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)
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!
Ruddarr
This open-source companion app allows you to manage your movie and TV series collections remotely. Browse upcoming releases, receive notifications, and automate actions. It requires a separate Radarr or Sonarr instance to function.
- 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
- Automate actions with Siri Shortcuts
Read full descriptionHide full description
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 — 278 and 773 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 November 12, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Swiftfin | Ruddarr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (278 ratings) | 4.9 (773 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.0% of reviews | 90.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 278 | 773 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 133 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Anthony Lavado | Ruddarr |
Customer experience
Swiftfin
Ruddarr
User reviews
Swiftfin
From 278 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 773 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
