Best Jellyfin app for Android in 2026: phone and tablet clients

Version numbers, prices and features come from each project's GitHub releases, README files and store listings, checked in September 2026. This article covers Android phones and tablets. For Android TV and Google TV boxes, see Jellyfin clients for Android TV and Google TV, compared.

TL;DR

For most people, the official Jellyfin app is the safe default: free, open source, on Google Play, Amazon Appstore and F-Droid, with Media3/ExoPlayer playback and offline downloads. If you want a from-scratch native interface with a choice of ExoPlayer or mpv, pick Findroid. If you want the same free app on Android, iOS and desktop with downloads and Seerr, look at Streamyfin, Moonfin or Fladder — verify the exact platform list per app before you commit, since they differ. Swiftly Player is worth a look if you also want Apple devices, Windows or Linux with the same client, but on Android it is still a closed Google Play test. JellyWatch Player is a closed-source option that runs the same app on phone and TV with a paid Watch Pass tier. Kodi with a Jellyfin add-on only makes sense if Kodi is already your media center.

Comparison table

Direct Play, mentioned throughout, means the file plays as it is, without the server converting it first. Transcoding is that conversion: the server re-encodes the video in real time so your device can decode it, which costs CPU time and can add delay. A wider set of codecs and subtitle formats declared by the app means more files play as Direct Play.

Jellyfin (official)

jellyfin/jellyfin-android is the project's own Android app. Its README describes it as an Android app that connects to Jellyfin servers and integrates with the official web client, rewritten from scratch in 2020 to replace an earlier Cordova app. The latest release, v2.7.3, came out on 14 September 2026.

Playback. The app's own build configuration lists AndroidX Media3 as its playback library, with libass for subtitle rendering. There are two build flavors: a proprietary one with Media3 Cast support through Google Play Services, distributed on Google Play and Amazon Appstore, and a libre one without Cast on F-Droid, which requires Android 5.0 or newer.

Downloads and Picture in Picture. The v2.7 release notes describe it as "one of the largest updates to the app so far, with a completely redesigned downloads experience," including a Compose-based downloads UI and multi-select deletion. An earlier v2.7.0 changelog entry, "Fix PiP behavior," confirms Picture in Picture is a shipped feature, not something new.

What is not documented. Neither the README nor the recent release notes mention Media Segments, Skip Intro or saved multiple servers by name. The app may still handle several servers through its sign-in flow, but this article only reports what the project states.

Who it fits. People who want the client the Jellyfin project itself maintains, with an F-Droid build free of Google libraries.

Findroid

Findroid is a third-party native Jellyfin app, independent of the official project. The v1.1.0 release is from 18 July 2026.

Playback. The README lists two players you can switch between: ExoPlayer, with H.263, H.264, H.265, VP8, VP9 and AV1 support, or mpv, which covers MKV, MOV, MP4 and AVI containers with H.264, H.265, H.266, VP8, VP9 and AV1. Both aim for Direct Play rather than asking the server to transcode.

Features. Picture in Picture is listed as a current feature, along with media chapters and chapter-skip gestures. Trickplay (the thumbnail strip while scrubbing, needs Jellyfin 10.9 or newer) and Media Segments (needs Jellyfin 10.10 or newer) are both supported, with a skip button and an auto-skip option. Chromecast is listed under planned features, not yet shipped. Findroid does not have offline downloads.

License and install. Findroid is GPLv3 and free. It is on Google Play, F-Droid, IzzyOnDroid and Amazon Appstore.

Who it fits. People who want a phone-first native interface and don't need downloads yet. Its Android TV support is still listed as planned, so it is a phone and tablet app for now — see the Android TV comparison for that side of the project.

Streamyfin

Streamyfin is a community client built with Expo, licensed under MPL-2.0. The v0.54.1 release is from 2 June 2026.

Playback and downloads. The README lists its own player for local playback and describes downloads that "save your media locally and watch it offline," converting HLS streams with FFmpeg so files stay playable regardless of the original format. It also lists Skip Intro and credits skipping. Chromecast support is explicitly marked in progress: "Video casting is already available, and we're actively working on adding subtitle support and additional features."

What is not documented. The README does not describe Picture in Picture or multiple-server management directly, though a companion Streamyfin server plugin syncs some settings across users.

Install. Free on Google Play and iOS App Store, with GitHub releases and Obtainium for sideloading. Beta builds are limited to Patreon members at the Member tier or higher.

Who it fits. People who want one MPV-based player across phone, tablet and (per its GitHub releases) other platforms, and who are fine with a still-developing Chromecast feature.

Moonfin

Moonfin markets itself as "a premium Jellyfin & Emby client," but the repository states it is free software under GPL-2.0 — "premium" describes the feature set, not a paywall. The 2.6.0 release is from 24 September 2026, one day before this article was checked.

Playback and casting. The Playback and Codecs wiki page documents native Media3/ExoPlayer decoding, with the server told exactly which codecs the device supports so it only transcodes what it must. The README lists casting and remote control over Google Cast, DLNA and AirPlay.

