Swiftfin alternatives: other Jellyfin apps for iPhone and Apple TV
Swiftfin is free and open source but has no downloads or Skip Intro yet. Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player compared as alternatives.
By Swiftly Player7 min read
Disclosure: we build Swiftly Player, one of the clients in this article. We point out where other apps do better.
Swiftfin is the Jellyfin project's own app for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. It is free, open source, and built by people who also work on the Jellyfin server. That closeness to the server is real, and it shows in how quickly Swiftfin picks up new server features. It is also missing two things a lot of people expect from a video app: downloads and Skip Intro. Here is how it compares to four other Jellyfin clients that fill those gaps.
All facts below come from GitHub, the App Store and each developer's own site, checked in September 2026.
TL;DR
- Want a free, open-source app straight from the Jellyfin project: stay on Swiftfin, but know it has no downloads or Skip Intro yet.
- Want downloads and Skip Intro without paying: Streamyfin or Swiftly Player.
- Want the widest file format support and don't mind a subscription: Infuse.
- Want downloads and Picture in Picture together, with optional paid extras: JellyTV.
- Want Picture in Picture and don't want to lose MKV support: Swiftly Player keeps its VLC player in Picture in Picture. Neither of Swiftfin's two players does both, see below.
Comparison table
| App | Price | Platforms | Play engine | Downloads | Picture in Picture | Skip Intro / Credits | Multiple servers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swiftfin | Free, open source | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV | VLC or Native (AVPlayer) | Not yet | Native player only | Not yet | Yes |
| 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 | Yes (Jellyfin, Plex, Emby) |
| JellyTV | Free, JellyTV+ from $2.49/month | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro, Apple Watch | Native, optional JellyTV Engine | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (multiple profiles) |
| Streamyfin | Free, open source | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro | MPV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not clearly documented |
| 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 | Yes (servers and accounts) |
Swiftfin
Swiftfin gives you a choice between two players, and its own player documentation is refreshingly direct about the trade-off. VLC plays far more containers and subtitle formats, including MKV and SRT, and lets you pick audio tracks. The Native player (AVPlayer) supports far fewer formats but is the only one of the two with Picture in Picture and correct framerate matching. You choose one player per file type; you cannot get both sets of features at once.
Downloads are not shipped. There is an open discussion tracking the work and several linked issues, but as of this check there is no offline mode in a released build. Skip Intro and Media Segments support is an open feature request, not yet built.
Strengths: free, open source, made by the Jellyfin team, supports multiple servers, closely tracks new Jellyfin server features.
Weaknesses: no downloads, no Skip Intro, and Picture in Picture costs you MKV and most subtitle formats.
Infuse
Infuse plays MKV, ISO, VIDEO_TS and BDMV without server-side transcoding, and connects to Jellyfin, Plex and Emby side by side. Since version 8.4 it skips intros, credits and recaps using its own TheIntroDB.org database instead of Jellyfin's Media Segments. It has Picture in Picture and downloads at the same time, something Swiftfin cannot currently offer.
Strengths: wide format support without giving up Picture in Picture, works with three server types, long track record.
Weaknesses: Infuse Pro costs $1.99 a month, $16.99 a year or $99.99 once. Skip Intro relies on an outside database rather than your server's own segment data. No Windows, Linux or Android version.
JellyTV
JellyTV is free to download, with a paid JellyTV+ tier for extras like an admin interface, Trakt and AniList integration, and iCloud settings sync. The free app already covers offline downloads, multiple Jellyfin profiles, Seerr integration and Picture in Picture, which puts it ahead of Swiftfin on all three fronts Swiftfin is missing.
Strengths: downloads and Picture in Picture for free, an Apple Watch app, family lifetime pricing for JellyTV+.
Weaknesses: requires iOS 26 or later. JellyTV+ has two different monthly price points listed on the App Store, $2.49 and $4.99, so check what tier you are actually buying.
Streamyfin
Streamyfin is free and open source, built with Expo, and uses MPV on every platform instead of switching players like Swiftfin does. It supports Skip Intro and Skip Credits, including for downloaded episodes, plus Picture in Picture and Seerr requests, all without a paid tier.
Strengths: one player everywhere, downloads and Skip Intro both included, completely free.
Weaknesses: younger project than Swiftfin, so fewer years of bug fixing behind it. Running several Jellyfin 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 and no account. Like Swiftfin's VLC option it plays through VLC, so MKV, HEVC, AV1, DTS, TrueHD and PGS subtitles play without transcoding, also on Apple TV. The difference is that Picture in Picture, downloads and Skip Intro, Skip Recap and Skip Credits from Jellyfin's own Media Segments all work with that one player. It also handles several servers and accounts, Seerr requests and Quick Connect, and runs on Windows and Linux, with Android and Android TV in a closed test.
Strengths: open source, VLC playback together with Picture in Picture and downloads, Skip Intro from your own server's data, completely free, the same app on more platforms.
Weaknesses: a young project by a small team, not part of the Jellyfin organization, with a smaller community than Swiftfin. No SyncPlay, no Live TV and no casting.
FAQ
Why doesn't Swiftfin have downloads yet?
It is a volunteer-run project, and downloads touch a lot of the app: storage, playback, and the library UI all need offline versions. The work is tracked publicly on GitHub across several linked issues, but nothing has shipped in a release as of this check.
Can Swiftfin skip intros and credits?
Not yet. It is an open feature request referencing Jellyfin's Media Segments API. If you want Skip Intro today, Infuse, JellyTV, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player all support it, though Infuse uses its own TheIntroDB.org database, while Swiftly Player reads the Media Segments that a plugin such as Intro Skipper stores on your server.
Does Swiftfin support Picture in Picture?
Only with its Native (AVPlayer) player, and only for the more limited set of formats that player supports: no MKV, no SRT or ASS subtitles, no external audio tracks. Switch to the VLC player for those formats and Picture in Picture stops working. This trade-off is documented in Swiftfin's own player comparison.
Is there a free alternative to Swiftfin that also has downloads?
Streamyfin and Swiftly Player are both free and open source, with downloads included. JellyTV's downloads are also free; its subscription only unlocks extras like admin tools and Trakt integration.
Which of these apps is closest to Swiftfin in spirit?
Swiftly Player is the closest match: free, open source, no subscription, uses VLC for Direct Play the same way, and covers the same iPhone, iPad and Apple TV, plus Mac, Windows and Linux. The difference is that Swiftly Player already ships downloads, Picture in Picture and Skip Intro together. Swiftfin's advantage is that it comes directly from the Jellyfin team, with a direct line to the server project.
Which one to pick
Stay on Swiftfin if a direct line to the Jellyfin project itself matters more to you than downloads or Skip Intro right now. If you want those two features today without paying, Streamyfin and Swiftly Player are the closest free matches. If you also want Plex or Emby support in the same app and don't mind a subscription, Infuse covers more ground. If you want downloads and Picture in Picture together for free with a polished paid tier on top, JellyTV is worth a look.
