Comparison

Arnage vs Swiftly Player

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

Head to head
About

Arnage

Features
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Arnage is a warm, cinephile player for the media library you already own. Follow a series, and every new episode downloads itself in the background — ready to watch even with no signal. Connect it to your home server and open your films and shows in a calm, photographic interface — on your iPhone and your iPad. And if your server carries live channels, Arnage brings them along too — with a full programme guide and a player made for live. — Follow a series, never miss an episode — Follow a show and Arnage downloads each new episode for you, quietly, in the background. Board the plane with the next three already on your iPhone, no Wi-Fi required. — Live TV, with a real programme guide — If your server carries live channels, they are in Arnage too. Browse the guide by channel and by hour, jump to tonight or to another day, see what is on right now, and open any programme for its details before you tune in. While you watch, pause the broadcast and — wherever your server keeps a buffer — step back through what has already aired, then return to live in one tap. (Requires the Pass.) — Made for people who curate their own collection — A quiet, photographic interface that treats your library like the collection it is — continue watching, recently added, and a hero that highlights what's worth your evening. Looking for something in particular? The filters in the Library tab get you there fast, with artwork sized right for every screen. — Playback that respects the file — • Every file plays directly by default — never re-encoded — with HDR tone-mapped on the spot so it looks right even on an SDR screen. • On a weak or metered connection, set a quality cap and your server scales the stream down to fit — so you keep watching. • PGS subtitles and TrueHD audio. • Your audio and subtitle track choices are remembered for each film and series. — A player built for watching — Swipe across to seek, slide along the edges to set volume and brightness, double-tap to skip — and scrub with live thumbnail previews to land on the exact moment. Pop the video into Picture-in-Picture to keep an eye on it while you get on with something else. — iPhone and iPad, each its own — Designed for each screen rather than stretched between them. — Free to watch, and a Pass for more — Browsing and playing your library is free. The Pass — monthly, yearly, or once for life — adds downloads and followed series, live TV, and connecting more than one server. — Compatibility — Arnage works with Jellyfin and Plex today — point it at the server you already run. More are on the way. — A word on privacy — Arnage is not an advertising surface. We collect two things, both anonymous and both optional: crash reports, so we can fix what breaks, and usage analytics, so we know which features matter. You'll find both switches during onboarding — before you connect to anything — and any time in Settings → Privacy. Nothing is ever sold, shared with advertisers, or tied to your identity. Your library, your viewing history, and your credentials are never sent to us — and your watch progress lives on your own media server, never on ours. — Status — Arnage is in active development. Expect rough edges, expect care.

About

Swiftly Player

This app provides a seamless playback experience for your personal media server, ensuring content plays as intended without transcoding. It offers cross-device resume, offline downloads, and advanced playback controls.

Highlights
  • Direct playback without transcoding
  • Cross-device playback resume
  • Offline downloads of original files
  • Picture-in-Picture mode
  • Support for multiple servers
  • Customizable home screen layout
  • Skip Intro and Skip Credits
Features
Read full description

Swiftly plays the films on your Jellyfin server just as they are. Most apps have the server rebuild a film while you're watching. Swiftly leaves it alone — and tells you beforehand that it will. If something ever does have to be converted, you'll see which part of the file was responsible. Picture in Picture is built in, so a film can carry on in the corner while you get on with something else. RESUME ON THIS DEVICE Something playing on the Apple TV turns up as a button on your iPhone. One tap and it carries on here, at the second you left it. It works in every direction between iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. SERVERS AND ACCOUNTS Add more than one Jellyfin, stay signed in to all of them, and switch from your profile without typing a password again. DOWNLOADS Take episodes and films with you. Swiftly downloads the original file, so what you watch offline is the same quality as what you stream. MORE • Request what your server doesn't have yet, through Seerr, without leaving the app • Skip Intro and Skip Credits, via the Jellyfin plugin • People pages: tap a name in the cast for a biography and everything of theirs you own • Your home screen in your order — rows off, rows moved, genres as rows or as chips • Custom headers per server, for Jellyfin behind Cloudflare Access, Authelia, Authentik or Pangolin • Collections and each library, straight from the Movies and Shows title • Sign in with a Quick Connect code instead of a password • Lock screen and headphone controls, plus background audio • Your audio and subtitle language, chosen once • Next episode on its own, sleep timer, playback speed • Watchlist, filters and search • English and German Swiftly brings no films of its own — it simply shows what's already on your server. And it collects nothing: no analytics, no advertising, no account with us. Your viewing position goes to your server and nowhere else. You'll need a Jellyfin server of your own, 10.8 or newer, on a secure (https) address, and an iPhone or iPad with iOS 18. Uses VLCKit and libVLC by VideoLAN under the LGPL 2.1 or later. Licenses and source code: https://swiftlyplayer.com/licenses/ SUPPORT - All features are free, for everyone. - Optional Supporter extras (app icons, accent colours, a heart in About): Monthly 1.99 EUR per month, or Lifetime 19.99 EUR once. Optional tips: 1.99, 4.99 or 9.99 EUR. Monthly Supporter is an auto-renewable subscription (1.99 EUR per month). Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase and lasts for as long as Swiftly Player exists, on all your devices. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://swiftlyplayer.com/privacy.html

Screenshots

Arnage4 screens
Swiftly Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Swiftly Player at every 6 days against Arnage's every 2 weeks. Swiftly Player also leads on device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Arnage sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Swiftly Player sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Arnage ships an update every 2 weeks, Swiftly Player every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Arnage versus Swiftly Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArnageSwiftly Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size106 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTFDNPaul Herter

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Arnage

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Pass$0.991 Month
  • Annual Pass$8.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pass$89.99
5 purchases

Swiftly Player

Subscriptions1
  • Supporter$1.991 Month
One-time4
  • A coffee$1.99
  • Coffee and cake$3.99
  • A movie night$8.99
Show 1 more
  • Swiftly Supporter Lifetime$17.99

Questions

Is Arnage free?
Arnage is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Swiftly Player free?
Swiftly Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Arnage or Swiftly Player have ads?
Neither Arnage nor Swiftly Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Arnage or Swiftly Player?
Arnage ships an update every 2 weeks, and Swiftly Player every 6 days. Most recently, Arnage was updated on November 5, 2026 and Swiftly Player on November 6, 2026.

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