Comparison

Plezy vs RetroGuide.TV

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

Head to head
About

Plezy

Enjoy your media library with a sleek, modern interface focused on superior playback and offline access. Stream, download, and watch with friends, all without needing a separate subscription.

Highlights
  • Wide codec and HDR playback support
  • Download media for offline viewing
  • Synchronized watch parties with friends
  • Auto-skip intros and credits
  • Resume playback across devices
  • Browse libraries with rich metadata
  • Connect to multiple Plex servers
Features
Read full description

Plezy is a modern client for Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby, built for high-quality playback, effortless discovery, and offline access. Connect multiple servers at once and enjoy your media in one clean, native app—no subscription required. BROWSE & DISCOVER - Browse libraries, collections, playlists, folders, extras, and personalized recommendations - Search across every connected Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby server - Explore trending, popular, watchlist, and recommendation rows from Plex Discover, Trakt, MyAnimeList, AniList, Simkl, and Seerr - Match catalog titles back to your own libraries and request movies or shows through Seerr - See resolution, HDR, Dolby Vision, and audio-format badges at a glance PLAYBACK - Wide codec support including HEVC, AV1, VP9, and more - HDR playback, direct play, and configurable transcode quality - Switch between media versions with detailed file and stream information - Full ASS/SSA subtitles with styling controls and online subtitle search - Auto-play the next episode with skip intro and skip credits - Chapter navigation, thumbnail scrubbing, playback speed, audio sync, sleep timer, and video zoom - Picture-in-Picture, loudness normalization, and stereo downmix with center-channel boost - Resume progress and remembered audio/subtitle choices MUSIC - Browse artists, albums, and tracks with rich artwork - Gapless playback with a reorderable queue, Play Next, and Add to Queue - Synced lyrics, a persistent mini-player, and sleep timer - Background playback with lock-screen and media controls - Offline albums and tracks, plus selectable streaming quality LIVE TV & DVR - Browse and tune live channels with favorites and a full program guide - See what's on, browse show schedules, and manage DVR recording rules - Use Live TV across multiple supported servers DOWNLOADS & OFFLINE - Download movies, shows, albums, and tracks - Pause or resume the background queue - Create automatic download rules, including optional show specials - Browse offline and sync watch state when you reconnect PROFILES & INTEGRATIONS - Use multiple profiles with per-profile settings, downloads, and watch state - Switch Plex Home users with optional PIN protection - Discover Jellyfin and Emby servers locally and use Quick Connect - Sync watchlists, ratings, watched state, and scrobbles with connected services - Watch together with synchronized play, pause, and seeking - Control desktop and TV devices with Plezy Remote - Available in English plus 21 translations Some features require a supported server, media format, or connected service.

About

RetroGuide.TV

Transform your Plex media library into a live TV experience with automatically generated channels. Enjoy curated content, a program guide, and a built-in player that supports various media formats. Customize your viewing with themes and advanced scheduling options.

Highlights
  • Automatic channel creation from Plex library
  • Customizable genre, decade, and show channels
  • Cable-style program guide with live preview
  • Built-in player for various media formats
  • Multiple themes and CRT scanline options
  • Support for multiple Plex servers (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Your media library, on the air. RetroGuide.TV turns your Plex or Jellyfin library into always-on TV channels. Open the guide, drop into whatever is playing and let the schedule do the choosing. No shows or movies are included: bring a server you own or have permission to access. A REAL TV LINEUP Automatic channels bring together genres, decades, networks, collections and series marathons. The classic program guide shows what is on now and next, with artwork, live preview and search. Swipe or use the Siri Remote to surf channels and jump back to the last one. PLEX AND JELLYFIN Link Plex with an on-screen code. Discover Jellyfin on your network or enter its address, then use Quick Connect or your username and password. Choose the libraries you want on the air. With Pro, combine multiple Plex and Jellyfin servers in one lineup, with quality and buffering settings for each. WIDGETS, PICTURE IN PICTURE AND SLEEP TIMER On iPhone and iPad, see current programs in a What’s On Home Screen widget and tap a channel to tune in. Keep watching in Picture in Picture while using another app. Set a sleep timer for a duration or the end of the current program. These features are included free. YOUR CHANNELS, YOUR WAY Create a channel from shows, genres, networks, collections, decades and libraries, with a live preview. One custom channel is free. Choose audio and subtitles, adjust subtitle timing, and save track rules that can sync through iCloud. A CAPABLE PLAYER The built-in player supports MKV, HEVC, AV1, HDR and styled subtitles. Compatible files play directly. Playback support depends on the file, device and server settings; Apple’s player is also available. RETROGUIDE PRO — ONE PURCHASE, NO SUBSCRIPTION • Favorite channels and a Favorites guide • Program reminders for upcoming airings • Widgets with Favorites, up to eight selected channels, or one pinned channel • Multiple servers and unlimited custom channels • All twelve themes, from Classic Cable to VHS and Teletext, with matching app icons and widget colors on iPhone and iPad • Schedule order and start-time controls • Library-wide audio and subtitle rules • Remove individual titles from channels • No ads on iPhone and iPad Pro is shared across iPhone, iPad and Apple TV with the same purchase account. Existing Pro owners receive new Pro features at no extra charge. Free includes one server, all automatic channels, the full guide, search, player, one custom channel, basic widgets, Picture in Picture and the sleep timer. Apple TV has no ads. Free iPhone and iPad uses Google AdMob for non-personalized ads and related measurement. No separate RetroGuide.TV account is required. See the Privacy Policy for details. RetroGuide.TV is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Plex, Inc. or the Jellyfin project.

Screenshots

Plezy4 screens
RetroGuide.TV3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: RetroGuide.TV at Free against Plezy's $5.99. RetroGuide.TV also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Plezy's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (121 vs 2). On in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

RetroGuide.TV is free to download; Plezy costs $5.99 up front. Plezy sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and RetroGuide.TV sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

RetroGuide.TV holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Plezy has 121 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Plezy ships an update weekly, RetroGuide.TV every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Plezy versus RetroGuide.TV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlezyRetroGuide.TV
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (121 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews74.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings121 — better2
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#3 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.5 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEdvard WikhallAdam Hunt

Customer experience

Plezy

All ratings118 ratings
Positive86.4%
Neutral5.1%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews109 reviews
Positive74.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative17.4%

RetroGuide.TV

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Plezy

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes on clicking movies/TV shows
  • Crashes within seconds of opening

Requested features

3 requests
  • Support for ripped extras
  • Picture-in-picture or background playback
  • Subtitle support

RetroGuide.TV

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Plezy

One-time1
  • Supporter$3.99
1 purchases

RetroGuide.TV

One-time1
  • RetroGuide Pro: Ad-Free Live TV$9.99

Questions

Is Plezy free?
Plezy costs $5.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is RetroGuide.TV free?
RetroGuide.TV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Plezy or RetroGuide.TV?
RetroGuide.TV is rated higher. Plezy averages 4.5 out of 5 from 121 ratings, while RetroGuide.TV averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Plezy or RetroGuide.TV have ads?
RetroGuide.TV shows ads; Plezy does not.
Which is updated more often, Plezy or RetroGuide.TV?
Plezy ships an update weekly, and RetroGuide.TV every 2 days. Most recently, Plezy was updated on October 30, 2026 and RetroGuide.TV on October 29, 2026.

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