Comparison

Chroma vs Dusk for Plex

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

Head to head
About

Chroma

Transform your Apple devices into a cinema-grade media player for your personal library. Enjoy direct playback of various formats, advanced audio and subtitle controls, and offline viewing. Experience immersive VR cinema on Apple Vision Pro.

Highlights
  • Plex, Jellyfin, Emby server integration
  • Direct play for MKV and other formats
  • Dolby Vision, HDR, and multichannel audio
  • Picture in Picture mode
  • Offline playback with resume
  • On-device live subtitle transcription
  • Immersive VR cinema for Apple Vision Pro
Features
Read full description

Chroma turns your iPhone and iPad into a cinema-grade player for your own media library. * Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby — multiple servers, one beautiful app * Direct play for formats servers usually transcode, including MKV * Dolby Vision, HDR, and multichannel audio * Picture in Picture — keep watching while you do anything else * Downloads and offline playback that remember where you left off * Transcribe: on-device live subtitles for videos that have none * Subtitle styling, audio track selection, and caption timing control * Skip intros and credits (Plex Pass required by library owner) * Home Screen widgets and deep links straight into playback And if you have an Apple Vision Pro: Chroma is its premier personal cinema — immersive theater environments, AI 3D, spatial video, and VR180/360 playback, with the same libraries, picking up right where your iPhone left off. I am actively developing this app and want it to be one of the best choices for your enjoyment. If you have feature suggestions or run into issues, let me know via the contact link so I can make sure they are on my radar! ** Chroma Pass ** Chroma includes 4 hours of free watching. Chroma Pass unlocks the full experience — no watch limit. It's available as a monthly or yearly auto-renewing subscription, each with a 7-day free trial, or as a one-time Lifetime purchase. Chroma Pass includes: * Removes the 4-hour free watching limit. * One subscription for every platform: Chroma Pass unlocks Chroma on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. * Monthly: $2.99 (7-day free trial) * Yearly: $29.99 (7-day free trial) * Lifetime: $59.99 one-time — yours forever, no renewal. * For the subscription plans, payment is charged to your Apple Account at the end of the free trial unless cancelled, and auto-renews unless you disable auto-renewal at least 24 hours before the end of the current period in your Apple Account settings. * The Lifetime purchase is a one-time charge and does not renew. Privacy Policy: https://snacksaftermidnight.com/privacy/ End User License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Dusk for Plex

A native client for managing and playing media from your personal Plex servers. It offers a fast, ad-free experience with advanced playback features and robust library browsing. Enjoy seamless streaming across multiple devices with enhanced subtitle and audio controls.

Highlights
  • Plays all media formats directly
  • Advanced subtitle and audio track control
  • Skip intro/credits, auto-play next episode
  • Offline playback and AI upscaling
  • Cross-library search and full metadata
  • Multi-server support
  • Privacy-focused, no tracking
Features
Read full description

A native Plex client for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. A fast, focused player for people who run their own Plex servers and want a client that gets out of the way. Your libraries, front and center. No ads, no promoted content, no upsells. PLAYS EVERYTHING A playback engine handles virtually any format — MKV, HEVC, 4K, DTS, TrueHD, PGS subtitles, SRT, ASS, and more. All direct play, zero transcoding overhead on your server. SUBTITLE & AUDIO CONTROL Switch tracks on the fly during playback. Set preferred languages globally so Dusk auto-selects the right tracks every time. Supports forced-only subtitle mode. SMART PLAYBACK - Skip Intro & Credits with a single tap or auto-skip - Continuous playback with auto-play next episode - "Are you still watching?" passout protection - Offline Playback (Downloads) - AI Upscaling - TVOS App - Resume anywhere, synced through your Plex server - Picture in Picture on iOS and iPadOS BROWSE YOUR LIBRARY - Continue Watching and Recently Added on the home screen - Genre filtering and sorting - Cross-library search with real-time results - Full metadata: movies, shows, seasons, episodes, cast MULTI-SERVER SUPPORT Connect to multiple Plex servers and switch between them. PRIVACY FIRST Dusk collects nothing. No analytics, no telemetry, no tracking. The app talks only to your Plex server. OPEN SOURCE Fully open-source under GPLv3. Inspect the code, build it yourself, contribute, or fork it. Dusk is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Plex, Inc. in any way. Plex and all related trademarks are the property of Plex, Inc. EULA Dusk Supporter is an optional auto-renewing subscription. Monthly and yearly options are available; the price is shown in the app before purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions. Every feature in Dusk stays free either way. Privacy Policy: https://getdusk.app/privacy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Chroma3 screens
Dusk for Plex4 screens

Verdict

The call

Chroma and Dusk for Plex both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 80% of Dusk for Plex's written reviews are positive against 61% of Chroma's. Dusk for Plex also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Chroma's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 4 days). On price, rating, 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. Chroma sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Dusk for Plex sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Chroma against 4.3 for Dusk for Plex. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 12 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of Chroma's written reviews are positive against 80% of Dusk for Plex's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chroma ships an update daily, Dusk for Plex every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Chroma versus Dusk for Plex: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChromaDusk for Plex
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (6 ratings) — better4.3 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews61.1% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings612 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB83 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSnacks After MidnightMarvin von Rappard

Customer experience

Chroma

All ratings6 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews18 reviews
Positive61.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative38.9%

Dusk for Plex

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Chroma

Subscriptions2
  • Chroma Pass - Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Chroma Pass - Yearly7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Chroma Pass - Lifetime$59.99
6 purchases

Dusk for Plex

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Supporter$2.991 Month
  • Yearly Supporter$24.991 Year
One-time4
  • Coffee$2.99
  • Generous$9.99
  • Legendary$19.99
Show 1 more
  • Patron$49.99

Questions

Is Chroma free?
Chroma is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dusk for Plex free?
Dusk for Plex is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Chroma or Dusk for Plex?
Chroma is rated higher. Chroma averages 4.3 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Dusk for Plex averages 4.3 from 12 ratings.
Do Chroma or Dusk for Plex have ads?
Neither Chroma nor Dusk for Plex shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Chroma or Dusk for Plex?
Chroma ships an update daily, and Dusk for Plex every 4 days. Most recently, Chroma was updated on November 14, 2026 and Dusk for Plex on November 15, 2026.

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