Comparison

WatchQueue 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

WatchQueue

This app consolidates all your streaming services into one place, tracking shows and movies, indicating where to watch them, and helping you decide what to play next. It syncs across Apple devices and can integrate with Trakt and Plex for a comprehensive viewing history.

Highlights
  • Tracks shows and movies episode by episode
  • Identifies where each title is streaming
  • Syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV
  • Integrates with Trakt and Plex watchlists
  • Personalized discovery based on streaming services
  • Sort and shuffle in-progress shows
Features
Read full description

Stop juggling six streaming apps just to remember where you left off. WatchQueue is one home for everything you're watching — it tracks every show and movie down to the episode, shows you where to stream each one, and always knows what to play next. KNOW WHAT'S NEXT Open any series and the next unwatched episode is already waiting — with its synopsis, air date, and a one-tap jump into the app that's streaming it. Mark episodes or whole seasons watched, and your Up Next keeps itself current. WHERE TO WATCH — YOURS FIRST Every title shows exactly which apps carry it, split into Stream and Rent or Buy. The services you already pay for surface first, so you never rent something you could've streamed for free. DISCOVER SOMETHING TO WATCH New episodes this week, what's trending, and what's popular — plus a personalized row for each of your streaming services, so Discover reflects what you can actually watch tonight. YOUR LISTS, TOGETHER The Lists tab brings your Trakt lists and your Plex watchlist into one place as clean rails of poster art. Add anything to a list straight from Discover, Search, or a title's page. DECIDE IN SECONDS Not sure what to put on? Sort your in-progress shows by Fewest Left, Most Left, or Recently Watched — or just hit Shuffle. Started something months ago and drifted? Round up the ones you abandoned and finish them or let them go. ONE APP, EVERY SCREEN WatchQueue is a universal app: buy it once and it's yours on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Your whole queue stays in sync across all of them through iCloud — no account required. BRING YOUR HISTORY (OPTIONAL) • Connect Trakt to pull in everything you've already watched and keep your progress in sync everywhere. • Point WatchQueue at your Plex server and it marks what you already own right on the posters — then opens any title or episode in Plex or Infuse. WatchQueue is great the moment you open it, and even better with the services you already use. One queue, finally in one place. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://thecreativebreakdown.com/watchqueue/privacy/

About

Swiftly Player

Stream your Jellyfin media library without transcoding. Seamlessly resume playback across devices, download content for offline viewing, and enjoy features like skip intro and picture-in-picture.

Highlights
  • No transcoding required
  • Cross-device playback resume
  • Offline downloads
  • Picture-in-picture support
  • Multiple server support
  • Skip intro/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

WatchQueue4 screens
Swiftly Player4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Swiftly Player at 5.0 against WatchQueue's 4.0. Swiftly Player also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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. WatchQueue sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per year 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Swiftly Player holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WatchQueue ships an update every 9 days, Swiftly Player every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
WatchQueue versus Swiftly Player: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWatchQueueSwiftly Player
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB61 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJEFFREY PINILLAPaul Herter

Customer experience

WatchQueue

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Swiftly Player

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

WatchQueue

Subscriptions1
  • WatchQueue Pro3 Days trial$6.991 Year
One-time1
  • WatchQueue Pro$19.99
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 WatchQueue free?
WatchQueue is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Swiftly Player free?
Swiftly Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, WatchQueue or Swiftly Player?
Swiftly Player is rated higher. WatchQueue averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Swiftly Player averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do WatchQueue or Swiftly Player have ads?
Neither WatchQueue nor Swiftly Player shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WatchQueue or Swiftly Player?
WatchQueue ships an update every 9 days, and Swiftly Player every 6 days. Most recently, WatchQueue was updated on October 23, 2026 and Swiftly Player on October 26, 2026.

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