TIME SYNC: Feel every beat, drop, and melody with ultra-low latency synchronization. IMMERSIVE EFFECTS: Choose from a variety of visual effects designed for every mood—from high-energy party vibes to relaxing ambient glows. CUSTOM PALETTES: Design your own atmosphere. Select from curated color palettes or create your own to match your style. LIGHT ORDER MAPPING: Match your physical setup perfectly. Tell the app where your lights are for a truly directional experience. PRECISION CONTROL: Fine-tune the sensitivity to match your listening environment and musical taste. INSTANT TOGGLE: Control your entire room with a single tap. Turn sync on/off or adjust brightness instantly. BACKGROUND SYNC: Keep the party going. SonicHue Sync works even when your screen is locked or you're using other apps. Experience your music like never before. SonicHue Sync brings "Pure Magic" to your Philips Hue setup. DJ PERFORMANCE PANEL: Manually trigger custom visual effects on the fly like a DJ using the built-in touch performance pad. MIDI DEVICE SUPPORT: Plug and play your external MIDI keyboards or DJ controllers to orchestrate your lights physically (Pro Mode). ADVANCED COLOR DISTRIBUTION: Choose exactly how your custom colors behave—rotate them sequentially, flow them simultaneously across all lights, or keep them fixed. INDIVIDUAL LIGHT DIMMING: Swipe left or right on any connected light within the app to adjust its individual relative brightness without breaking the global sync. PRO EFFECT SYNTHESIZER: Shape the response curves of your lights as if you were using a professional audio synthesizer. Full ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) envelope controls let you design completely unique and customized lighting dynamics. APPLE WATCH Run the light show from your wrist. Start syncing on your last area, watch the beat on a live orb, switch between Dynamic Energy, Special Random and single effects, skip to the next effect, fire full-screen pads and set the brightness with the Digital Crown. Requires the SonicHue Sync iPhone app. CONTROL CENTER Add the SonicHue Sync control to Control Center, the Lock Screen or the Action button to start syncing without opening the app. On watchOS 26 it's available in your Apple Watch Control Center too. Note: Requires a Philips Hue Bridge and color-capable Hue lights with an Entertainment Area configured. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.sonichue.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Jellyfin Mobile at none against SonicHue Sync's 6. Jellyfin Mobile also leads on ratings volume (503 vs 9) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 17.0). SonicHue Sync's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (75% vs 49%). On price, rating, 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. SonicHue Sync sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Jellyfin Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.
SonicHue Sync holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Jellyfin Mobile has 503 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of Jellyfin Mobile's written reviews are positive against 75% of SonicHue Sync's.
Jellyfin Mobile ships an update every 4 months, SonicHue Sync fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Jellyfin Mobile | SonicHue Sync |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (503 ratings) | 4.2 (9 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 49.5% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 503 — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 21 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Anthony Lavado | Utku Uslusoy |
Customer experience
Jellyfin Mobile
SonicHue Sync
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
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- 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
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- Add external subtitle support
- Add lockscreen controls for music
- Add download offline functionality
SonicHue Sync
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Jellyfin Mobile
No in-app purchases
SonicHue Sync
- SonicHue Sync Live (Week)$2.997 Days
- SonicHue Sync Pro (1 Month)$3.991 Month
- SonicHue Sync Live (1 Month)$5.991 Month
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- SonicHue Sync Pro (1 Year)$19.991 Year
- SonicHue Sync Live (1 Year)$29.991 Year
- SonicHue Sync Pro$29.99
Questions
Is Jellyfin Mobile free?
Is SonicHue Sync free?
Which has better reviews, Jellyfin Mobile or SonicHue Sync?
Do Jellyfin Mobile or SonicHue Sync have ads?
Which is updated more often, Jellyfin Mobile or SonicHue Sync?
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