# Emby vs Swiftfin

The clearest difference is rating: Swiftfin at 3.8 against Emby's 3.1. Swiftfin also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and review sentiment (53% vs 31%). Emby's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Swiftfin holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 647 and 267 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Emby's written reviews are positive against 53% of Swiftfin's.

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, Swiftfin every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emby | Swiftfin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (647 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193/reviews) | **[3.8 (267 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swiftfin/id1604098728/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **647** | 267 |
| Positive reviews | 30.5% of reviews | **53.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 131 MB | 186 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emby Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/992180192) | [Anthony Lavado](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480192617) |

## 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


### Swiftfin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/swiftfin/id1604098728)

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.

**Highlights:** Native iOS/iPadOS video player, Connects to Jellyfin media servers, Stream video collection, Easy-to-use interface, Watch Live TV (with hardware)

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Smooth and responsive UI
- 🚀 Fast and efficient media playback
- 🔒 Secure user profiles and pin protection
- 💡 Seamless switching between multiple user accounts
- 👍 Clean and modern app design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or freezes
- 🔋 Inconsistent battery performance
- 🔒 Difficulty changing server IP/domain
- 🐛 Issues with subtitle and audio track selection
- 🐛 Unreliable live TV and DVR functionality

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emby free?

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

### Is Swiftfin free?

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

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

Swiftfin is rated higher. Emby averages 3.1 out of 5 from 647 ratings, while Swiftfin averages 3.8 from 267 ratings.

### Do Emby or Swiftfin have ads?

Neither Emby nor Swiftfin shows ads.

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

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, and Swiftfin every 3 months. Most recently, Emby was updated on September 23, 2026 and Swiftfin on September 22, 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.*