Other features. Skip Intro is part of what the project calls Cinema Mode, covering pre-rolls, intros, credits and SponsorBlock-style segments. Moonfin's stand-out feature is a multi-server unified library that merges several Jellyfin and Emby servers into one browsable, searchable interface, rather than switching between separate server views.

Install. Google Play, Amazon Appstore, or the APK from GitHub releases.

Who it fits. Households running Jellyfin and Emby side by side, or anyone who wants one client across phones, TVs and desktops without paying for it.

Fladder

Fladder is a Flutter client independent of the Jellyfin project, licensed under GPL-3.0. It runs on Android (including Android TV), iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, web and Docker, according to its README.

Playback. Its pubspec.yaml lists media_kit and media_kit_video as the playback packages, which are built on libmpv, plus a dedicated pip package for Picture in Picture. The README lists downloads with synced watch progress, several accounts and servers, Seerr/Jellyseerr integration, trickplay scrubbing and a comic book reader for .cbz/.cbr files.

What is not documented. The README does not say whether intro and credits skipping reads Jellyfin's own Media Segments or uses its own detection, and it does not mention Chromecast.

Install. Free on Google Play and as an APK from GitHub releases. The README warns that Windows Defender can misflag the desktop build; that warning does not apply to the Android APK.

Who it fits. People who want downloads and Seerr together with a client that also runs on their computer.

JellyWatch Player

JellyWatch Player is a closed-source app that runs the same interface on Android TV, Google TV, Fire TV and on Android phones and tablets, requiring Android 8.0 or newer. Unlike every other app in this table, its GitHub organization page holds documentation rather than the app's own source, and no license is published there.

Playback. The project describes ExoPlayer with hardware decoding for H.264, HEVC and VP9, and a software fallback through libdav1d for AV1. Picture in Picture keeps a 16:9 window playing when you leave the app or press Home.

Servers and segments. A "Linked Profiles" feature merges accounts from different Jellyfin servers into one Continue Watching and Recently Added feed. Skip Intro has three configurable modes per segment type — intro, credits, recap, preview and commercials — and needs Jellyfin 10.9 or newer.

Chromecast and price. The site lists "Chromecast with Google TV" among supported devices to install the app on; it does not document casting a stream from the phone app to a separate Chromecast. A "Watch Pass" subscription is mentioned as shared between JellyWatch's companion apps, but the site does not publish its price.

Who it fits. People who want one branded app across every screen and don't mind a closed-source, partly paid product in a field of mostly free, open-source alternatives.

Swiftly Player

Swiftly Player is a free, open-source client (MPL-2.0) with no account, no tracking and no ads. On Android, it is in a closed Google Play test for phones and Android TV, Android 9 or newer; join through swiftlyplayer.com/android or install the same build directly from its GitHub release APK.

Playback. It plays through libVLC, the same engine as its Windows, Linux and Mac builds (VLCKit on Apple platforms), and asks for Direct Play and Direct Stream rather than transcoding. On the phone it is the same app as on iPhone: downloads for offline viewing, several accounts and servers, Seerr requests, Skip Intro/Recap/Credits from Jellyfin's Media Segments, Picture in Picture and Quick Connect sign-in.

Limits. No SyncPlay, no Live TV, no Chromecast. It needs an invite while the test runs, and it is a younger project with a smaller community than the others here.

Kodi with a Jellyfin add-on

Kodi is not a Jellyfin client by itself; it plays Jellyfin libraries through an add-on from the Kodi Jellyfin Repository. On Android, Kodi installs from Google Play or F-Droid.

The two add-ons, both maintained by the jellyfin GitHub organization, differ in how they connect: Jellyfin for Kodi (v2.2.0) copies your library metadata into Kodi's own database, so browsing works offline, while JellyCon (v1.0.2) asks the server directly each time and makes switching between servers and users easier. Neither README mentions Media Segments or Skip Intro. Kodi's own player handles playback and is built on FFmpeg, with a long history of wide codec support. Neither add-on downloads video files for offline playback; Jellyfin for Kodi's offline behavior is limited to its local metadata copy.

Who it fits. People who already use Kodi for its skins, add-ons or other media sources, and want Jellyfin folded into that same interface.

A note on Wholphin

Wholphin comes up often in these searches, but its own README describes it as an Android TV client, requiring Android TV or Fire TV OS. It has no phone or tablet interface, so it is left out of the table above; see the Android TV comparison for it instead.

FAQ

Summary

• Jellyfin (official) for the project's own client, an F-Droid build, and downloads that recently got a full rewrite.
• Findroid for a from-scratch native interface with a choice of ExoPlayer or mpv, if you don't need downloads yet.
• Streamyfin for one MPV-based player with downloads, if you can live with Chromecast still being unfinished.
• Moonfin if you run Jellyfin and Emby together, or want one client merging several servers.
• Fladder for downloads and Seerr alongside a client that also covers your desktop.
• JellyWatch Player if a single branded app across phone and TV matters more than open source.
• Swiftly Player if you also use Apple devices, Windows or Linux and don't mind joining a closed Android test.
• Kodi with a Jellyfin add-on only if Kodi is already your media center.
• Wholphin is an Android TV app, not a phone or tablet client — see the Android TV comparison instead.