# Emby vs SenPlayer

The clearest difference is review sentiment: SenPlayer at 84% against Emby's 31%. SenPlayer also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads 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 SenPlayer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SenPlayer holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 660 and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Emby's written reviews are positive against 84% of SenPlayer's.

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, SenPlayer every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emby | SenPlayer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (660 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/senplayer-media-player/id6443975850/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 660 | **1.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 30.6% of reviews | **83.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 126 MB | 137 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emby Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/992180192) | [军 王](https://appshunter.io/developer/1651137259) |

## 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


### SenPlayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/senplayer-media-player/id6443975850)

This app is a powerful multimedia player supporting 4K/8K video, high frame rates, and HDR. It streams from various cloud services and media servers, offering a seamless playback experience with custom controls and advanced subtitle support.

**Highlights:** 4K/8K Ultra-HD playback, Supports Plex, Emby, Jellyfin media servers, Stream from cloud services (WebDAV, SMB, FTP), Custom gesture controls, Blu-ray ISO disc playback, Enhanced subtitle support, Cross-device sync

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Pro(Upgrade to Suite) | $6.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro(iPhone+iPad) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro(AppleTV) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro(Mac) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Pro(Suite) | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app with many features
- 🚀 Smooth and fast playback
- 💡 Highly customizable interface
- 🔒 No ads or data collection
- 🔥 Excellent Jellyfin/Emby support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or playback issues
- 🔋 High battery consumption on some devices
- 💤 Lack of AirPlay support
- 📚 Limited subtitle customization options

**Reported bugs**

- Playback issues with certain video formats (e.g., TS, ISO)
- SMB connection problems on some networks
- Subtitle display bugs in landscape mode
- Inconsistent behavior when using Bluetooth headphones

**Requested features**

- Add support for Plex, Google Drive, and other cloud storage
- Implement a playlist feature
- Allow dual subtitle display
- Provide an Apple TV version of the app
- Add a download option for media files


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emby free?

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

### Is SenPlayer free?

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

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

SenPlayer is rated higher. Emby averages 3.1 out of 5 from 660 ratings, while SenPlayer averages 4.7 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Emby or SenPlayer have ads?

Neither Emby nor SenPlayer shows ads.

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

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, and SenPlayer every 9 days. Most recently, Emby was updated on November 6, 2026 and SenPlayer on November 3, 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.*