Comparison

AVPlayerHD vs Swiftfin

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

Head to head
About

AVPlayerHD

This app allows you to play virtually any computer video file format on your device without the need for conversion. It supports external subtitle files and offers advanced playback controls, including speed adjustment and gesture-based navigation. Additionally, it provides features like folder management and easy file transfer via USB or Wi-Fi.

Highlights
  • Plays AVI, Xvid, WMV, MKV, and more
  • Supports external SMI and SRT subtitles
  • Adjustable playback speed (0.5X to 2.0X)
  • Gesture controls for playback and navigation
  • Folder management with passcode protection
  • USB and Wi-Fi file transfer
  • Picture in Picture and Split View support
Features
Read full description

Do you enjoy watching videos on your iPad? Do you hate not being able to because your iPad cannot support the video format? Or do you hate the inconvenient and time-consuming hassle of trying to convert video formats to fit into one that your iPad can support? This is why the AVPlayerHD was created. The AVPlayerHD can play almost any computer video file format such as AVI, Xvid, WMV and much more clearly and effortlessly. No converting hassles. Just copy files via USB and just drag and drop into the AVPlayer’s Media Explorer. The AVPlayerHD can also support external subtitle files such as SMI and SRT. So if you enjoy watching videos on your iPad, then the AVPlayerHD is an absolute necessity. • Video Format Extension - Support High quality video clips ( 720P, 1080P ) - Dolby Digital (AC3), Dolby Digital Plus (EAC3) - MP4,MOV,M4V - XVID,AVI,WMV,RMVB,ASF,H264,MKV… most of all movie file formats. - SMI, SRT, TXT, SubStationAlpha Subtitles • Post Processing - High quality video processing - Contrast,Saturation - TV-Out • Control the playback speed (From 0.5X to 2.0X) - User setting support -Sweep to the left : move to backword 10 sec -Sweep to the right : move to forward 10 sec -Sweep to the top : 1.5X speed -Sweep to the down : normal speed • Additional features - Supports Split View - Supports Picture in Picture mode ( h.264 format with H/W decoding ) - Rotation Lock / Aspect ratio Control - Folder Management:Pass code/Move/Rename/Create - Resume play from last position - Scrubbing search - supports e-mail attachment by "Open In" feature • USB/WIFI Transfer • Note 1. How to add video with USB - Run iTunes 9.1 or above - Device->My Device(My iPad)->Apps, drag and drop files to the AVplayerHD's documents 2. Support High quality video clips ( 720P, 1080P ) - High quality video clips of 720P (1280 x 720) or more are recommended for MP4 format. - MP4, MOV, M4V formats that QuickTime supports can be played up to 1080P by using H/W Decoder but, Post Processing function isn’t provided. - Support H/W decoding for MKV and AVI (720P supported on iPad1, 1080P supported on iPad2 / The New iPad) - Hybrid decoding mode is added and now it is able to play high resolution videos by using hardware accelerator feature embedded in iPhone/iPad even for mkv or avi in h264. Also battery use time has extended. - Application may crash in iPhone 3GS / iPod Touch due to heavy use of memory in Hybrid decoding. Try turning off all application running in background and reboot the device by holding down sleep mode button for long time.   - If screen shakes it means hardware decoding is not supported. Try turning off hybrid decoding. - When the file formats are available for MKV or AVI the player supports hardware decoding. - If you cannot choose audio in mp4 or avi, change the extension to mkv temporarily and chosen audio channel will be applied. 3. The optimal speed when advancing its playing speed can differ depending on the way it’s compressed and the size. Video clips of XVID (AVI) 720 x 480 can be fast played up to 1.3-1.5 times faster than normal.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Native iOS/iPadOS video player
  • Connects to Jellyfin media servers
  • Stream video collection
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Watch Live TV (with hardware)
Features
Read 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!

Screenshots

Swiftfin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Swiftfin at Free against AVPlayerHD's $2.99. Swiftfin also leads on device support (3 vs 1). AVPlayerHD's advantage is rating (4.1 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Swiftfin is free to download; AVPlayerHD costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AVPlayerHD holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 215 and 267 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of AVPlayerHD's written reviews are positive against 53% of Swiftfin's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AVPlayerHD ships an update every 3 weeks, Swiftfin every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
AVPlayerHD versus Swiftfin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAVPlayerHDSwiftfin
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.1 (215 ratings) — better3.8 (267 ratings)
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews — better53.3% of reviews
Number of ratings215267 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB186 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperEPLAYWORKSAnthony Lavado

Customer experience

AVPlayerHD

All ratings215 ratings
Positive75.3%
Neutral7.4%
Negative17.2%
Written reviews269 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral10.8%
Negative24.9%

Swiftfin

All ratings267 ratings
Positive64.8%
Neutral10.9%
Negative24.3%
Written reviews362 reviews
Positive53.3%
Neutral14.1%
Negative32.6%

User reviews

AVPlayerHD

From 215 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Best app of my teenage years
  • 🚀 Plays everything smoothly
  • 👍 Excellent interface
  • 👍 Reliable and dependable
  • 👍 Plays a wide range of formats

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Audio sync issues
  • 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Buggy file transfer

Swiftfin

From 267 App Store ratings

What 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

AVPlayerHD

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Picture-in-picture mode not working
  • Status bar not hiding in full screen
  • Can't see all files on network drive
  • Dropbox and Google Drive integration broken
  • Crashes when trying to delete files

Requested features

9 requests
  • Update for iPadOS 17
  • Sort by name, size, date, length
  • Slow speed playback (x0.25)
  • Chromecast support
  • Local network streaming
Show 4 more
  • OneDrive support
  • Subtitle color customization
  • Drag and drop screenshot capture
  • Alphabetize folder list

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

None

AVPlayerHD

No in-app purchases

None

Swiftfin

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AVPlayerHD free?
AVPlayerHD costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Swiftfin free?
Swiftfin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AVPlayerHD or Swiftfin?
AVPlayerHD is rated higher. AVPlayerHD averages 4.1 out of 5 from 215 ratings, while Swiftfin averages 3.8 from 267 ratings.
Do AVPlayerHD or Swiftfin have ads?
Neither AVPlayerHD nor Swiftfin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AVPlayerHD or Swiftfin?
AVPlayerHD ships an update every 3 weeks, and Swiftfin every 3 months. Most recently, AVPlayerHD was updated on September 25, 2026 and Swiftfin on September 22, 2026.

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