Comparison

Swiftly Player vs Jellyboxd

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

Head to head
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

About

Jellyboxd

Features
Read full description

Jellyboxd is a cinematic client for your own Jellyfin server. Big artwork, a clean, immersive design and smooth native playback bring the movies and TV shows of your personal library, the way a streaming service would. • Home with featured titles and "Continue Watching" • Movies, series, seasons and episodes with posters, plots and details • Fast search across your whole library • Native playback with Picture in Picture and background audio • Choose the streaming quality to save data • Multiple servers and accounts, with instant switching • Favorites and watched state synced with your server • English and Italian, following your phone's language (or your choice in Settings) • Your credentials stay in the device Keychain; no analytics, no tracking You need your own Jellyfin server (or access to one). Jellyboxd does not provide any content. Jellyboxd is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Jellyfin project. Jellyfin is a trademark of its respective owners.

Screenshots

Swiftly Player4 screens
Jellyboxd4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Jellyboxd at none against Swiftly Player's 5. Jellyboxd also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). Swiftly Player's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 4 weeks) and device support (4 vs 1). On price 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. Swiftly Player sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Jellyboxd asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swiftly Player ships an update every 6 days, Jellyboxd every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Swiftly Player versus Jellyboxd: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwiftly PlayerJellyboxd
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB53 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperPaul HerterMatteo Mezzatesta

In-app purchases

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
None

Jellyboxd

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Swiftly Player free?
Swiftly Player is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Jellyboxd free?
Jellyboxd is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Swiftly Player or Jellyboxd have ads?
Neither Swiftly Player nor Jellyboxd shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Swiftly Player or Jellyboxd?
Swiftly Player ships an update every 6 days, and Jellyboxd every 4 weeks. Most recently, Swiftly Player was updated on November 6, 2026 and Jellyboxd on November 6, 2026.

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