# Emby vs Vaahaka

The clearest difference is rating: Vaahaka at 4.5 against Emby's 3.1. Vaahaka also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3). Emby's advantage is ratings volume (647 vs 2) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Emby sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Vaahaka asks for nothing beyond the download.

Vaahaka holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Emby has 647 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, Vaahaka every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emby | Vaahaka |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (647 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193/reviews) | **[4.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vaahaka/id1350737363/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **647** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 30.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 131 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Emby Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/992180192) | [Mohamed Ahsan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1277024449) |

## 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


### Vaahaka

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vaahaka/id1350737363)

Install this application to read all Dhivehi stories. It provides a platform for users to access and enjoy a collection of Dhivehi literature.

**Highlights:** Read Dhivehi stories, Access Dhivehi literature, Install to read stories

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emby free?

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

### Is Vaahaka free?

Vaahaka is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Vaahaka is rated higher. Emby averages 3.1 out of 5 from 647 ratings, while Vaahaka averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Emby or Vaahaka have ads?

Neither Emby nor Vaahaka shows ads.

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

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, and Vaahaka every 2 months. Most recently, Emby was updated on September 29, 2026 and Vaahaka on June 1, 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.*