For the better part of a decade now, Plex has been my media server of choice. I bought the Lifetime Pass a lifetime ago (pun intended), built my library around it, and never really felt the need to look elsewhere. So when I recently started setting up Jellyfin for a few friends (because let's face it, Plex pricing is preposterous now), it wasn't because I was planning to jump ship. However, curiosity got the better of me, and it was pretty impressive just how far the free and open-source alternative had come.

For the most part, Jellyfin was solid, the setup was straightforward, and my library imported without much drama. The problem, however, cropped up during the Android TV experience. No matter how much I wanted to like the default client, it always felt like the weakest link in an otherwise impressive package — a bare-bones offering that got the job done, but with caveats that sent me running back to Plex's far more premium presentation. Thankfully, Wholphin was one of the first suggestions I found online, and with it, Jellyfin finally feels at home on my TV.

The server impressed me, but the TV app didn't

Years of Plex spoiled me more than I realized

Setting up Jellyfin was pretty smooth, but it wasn't the problem. In fact, the entire process left me pretty impressed after I spent hours setting up my server, importing libraries, and getting remote access working. Things felt fast and lightweight, and as a server, Jellyfin won me over almost immediately. However, once I finally sat down on my couch and used the default Android TV app, the cracks started showing. Years of using Plex had me accustomed to a polished experience where everything felt purpose-built for a television.

I'm not saying the default client is broken, but it did feel pretty rough around the edges. Navigation felt less fluid, and every time I opened the app, the artwork took just a tiny bit longer to load; I couldn't help but almost pick up the remote and switch back to Plex.

Finally, it was playback where the difference became even more noticeable. Certain files took longer to start, and every time I had to tweak subtitles manually, the excitement about using a new app made my shoulders drop noticeably. Now, to be clear, there's absolutely nothing wrong that made me uninstall the default Jellyfin app on Android TV, but there were definitely enough annoyances that reminded me I wasn't using Plex anymore. The next course of action, then, was to go ask the internet for help, and one name jumped out everywhere I went — Wholphin.

Wholphin made Jellyfin feel like a finished product

The difference was obvious within minutes

It didn't take long to finally download Wholphin, but it did take a while to wrap my head around just how much better it felt and looked than the default app. I went in expecting another community-made client that would remove a few compromises but introduce a new set. Instead, the first thing I noticed was just how much easier I felt navigating through the app as I sat on the couch. Wholphin's interface is much cleaner, and the entire experience is clearly designed to look good. Sure, I can use Jellyfin on my PC and customize it to no end with new themes, but on TV, Wholphin's visual polish was miles ahead of the default app's.

Wholphin almost felt like using Netflix, in the way it had clear categories for recently added titles and movies I had left in the middle that it stacked in a 'Continue Watching' section. Most importantly, the navigation pane on the left-hand side, which gave me all its major features at the press of a button, became the star of the show for me.

Just by way of existing, Wholphin ended up removing a ton of friction for me that I had otherwise experienced in the previous app. Browsing my library felt faster, the thumbnails populated immediately and without fail, and every time I jumped between categories, I didn't have to give the interface a second to catch up. None of these are headline-worthy, but combined they make for significant quality-of-life improvements that are hard not to be impressed by.

Wholphin also solves a lot of Jellyfin's problems

Jellyseerr support on Wholphin made it the only Jellyfin client my partner touches

It isn't just the presentation department where Wholphin has the edge over the regular Jellyfin app on Android TV. It also generates some great recommendations on the home page, while the overall intuitiveness of the browsing experience was undeniably improved. Of course, that's not where Wholphin's improvements over the default client stop. There's also the fact that it supports Jellyseerr integration while the default app doesn't, which means that I can still discover a movie or TV show from the comfort of my couch and send a request to my server without reaching for my phone or opening a browser.

The Jellyseerr integration works wonders here for my partner, who can simply lodge requests for movies she ends up liking so I can buy them later and rip them onto the server for her to watch with ease. This is a pretty big convenience that makes me wholeheartedly prefer and recommend Wholphin over the default Jellyfin client on Android TV. Wholphin also has some features that you know are designed around TV viewing, such as stopping playback after inactivity or preventing endless autoplay. By contrast, the regular Jellyfin app is a lot more basic in that regard.

Wholphin is how I'll be using Jellyfin from now on

I may have picked Wholphin over the default Jellyfin app on my Android TV, but that doesn't change or diminish my opinion of Jellyfin itself. Jellyfin really has come a long way and is genuinely ready to take Plex on. Sure, it takes additional elbow grease and tinkering, but that's always going to be better than paying $250 for a Lifetime Pass, or now $750, come July 2026. Even the default Android TV app deserves its credit, since it provides a perfectly functional starting point for anyone taking their first steps into the Jellyfin ecosystem. It gets the job done, and for many folks, it's probably enough, too.

For me, though, Wholphin is where Jellyfin finally clicks. I did spend some time with Moonfin as well, but I found it a little too laggy and the interface a little too rough around the edges for the kind of experience I want in my living room. When I'm sitting on the couch, I don't want to think about apps, settings, or workarounds. I just want something that feels polished, premium, and effortless. After trying all three, Wholphin is the client that finally gave Jellyfin that feeling on Android TV.