Jellyfin is one of my favorite applications out there. It had the right idea for years: you own your media, stream it yourself from your own computer to your own devices, and go about your day. The problem was never in the idea, but in the execution. While Jellyfin offered a ton of flexibility, it lacked the polish of an option like Plex. It suffered from the same issue that far too many other DIY apps experience: "self-hosted" became synonymous with "clunky."

But as with any application with a hungry, enthusiastic community, Jellyfin raised the bar. There are loads of Jellyfin clients that offer an experience that matches or exceeds anything Plex brings to the table, with features like Jellyseer integration, compatibility with smart home devices, and so much more. These options go beyond the basics, giving Jellyfin that last spark it needed.

Fladder

It might sound flat, but it's not

Fladder might have a funny name, but it's one of the best clients you can get for Jellyfin. It looks genuinely modern, with smooth animations and a responsive browsing experience. On top of that, it packs in tons of features like intro and commercial skipping, integration with Jellyseerr, and much more. Jellyfin doesn't feel like free software, but Fladder makes it seem like an even more premium experience.

It's my main pick for Windows, but it works on a variety of platforms, including macOS, iOS, Linux, and more. It even supports comic book formats if you want to store your manga and comic library in Jellyfin and catch up on what Spider-Man is doing.

Jellyfin Media Player

Default is still good

Jellyfin Media Player is the standard on-device option for watching your media server content. Think of it like a desktop-focused version of the web player. It's more than just a port, though; it offers a lot of features and a smooth experience that make it worthwhile. You can choose the specific audio device you want, enable audio passthrough, and more. You can also customize the positioning of subtitles, their color, and their size, and you can swap the refresh rate of your display to match your video content.

Jellyfin Media Player supports music, too. Because it's built on MPV, it works with just about any codec you can think of. Like Fladder, it works on multiple platforms and several different Linux builds.

Swiftfin

Apple users seeking a Jellyfin client for their iPhone need look no further than Swiftfin. This open-source frontend is built for iOS and tvOS and features support for multiple users, live TV, and much more. Your Swiftfin settings remain the same across profiles, so your viewing experience will be roughly the same on iOS and your Apple TV.

The app is still in development, but it has a long roadmap and a consistent track record. While there are a few other options for iOS, Swiftfin is one of the best options out there for Apple TV users.

Wholphin

For a Plex-inspired feel

Android TV users have a great option at their fingertips by the name of Wholphin. Yes, that is a combination of whale and dolphin, and it's not totally made up — a weird cetacean like that does exist. The app itself, on the other hand, is written totally from scratch, rather than being forked from the official client. It's built on the groundwork of MPV and ExoPlayer while providing a more Plex-like appearance.

It also offers advanced features like automatic refresh rate and resolution switching. Long-time Plex users will find the playback controls familiar and intuitive, and you can protect specific user profiles with a PIN code to restrict access.

Feishin

A better Spotify than Spotify

Feishin is a client designed for the audiophile. It's built to resemble Spotify in many ways, including a sidebar layout, playback bar, and lightning-fast library browsing. It works on multiple platforms and is a fantastic solution for anyone who self-hosts their own music libraries (and wants a client for music that's separate from their video content).

Beyond serving as a solid media player, Feishin comes with powerful features like automatic playback recording (for when you want to obsessively track your listening to recreate Spotify Wrapped), a flexible playlist editor through Navidrome, and much more.

Jellyfin is what you make it

I've tested Plex, Jellyfin, Emby, and the other media server options available across the web. Most of them, anyway. Across all of that testing, I've never found one that checks all the boxes quite like Jellyfin. Besides its expansive plugin library, the options for clients and themes make it one of the most customizable tools for controlling a large media library.