Comparison

Strimr 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

Strimr

Stream your Plex media library with a streamlined, native interface. Discover content easily with rich details, customizable navigation, and smart playback features for uninterrupted viewing. Enjoy offline downloads and collaborative watch parties.

Highlights
  • Plex server connection
  • Customizable library visibility
  • Hubs-based browsing
  • Multiple playback engines
  • Resume playback & skip features
  • Offline downloads
  • Watch Together feature
Features
Read full description

Strimr brings your Plex and Jellyfin libraries into a focused, native experience built for effortless discovery and playback. Connect one or several servers, browse everything from a unified home, fine-tune what you see, and enjoy a modern player packed with powerful playback features across Apple devices. Key features: - Native apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac - Plex and Jellyfin support, with multiple servers at once and a unified home, libraries, and search - Strimr profiles with optional PIN, plus Plex Home users - Customizable home rows, library visibility, and navigation order - Hubs-based browsing, rich details, and filtered search - Advanced playback with HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, TrueHD, and DTS - Chapter navigation, thumbnail scrubbing, audio/subtitle controls, and external subtitle search - Playback quality selection and multiple versions - Downloads with offline mode - Live TV - Resume playback, autoplay next episode, and automatic intro & credits skipping - Collections, playlists, and favorites - SharePlay - Seerr integration Strimr requires your own Plex or Jellyfin media server. Strimr is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Plex Inc. or the Jellyfin project. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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

RetroGuide.TV turns your Plex library into live TV. It builds dozens of always-on channels from the shows and movies you already have: comedy, anime, sci-fi, 90s TV, 24/7 marathons of your favorite series, and more. Turn it on and something is already playing. Flip channels with a swipe or the Siri Remote, drop into whatever's on mid-episode, and browse what's next in a cable-style program guide. AUTOMATIC CHANNELS Genre, decade and format channels, plus channels for each library, TV network, collection and long-running show. The lineup scales to the size of your library and skips channels with too little to air. CUSTOM CHANNELS Combine genres, shows, networks, collections, decades and libraries, with a live preview of what your channel will air. One custom channel is free; RetroGuide Pro adds as many as you like. REAL TV SCHEDULING Every channel runs on a fixed clock, with Shuffle, Block Shuffle, Show Rotation or Marathon ordering and optional start times on the half hour. PROGRAM GUIDE AND SEARCH A focus-driven guide with a live preview, show logos and artwork, and search with live results that tells you what's on now and when it airs next. PLAYS NEARLY ANYTHING A built-in player handles MKV, HEVC, AV1, Dolby Vision, DTS, TrueHD and styled subtitles directly, so your server doesn't have to convert anything. Audio and subtitle tracks follow your Plex language preferences. MULTIPLE SERVERS (PRO) Mix your own server with ones shared with you. Titles on more than one server are kept once, and each server has its own quality settings for watching away from home. MAKE IT YOURS Twelve themes, from Classic Cable to Local Forecast, VHS and Teletext, and optional CRT scanlines on menus. FREE AND PRO RetroGuide.TV is free, with a small banner under the menus and an occasional full-screen ad between programs on iPhone and iPad. RetroGuide Pro, a one-time purchase, removes ads and adds multiple servers, unlimited custom channels, every theme, and schedule order and start-time controls, on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Works on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Requires a Plex Media Server you own or that is shared with you. No accounts or tracking. RetroGuide.TV is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Plex, Inc.

Screenshots

Strimr4 screens
RetroGuide.TV4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Strimr at none against RetroGuide.TV's 1. Strimr also leads on ads (none vs shown). RetroGuide.TV's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. RetroGuide.TV sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Strimr asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Strimr ships an update every 6 days, RetroGuide.TV every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Strimr versus RetroGuide.TV: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrimrRetroGuide.TV
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS18.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB39 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas VandemeulebrouckeAdam Hunt

Customer experience

Strimr

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

RetroGuide.TV

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Strimr

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

RetroGuide.TV

One-time1
  • RetroGuide Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Strimr free?
Strimr is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RetroGuide.TV free?
RetroGuide.TV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Strimr or RetroGuide.TV have ads?
RetroGuide.TV shows ads; Strimr does not.
Which is updated more often, Strimr or RetroGuide.TV?
Strimr ships an update every 6 days, and RetroGuide.TV every 2 days. Most recently, Strimr was updated on October 12, 2026 and RetroGuide.TV on October 9, 2026.

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