# JellyTV vs Photon Player

The clearest difference is rating: Photon Player at 5.0 against JellyTV's 4.3. Photon Player also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly). JellyTV's advantage is ratings volume (39 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. JellyTV sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month and Photon Player sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Photon Player holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: JellyTV has 39 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

JellyTV ships an update weekly, Photon Player daily. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | JellyTV | Photon Player |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jellytv/id6752357290/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-player/id6804291311/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **39** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 78.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 173 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Charly Manderrier](https://appshunter.io/developer/1839060814) | [Oliver Walton](https://appshunter.io/developer/6797878404) |

## What reviewers say

### JellyTV

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/jellytv/id6752357290)

Stream your personal media library from a self-hosted Jellyfin server with a modern, fluid interface. Enjoy high-quality playback, automatic progress tracking, and offline downloads. Unlock advanced features with an optional subscription.

**Highlights:** Connect to Jellyfin server, High-quality video and live streaming, Automatic progress tracking, Offline downloads, Cross-device sync, Advanced search, Push notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support, SharePlay

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| JellyTV+ monthly | $2.49 | per month |
| JellyTV+ monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| JellyTV+ Yearly | $17.99 | per year |
| JellyTV+ Yearly | $34.99 | per year |
| 1200 Pops | $9.99 | one-time |
| Admin tools | $14.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Pops | $19.99 | one-time |
| JellyTV+ lifetime family upgrade | $39.99 | one-time |
| JellyTV+ for life | $49.99 | one-time |
| JellyTV+ family for life | $89.99 | one-time |


### Photon Player

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/photon-player/id6804291311)

This app consolidates your media library from various sources like servers, cloud storage, and live TV subscriptions into a single, unified interface. Enjoy seamless playback with support for advanced features like Dolby Vision and HDR, and download content for offline viewing.

**Highlights:** Connects to Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, Photon, and Silo servers, Supports SMB, NFS, FTP, WebDAV, and UPnP shares, Live TV playback with M3U and Xtream Codes, Dolby Vision and HDR support, Offline downloads with Pro subscription, Handoff and Spotlight integration, Cross-platform compatibility (iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS)

**Features:** SharePlay, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Photon Pro Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Photon Pro Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Photon Pro Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is JellyTV free?

JellyTV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Photon Player free?

Photon Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, JellyTV or Photon Player?

Photon Player is rated higher. JellyTV averages 4.3 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Photon Player averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do JellyTV or Photon Player have ads?

Neither JellyTV nor Photon Player shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, JellyTV or Photon Player?

JellyTV ships an update weekly, and Photon Player daily. Most recently, JellyTV was updated on November 5, 2026 and Photon Player on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*