Free Infuse alternatives for Jellyfin: iPhone, iPad, Apple TV (2026)
Infuse costs a subscription. Swiftfin, JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player are free Jellyfin clients for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV compared.
By Swiftly Player6 min read
Disclosure: we build Swiftly Player, one of the clients in this article. We point out where other apps do better.
Infuse is a good Jellyfin client. It is not free. If you want to stop paying, or just want to see what else is out there, here are four free clients that work with Jellyfin on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, and what each one is missing compared to Infuse.
All facts below come from the App Store, the developers' own sites and their GitHub repositories, checked in September 2026. These apps change fast. Check the links before you decide.
TL;DR
- Want to pay nothing at all: try Swiftfin, Streamyfin or Swiftly Player first.
- Want the closest match to Infuse's file support without paying: Swiftfin with its VLC player, or Swiftly Player. Both use VLC for Direct Play.
- Want Infuse's own Skip Intro database and don't mind a subscription: stay on Infuse.
- Want downloads today, for free: Streamyfin, JellyTV or Swiftly Player. Swiftfin does not have downloads yet.
- Want Picture in Picture and wide file support in the same app: Swiftly Player keeps VLC in Picture in Picture, and Infuse, JellyTV and Streamyfin also have both. Swiftfin makes you choose one or the other.
Comparison table
| App | Price | Platforms | Play engine | Downloads | Picture in Picture | Skip Intro / Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infuse | Free, Pro from $1.99/month, $99.99 lifetime | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro | Own engine | Yes (iOS, Mac) | Yes | Yes, via TheIntroDB.org |
| Swiftfin | Free, open source | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | VLC or Native (AVPlayer) | Not yet | Native player only | Not yet |
| JellyTV | Free, JellyTV+ from $2.49/month | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro, Apple Watch | Native, optional JellyTV Engine | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Streamyfin | Free, open source | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro | MPV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swiftly Player | Free, open source | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Windows, Linux; Android and Android TV in testing | VLC | Yes (iPhone, iPad, Mac) | Yes, with the VLC player (iPhone, iPad, Mac) | Yes, via Jellyfin Media Segments |
Infuse
Infuse is the app most people are looking for an alternative to, so it is worth saying what it does well. It plays MKV, ISO, VIDEO_TS and BDMV files without server-side transcoding, downloads subtitles from OpenSubtitles with one tap, and connects to Jellyfin, Plex and Emby at the same time. Since version 8.4, released in March 2026, it can also skip intros, credits and recaps, using its own TheIntroDB.org database rather than data stored on your Jellyfin server.
Strengths: wide file format support, works with three server types side by side, long track record, frequent updates.
Weaknesses: Infuse Pro costs $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 once, after a 7-day trial. Skip Intro depends on an outside database instead of your own server's Media Segments data, so it will not always line up with what a plugin like Intro Skipper marks on your Jellyfin server. No Windows, Linux or Android version.
Swiftfin
Swiftfin is the Jellyfin project's own client for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, free and open source under the MPL-2.0 license. It gives you a choice of two players, and the choice matters. The player comparison in its own documentation shows that VLC handles far more containers and subtitle formats, including MKV and SRT, while the Native player (AVPlayer) is the only one of the two that supports Picture in Picture. You cannot have both at once in Swiftfin.
Strengths: free, open source, built by the Jellyfin team, connects to multiple servers.
Weaknesses: no downloads yet. The feature is being built in the open but not shipped as of this check. No Skip Intro or Media Segments support either; it is still an open feature request. Picture in Picture only works if you give up VLC and its wider format support.
JellyTV
JellyTV is free to download, with JellyTV+ as an optional subscription or lifetime purchase on top. The free app already includes offline downloads, multiple Jellyfin user profiles, Seerr integration and Picture in Picture. An optional "JellyTV Engine" playback path adds broader format support beyond Apple's own player.
Strengths: downloads and Picture in Picture without paying, an Apple Watch app, a family lifetime option for JellyTV+.
Weaknesses: needs iOS 26 or later, so older devices are locked out. JellyTV+ pricing is not simple to read at a glance: the App Store lists both a $2.49 and a $4.99 monthly tier, so check exactly what you are buying before you subscribe.
Streamyfin
Streamyfin is a free, open-source client built with Expo, using MPV as its player on every platform. It supports Skip Intro and Skip Credits, including for downloaded episodes, plus Picture in Picture and Seerr requests.
Strengths: one player engine across every platform, active GitHub project, completely free.
Weaknesses: younger project than Infuse or Swiftfin, so expect more rough edges. Support for running several servers side by side is not clearly documented.
Swiftly Player
Swiftly Player is a free, open-source Jellyfin client for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, released under the MPL-2.0 license with its source on GitHub, with no subscription, no account and no tracking. It plays through VLC, so MKV, HEVC, AV1, DTS, TrueHD and PGS subtitles play without server-side transcoding, also on Apple TV. Picture in Picture uses the same VLC player, so you don't have to choose between the two. Skip Intro, Skip Recap and Skip Credits come from your own Jellyfin server's Media Segments data, and downloads work on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Strengths: open source, free, wide format support together with Picture in Picture, several servers and accounts, Seerr requests, and the same app on Windows and Linux (Android is in a closed test).
Weaknesses: a young project with a smaller community than Infuse or Swiftfin. Jellyfin only, no Plex or Emby. No SyncPlay, no Live TV and no casting. Skip Intro needs a plugin such as Intro Skipper on your server.
FAQ
Is there a free Infuse alternative for Apple TV?
Yes. Swiftfin, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player are free clients that run on Apple TV. JellyTV also runs on Apple TV, with an optional paid tier for extra features.
Do free Jellyfin clients support Direct Play?
They all try to avoid transcoding when the device can decode the file, the same as Infuse. What differs is the player behind that decision: Swiftfin and Swiftly Player use VLC, Streamyfin uses MPV, JellyTV uses Apple's native player plus its optional broader engine. Whether one specific file transcodes still depends on the device and your Jellyfin server's settings.
Which free app can skip intros like Infuse?
JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player can skip intros and credits today. Swiftfin cannot yet; it is an open request on its GitHub tracker. Infuse uses its own TheIntroDB.org database instead of Jellyfin's Media Segments.
Can I get Picture in Picture without losing MKV support?
Not with Swiftfin. Its VLC player handles MKV but not Picture in Picture, and its Native player supports Picture in Picture but drops MKV and most subtitle formats. Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player all support Picture in Picture without that trade-off.
Do any of these apps work outside Apple devices?
Swiftly Player has builds for Windows and Linux alongside its Apple apps, and an Android and Android TV version in a closed Google Play test. Infuse, Swiftfin and JellyTV are Apple-only on the platforms checked here. Streamyfin also has an Android app.
Which one to pick
If Infuse's price is the only problem, Swiftfin gets you close to its Direct Play approach for nothing, as long as you can live without downloads and Skip Intro for now. If you want downloads and Skip Intro today without paying, look at Streamyfin, JellyTV's free tier or Swiftly Player. If Infuse's own intro database matches your library better than server-side Media Segments, or you need Plex and Emby in the same app, Infuse's subscription may still be worth it.
