SofaPlay vs Swiftfin
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SofaPlay
Stream photos and videos from your iOS device to your Smart TV wirelessly. This app connects your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your TV, allowing you to instantly display media on the big screen without complex setup. It supports devices with UPnP/DLNA standards, including most modern TVs and some Blu-Ray players.
- Wireless media streaming
- Connects iOS devices to Smart TVs
- Instant display of photos and videos
- iTunes file transfer support
- UPnP/DLNA compatibility
Read full descriptionHide full description
SofaPlay allows you to play media files directly from your iOS device on the tv. It connects your iPhone, iPod or iPad to your Smart TV and takes care of the streaming. Just choose any photo or video and it will appear instantly on the big screen in front of you. SofaPlay streams your video wirelessly to your TV. No configuration needed, no hassle. Also you can transfer any video, audio or image files via iTunes to your iOS device and use it in SofaPlay. IMPORTANT: SofaPlay is working with devices, which are supporting the UPnP/DLNA Digital Media Renderer standard. Fortunately, most of the new TVs are working with SofaPlay. Also, there are a few supported Blu-Ray Players. If your device has a network connection (wireless or wired), there is a great chance it is supported.
Swiftfin
Stream your video collection from a Jellyfin media server to your iOS device. Enjoy an easy-to-use interface for your media library and watch live TV if you have the necessary hardware.
- Native iOS/iPadOS video player
- Connects to Jellyfin media servers
- Stream video collection
- Easy-to-use interface
- Watch Live TV (with hardware)
Read full descriptionHide full description
Swiftfin is a fast, native video player that works with Jellyfin, the open source free software media server. To use the app, you must have a Jellyfin server set up and running. Find out more at https://jellyfin.org With a Jellyfin server, you can: - Watch Live TV and recorded shows from your Jellyfin server (additional hardware/services required) - Stream your video to your iOS/iPadOS device - View your collection in an easy to use interface This is an official Jellyfin companion app. Thank you for using Jellyfin!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SofaPlay at 4.5 against Swiftfin's 3.8. SofaPlay also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (10.3 vs 18.6). Swiftfin's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (53% vs 25%). On price, ads and device support 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
Both are free to download. SofaPlay sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Swiftfin asks for nothing beyond the download.
SofaPlay holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Swiftfin has 267 ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of SofaPlay's written reviews are positive against 53% of Swiftfin's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SofaPlay ships an update monthly, Swiftfin every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on June 23, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SofaPlay | Swiftfin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (33 ratings) — better | 3.8 (267 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 53.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 33 | 267 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 10.3 — better | 18.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 186 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fabian Pimminger | Anthony Lavado |
Customer experience
SofaPlay
Swiftfin
Bugs and requests
SofaPlay
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Swiftfin
Reported bugs
5 issues- Unable to connect to Jellyfin server after recent updates
- Sorting and filtering not working as expected
- Playback issues with certain video codecs and formats
- Home bar not disappearing during video playback
- Sync issues between iOS and tvOS versions
Requested features
5 requests- Add offline media download capability
- Implement Picture-in-Picture mode
- Introduce a shuffle option for episodes
- Integrate e-book and audiobook support
- Allow customization of media library views
In-app purchases
SofaPlay
- SofaPlay Pro$2.99
Swiftfin
No in-app purchases
