Jellyfin is a great choice for a home media streaming server, especially if you don't want to pay for premium features. Plex reserves the best features for its paid tier, which forced me to switch to Jellyfin. My first experience was nice as the tool did most of the job on its own, like fetching metadata and adding subtitles.

While the default features were enough for a basic user, I wanted to try other plugins to address small problems with my streaming setup. I found a few extremely useful add-ons that the default plugins repository doesn't have, and they make my streaming experience even better than Plex.

HoverTrailer enables a cinema-like feel

Preview official trailers

After populating my Jellyfin server with media files, I can easily spot something that I've previously watched. However, if I want to watch something new, a trailer about that media can be extremely helpful while making a decision. It's also beneficial when I have a friend or family member who wants to watch something with me but wants a sneak peek at the plot.

HoverTrailer implements automatic trailer fetching and playback whenever I hover over any item. It shows a small mini window that plays the trailer. I can manually adjust the appearance, size, and configure the delay after which the trailer preview starts.

I don't need to put much effort into scanning the media, and the trailer's accuracy and language are mostly correct. It's one of the few things that make a huge difference when you want to binge something for the first time.

Intro skipper saves my time

Jump directly to main content

While trailers are a good approach to starting something new, having a one-to-two-minute flashback of a previous episode when you watched it like a minute ago is frustrating. Plex premium plans have an intro skipping option, but I don’t want to spend $250 on it.

Jellyfin also lacks a built-in intro-skipping feature, but the community has a plugin for that. Intro Skipper is a plugin that helps me escape boring flashbacks and intros songs. I can instantly zoom past something that I know about or an intro song I've become bored with.

Like Hover Trailers, Intro Skipper offers an elaborate configuration setting to tune it to perfection and not skip main content.

Jellysleep adds a sleep timer

Stop automatic playback

It’s a feature that Jellyfin should offer by default. I have a habit of falling asleep despite being excited to binge-watch something for a couple of hours. The playback continues while I drool on the couch, hurting my playback history and wasting electricity.

Jellysleep is a plugin that adds a sleep timer icon to the Jellyfin player. Whenever you start watching something, you can set a timer to tell the tool to stop the media playback. There are a few presets available, and I mostly use the one-hour or After this episode preset.

It halts the playback and sends me to the home screen when the timer strikes. While the default presets are nice, I would've preferred a custom option in the settings. Jellysleep needs a JavaScript injection plugin to work, so make sure you install it as well.

SkinManager spruces up the UI

Jellyfin needs a makeover

Jellyfin might be the most powerful free media server tool with hardware transcoding support, but it's certainly not the best-looking one. The default interface is an eyesore after using it for a few months. Fortunately, I can change Jellyfin’s appearance with the SkinManager.

It's a visual appearance-tweaking tool that lets you pick from a set of available presets and add color combinations to give it a different look. All the presets have a distinct design, so you don't feel stuck with an outdated interface.

The change is mostly cosmetic and exclusive to the frontend of Jellyfin. So all the pages and menus look nice. Sadly, the charm fades away when you visit the app settings.

InPlayerEpisodePreview

Add an episode preview list to the player

I remember using PotPlayer a few years ago because it had an episode list feature. I could click the next episode without revisiting the folder in File Explorer, then play it. InPlayerEpisodePreview does exactly that, but with an added benefit.

It's a third-party plugin, so you must add its repository and then install it. Clicking the icon on the Jellyfin player window shows the current episode name and number, along with a brief overview of the metadata.

I can mark the episode as my favorite or play any other episode from the list. Another perk of using it is that I don't need to go to the previous page to find the episode I want to watch. It's listed in the menu and is playable from there.

Jellyfin Enhanced adds missing features

More control over playback

Jellyfin can display and download subtitles, but can't configure their appearance. Jellyfin Enhanced is a plugin that offers multiple pro features that are not available in the playback or subtitle settings. Unlike the other plugins on this list, Jellyfin Enhanced packs a ton of settings.

I stick to the playback and subtitles section because I need my subtitles to be smaller and yellow. There are a couple of playback settings I use, like “Auto Picture-in-Picture on tab switch,” which works like Chrome’s PIP mode, and the “Long press/hold for 2x speed” feature on mobile devices.

Jellyfin is dull without plugins

Despite being a befitting Plex rival, I find Jellyfin slightly difficult to use without the above-mentioned plugins. I use Intro Skipper and Hover Trailer most of the time, along with Jellysleep. Jellyfin Enhanced is also a must-have plugin if you are dissatisfied with the tool's default system settings. Most of these plugins need the File Transformation plugin to work, so install it before setting up anything else.