Comparison

Tekstream vs The Media Center

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

Head to head
About

Tekstream

Features
Read full description

Tekstream connects your own media server to everything else you watch. Point it at Plex or Jellyfin and your library arrives with proper artwork, cast, ratings and descriptions. Browse it, search it, download for the flight, and pick up where you left off. BUILT AROUND WHAT YOU ACTUALLY WATCH • Your server, properly presented — Plex and Jellyfin libraries with rich metadata, not a file list • Trending on Trakt — see what people are watching right now, alongside your own collection • Live TV — your channels in the same place as everything else • Watchlist, Favourites and Downloads — kept in sync, available offline • Your Activity and Diary — a record of what you watched and when MEET CLEO Cleo is an entertainment companion built into the app. Ask her what to watch and she answers from what is actually available to you. Her feed covers new trailers, streaming releases, box office and casting news — so you find out a series was renewed without leaving the app you watch it in. DESIGNED FOR IPAD AND IPHONE A proper sidebar on iPad, a full-screen experience on iPhone, and a dark interface that stays out of the way of the artwork. Tekstream does not host or provide any content. You connect your own Plex or Jellyfin server, or browse public catalogue data from Trakt and TMDB. Tekstream Premium is an auto-renewing subscription. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and can be managed or cancelled at any time in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://teksart.com/TeksStream-privacy.html

About

The Media Center

Access your existing Plex or Jellyfin media library on various Apple devices. Organize your content with posters and synopses, and enjoy personalized profiles with watch progress saved across devices. Supports multiple audio and subtitle tracks.

Highlights
  • Connects to Plex and Jellyfin servers
  • Organized media library display
  • Personalized user profiles
  • Cross-device watch progress
  • Subtitle and audio track switching
  • External subtitle loading
Features
Read full description

Media Center is a client for the Plex or Jellyfin server your household already runs. It ships with no media and no catalog of its own — everything you see comes from your server, and nothing passes through us. YOUR SERVER, YOUR LIBRARY Your household administrator connects the app to your Plex server, your Jellyfin server, or both, at themediacenter.net/admin. After that everyone in the household signs in on their own device and finds the same library, laid out for a television rather than a file browser: posters, synopses, cast, episode stills and season lists. A PROFILE FOR EVERYONE Each person in the household gets their own profile, their own avatar and their own My List. Kids profiles see only what the household administrator has approved, and a grown-up profile can be kept behind a PIN. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Start a film on your iPhone and finish it on Apple TV. Your place is kept per profile and per episode, so two people watching the same series never lose each other's spot. SUBTITLES AND AUDIO, HANDLED Switch audio and subtitle tracks mid-playback, load an external subtitle file, or search for one when a title arrives without any. ON EVERY SCREEN YOU OWN iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac, from one household account. NOTHING TO BUY No advertising, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions. We sell no content, because we have none. Media Center is an independent app. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Plex, Inc. or the Jellyfin project; Plex and Jellyfin are trademarks of their respective owners, used here only to name the servers this app connects to. Terms of Service: themediacenter.net/terms Privacy Policy: themediacenter.net/privacy Support: themediacenter.net/support

Screenshots

Tekstream3 screens
The Media Center4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Media Center at none against Tekstream's 2. The Media Center also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, 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. Tekstream sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.29 per month. The Media Center asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tekstream ships an update every 2 months, The Media Center weekly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Tekstream versus The Media Center: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTekstreamThe Media Center
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB22 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperTeksartRoberto Cabrera

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Tekstream

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$1.291 Month
  • Annual3 Days trial$12.991 Year
None

The Media Center

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tekstream free?
Tekstream is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Media Center free?
The Media Center is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tekstream or The Media Center have ads?
Neither Tekstream nor The Media Center shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tekstream or The Media Center?
Tekstream ships an update every 2 months, and The Media Center weekly. Most recently, Tekstream was updated on October 31, 2026 and The Media Center on October 31, 2026.

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