Best Jellyfin app for iPad in 2026: what to install
Five Jellyfin apps for iPad compared for Picture in Picture, offline downloads for travel, and how they behave in Split View.
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.
An iPad is a good Jellyfin screen. It is big enough to browse a library comfortably, small enough to take on a trip, and its multitasking lets a video keep playing while you do something else. Not every Jellyfin app uses that well. Here is how five of them compare on an iPad specifically: Picture in Picture, downloads for offline watching, and what happens when you put the app in Split View.
All facts below come from each developer's own site, the App Store and GitHub, checked in September 2026.
TL;DR
- Want Picture in Picture and offline downloads together on iPad: Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin or Swiftly Player.
- Want a free, open-source app and don't mind missing downloads for now: Swiftfin, but pick its Native player for Picture in Picture, not VLC.
- Want to download a season before a flight, for free: Streamyfin or Swiftly Player.
- Want the same app on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV without paying: Swiftfin, Streamyfin or Swiftly Player. Swiftly also runs on Windows and Linux, and on Android in a closed test.
- Testing Split View or Stage Manager: none of these apps documents that behaviour precisely except Infuse, whose own community has reported bugs with it. Try before you rely on it.
Comparison table
| App | Price | Downloads on iPad | Picture in Picture on iPad | External display |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infuse | Free, Pro from $1.99/month, $99.99 lifetime | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Swiftfin | Free, open source | Not yet | Yes, Native player only | Native player only; VLC mirrors the iPad screen |
| JellyTV | Free, JellyTV+ from $2.49/month | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| Streamyfin | Free, open source | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
| Swiftly Player | Free, open source | Yes | Yes | Not documented |
Picture in Picture
Picture in Picture lets a video float in a corner while you check something else on the same iPad, or while you switch to another app in Split View. Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player all support it without conditions.
Swiftfin is the exception worth knowing about. Its own documentation states Picture in Picture only works with the Native (AVPlayer) player, not with VLC. Since the Native player also drops MKV, most subtitle formats and external audio tracks, choosing Picture in Picture on Swiftfin means giving up a chunk of file compatibility at the same time. No other app in this comparison ties the two together like that.
Downloads for travel
If you want a season loaded onto the iPad before a flight or a train with no signal, Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player all let you do that today. Infuse's download feature works on iOS and macOS. JellyTV's downloads are part of the free app, with settings for how many files download at once. Streamyfin and Swiftly Player both include downloads without any paid tier.
Swiftfin does not have downloads yet. The feature is being tracked in the open across several linked GitHub issues, but nothing has shipped as of this check. If offline viewing on a trip matters to you, Swiftfin is not ready for that yet.
Split View, Stage Manager and external displays
This is the part where the least is documented, so treat it carefully. Infuse has had Split View support for years, but its own community forum has open threads about Stage Manager behaviour on newer iPadOS versions, including a windowing icon that can block playback. That is a real, reported issue, not a guess, so test it on your own iPad and iPadOS version before relying on it for something important.
None of the other four apps publishes anything specific about Split View or Stage Manager behaviour, so there is nothing solid to report either way. All of them run as normal iPad apps and should support the basic multitasking every iPad app gets for free, but nobody should assume more than that without trying it.
External displays are clearer for Swiftfin at least: its documentation states that the VLC player can only mirror the iPad's screen, keeping the source device's dimensions, while the Native player supports proper external display output. Infuse's own marketing lists external display support without the same caveat. The other three apps do not document this in detail.
Each app, briefly
Infuse connects to Jellyfin, Plex and Emby at once and plays MKV, ISO, VIDEO_TS and BDMV without server-side transcoding. Its Skip Intro feature, added in version 8.4, uses its own TheIntroDB.org database rather than your Jellyfin server's Media Segments. Infuse Pro costs $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 once.
Swiftfin is the Jellyfin project's own app, free and open source. It is the only app here where Picture in Picture and wide format support are mutually exclusive, and it has no downloads or Skip Intro yet.
JellyTV is free with an optional JellyTV+ subscription for admin tools, Trakt and AniList integration. The free tier already covers downloads and Picture in Picture, but it needs iOS 26 or later.
Streamyfin is free and open source, using MPV as its player on every platform, with Skip Intro, downloads and Picture in Picture all included.
Swiftly Player is free and open source (MPL-2.0, source on GitHub), with no subscription and no account, and plays through VLC, so MKV, HEVC, AV1, DTS and PGS subtitles play without transcoding. Picture in Picture and downloads use that same player, so there is no second player to switch to, and Skip Intro, Skip Recap and Skip Credits come from Jellyfin's own Media Segments. It runs on iPad, iPhone, Mac and Apple TV, and also on Windows and Linux. It is a young project with a smaller community than the others, and it has no SyncPlay.
FAQ
Which Jellyfin app has Picture in Picture on iPad without giving anything up?
Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player all support Picture in Picture without a trade-off. Swiftfin only offers it with the Native player, which drops MKV and most subtitle formats compared to its VLC player.
Can I download a whole season to my iPad before a flight?
With Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin or Swiftly Player, yes. Swiftfin does not have downloads yet; the feature is in progress on GitHub but not in a released build as of this check.
Does Jellyfin on iPad work well in Split View or Stage Manager?
It depends on the app, and documentation is thin across the board. Infuse supports Split View but has open community reports of Stage Manager bugs on recent iPadOS versions. The other apps here do not publish details on this, so test your own setup rather than assume.
Do I need iPadOS 26 for these apps?
Only JellyTV currently requires iOS 26 or later on iPad. Swiftfin needs iPadOS 18 or later per its GitHub badges. Infuse's App Store listing asks for iPadOS 18 as well. Streamyfin and Swiftly Player have not been checked against a specific minimum here, so check the App Store listing for your iPad's iPadOS version before installing.
Can I connect an iPad to a TV or monitor while using these apps?
Swiftfin's documentation is explicit that its VLC player only mirrors the iPad screen, while its Native player supports a real external display output. Infuse lists external display support without that caveat. The other three apps do not document this in enough detail to state a clear answer here.
Which one to pick
If Picture in Picture and downloads both matter on your iPad, skip Swiftfin for now and pick Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin or Swiftly Player. If you specifically want the widest possible file support and don't mind paying, Infuse. If you want the same free app to also run on your iPhone, Mac and Apple TV, Streamyfin or Swiftly Player cover that without a subscription. If a direct line to the Jellyfin project itself matters more than downloads right now, Swiftfin is still a fine choice, just plan around what it does not have yet.
