Swiftfin vs Ruddarr
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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!
Ruddarr
Control your movie, documentary, and TV series collections remotely. Browse upcoming releases, manage your media library, and receive notifications. Customize the app's appearance and sync settings across devices.
- Manage movies and TV series
- Browse upcoming releases calendar
- Receive fine-grained notifications
- View activity queue and history
- Switch between multiple instances
- Customize app appearance
- Synchronize settings via iCloud
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Ruddarr is a beautifully designed, open source, privacy-first companion app for Radarr and Sonarr instances. Manage your movies, documentaries and TV series from anywhere, anytime. Features: • Manage movies and TV series • Browse upcoming releases in the calendar • Receive fine-grained notifications • View activity queue tasks and history events • Switch between multiple instances • Customize the app color scheme and appearance • Synchronize settings/instances between devices (iCloud) • Automate actions using Siri Shortcuts • Connect to reverse proxies using custom HTTP headers • Use Spotlight search to quickly jump to media • Fully localized, ready to be translated Notifications require a subscription to Ruddarr+, because sending push notifications to devices requires reliable server infrastructure, which incurs monthly operating expenses for this free, open-source project. Alternatively, *arrs come with many notification integrations that can be self-hosted. Requirements: • Ruddarr does not provide any media and requires a Radarr or Sonarr instance to interact with. - - - Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ruddarr at 4.9 against Swiftfin's 3.8. Ruddarr also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 53%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). Swiftfin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. Ruddarr sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $5.99 per year. Swiftfin asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ruddarr holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 267 and 696 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of Swiftfin's written reviews are positive against 90% of Ruddarr's.
Swiftfin ships an update every 3 months, Ruddarr monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Swiftfin | Ruddarr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (267 ratings) | 4.9 (696 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.3% of reviews | 89.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 267 | 696 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 186 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Anthony Lavado | Ruddarr |
Customer experience
Swiftfin
Ruddarr
User reviews
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
Ruddarr
From 696 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Nice app
- 👍 Good all
- 👍 Love it
- 👍 Looking good!
- 👍 Great for managing your media library on the go!
Room to improve
- 🐛 Import functionality
- 🐛 Doesn't work on iOS 18.4
- 🐛 If it didn't crash all the time it be awesome.
- 🐛 Good app, but constantly freezes
Bugs and requests
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
Ruddarr
Reported bugs
2 issues- Fails with error when trying to add any service
- Crashes and freezes all the time
Requested features
3 requests- Support one time purchase
- List view not just posters
- Latest releases or trending lists that could be pulled from trakt or IMDb
In-app purchases
Swiftfin
No in-app purchases
Ruddarr
- Ruddarr+$5.991 Year
