# Emby vs zFuse

The clearest difference is review sentiment: zFuse at 80% against Emby's 30%. zFuse also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.1). Emby's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and device support (5 vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emby sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and zFuse sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

zFuse holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 661 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Emby's written reviews are positive against 80% of zFuse's.

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, zFuse every 4 weeks. Both last shipped on November 11, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emby | zFuse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (661 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zfuse-media-player/id1054505347/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 661 | **1.2K** |
| Positive reviews | 30.5% of reviews | **80.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 126 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emby Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/992180192) | [s-joys Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1252722512) |

## What reviewers say

### Emby

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193)

Unite your personal videos, music, and photos into a single, accessible library. Stream your media to any device with automatic on-the-fly conversion and elegant organization. Share with friends and family, and manage access with robust parental controls.

**Highlights:** Personal media aggregation, On-the-fly media conversion, Elegant media organization, Media sharing with friends/family, Parental controls, Cloud-synced media streaming

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Emby Premiere | $6.99 | per month |
| Unlock Playback | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app
- 👍 Awesome interface
- 🚀 Flawless performance
- 🚀 Smooth playback
- 👍 Customizable home screen

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Buggy app
- 🐛 Unreliable Chromecast support
- 🔒 Paywall for basic functionality
- 🐛 Playback issues

**Reported bugs**

- Playback errors
- Inability to play certain file formats
- Disconnection issues
- Syncing problems
- Crashes on launch

**Requested features**

- Picture-in-picture mode
- Swipe gestures for navigation
- Improved music management
- Offline playback enhancements
- Chromecast improvements


### zFuse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zfuse-media-player/id1054505347)

Play any video format and encoding directly from your device or network storage without conversion. Enjoy advanced subtitle effects, gesture controls, and file management features. Supports media servers, TV casting, and privacy protection.

**Highlights:** Plays all video formats and encodings, Supports ASS/SSA/SUP effect subtitles, Network playback from PC/NAS, Gesture controls for playback and settings, Folder encryption for privacy, File download and decompression, TV casting and media server support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove ads | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and smooth playback
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
- 💡 Supports a wide range of video formats
- 🚀 Excellent video decoding and hardware acceleration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔍 Lacking advanced video settings (color, contrast, etc.)
- 🔍 Limited subtitle support
- 🔍 Inconsistent network file sharing performance
- 🔍 Cluttered UI with too many ads in some versions

**Reported bugs**

- Playback issues with certain video codecs
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between files
- Inability to remember last playback position
- Compatibility problems on older devices

**Requested features**

- Add picture-in-picture mode
- Implement a more robust subtitle management system
- Provide more video customization options
- Improve network file sharing stability and speed
- Optimize UI for better user experience


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emby free?

Emby is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is zFuse free?

zFuse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Emby or zFuse?

zFuse is rated higher. Emby averages 3.1 out of 5 from 661 ratings, while zFuse averages 4.7 from 1.2K ratings.

### Do Emby or zFuse have ads?

zFuse shows ads; Emby does not.

### Which is updated more often, Emby or zFuse?

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, and zFuse every 4 weeks. Most recently, Emby was updated on November 11, 2026 and zFuse on November 11, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*