# Emby vs Streamyfin

The clearest difference is rating: Streamyfin at 4.2 against Emby's 3.1. Streamyfin also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 31%) and in-app purchases (none vs 3). Emby's advantage is ratings volume (654 vs 150) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, update cadence, 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. Streamyfin asks for nothing beyond the download.

Streamyfin holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 654 and 150 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of Emby's written reviews are positive against 71% of Streamyfin's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Emby | Streamyfin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.1 (654 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/emby/id992180193/reviews) | **[4.2 (150 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/streamyfin/id6593660679/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **654** | 150 |
| Positive reviews | 30.8% of reviews | **71.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 126 MB | 133 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Emby Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/992180192) | [Fredrik Burmester](https://appshunter.io/developer/1656927012) |

## 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


### Streamyfin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/streamyfin/id6593660679)

Access and stream your entire media library from a Jellyfin server. Download content for offline viewing, cast to your television, and enjoy a seamless entertainment experience.

**Highlights:** Stream movies and TV shows, Connect to Jellyfin instance, Download media for offline viewing, Cast to TV, Manage media library

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and responsive experience
- 👍 Great UI and design
- 💡 Excellent Jellyseerr integration
- 🚀 Smooth playback performance
- 👍 Chromecast support

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Playback issues with some media files
- 🐛 Subtitles not working correctly
- 🐛 Offline mode not fully functional
- 🐛 Rotation and fullscreen bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch
- Unable to connect to server
- Playback URI errors
- Subtitles not working with downloads
- Crashes when switching between videos

**Requested features**

- Playback speed controls
- Picture-in-Picture mode
- Apple TV and Mac support
- OpenSubtitles integration
- Ability to delete media


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Emby free?

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

### Is Streamyfin free?

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

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

Streamyfin is rated higher. Emby averages 3.1 out of 5 from 654 ratings, while Streamyfin averages 4.2 from 150 ratings.

### Do Emby or Streamyfin have ads?

Neither Emby nor Streamyfin shows ads.

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

Emby ships an update every 3 weeks, and Streamyfin every 3 weeks. Most recently, Emby was updated on October 17, 2026 and Streamyfin on October 18, 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.*