Fintunes

Open-source mobile audio streaming for Jellyfin, honestly reviewed. No marketing fluff — just what you get when you own your music.

TL;DR

• What it is: Free, MIT-licensed iOS and Android app for streaming your Jellyfin music library. Think Spotify, but it plays from your own server and the bill is $0 [README][3].
• Who it’s for: People who already self-host Jellyfin (or are willing to), own a digital music collection, and want a polished mobile client rather than the stock Jellyfin interface.
• Cost savings: Spotify costs $9.99/mo, Apple Music $10.99/mo, Tidal $10.99/mo. The Jellyfin + Fintunes stack costs what your home server or VPS already costs. The app is free.
• Key strength: Clean, minimal interface — good enough to land on AlternativeTo’s curated list of “beautiful open-source iOS apps” [4]. AirPlay and Chromecast built in. Available on App Store, Google Play, and F-Droid [README].
• Key weakness: Requires Jellyfin already running. At least one active homelab user switched away from it to Finamp specifically because of navigation issues and unspecified bugs [1]. Small community (1,355 GitHub stars). No scrobbling natively per the FAQ.

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What is Fintunes

Fintunes is a mobile audio player for Jellyfin — the open-source media server that people use to self-host their movie, TV, and music collections. Where Jellyfin handles the server side (storing your files, fetching metadata, managing the library), Fintunes handles the phone side: a clean UI to browse albums, search tracks, hit play, and cast to nearby speakers.

The project is built on React Native by developer leinelissen, based in the Netherlands. It’s MIT-licensed, available on App Store, Google Play, and F-Droid, with a TestFlight beta channel for early iOS access [README]. As of this writing it sits at 1,355 GitHub stars — small compared to Jellyfin itself, but healthy for a dedicated mobile client.

The elevator pitch from the website is accurate and unexaggerated: “a beautiful, minimalistic and open-source streaming music player for iOS and Android, powered by your own Jellyfin server” [website]. It doesn’t try to be a full media center. It doesn’t do video. It does one thing: play your music from your Jellyfin library on your phone, with an interface that doesn’t look like it was built in 2011.

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Why people choose it

The choice of Fintunes usually happens in a specific context: someone has already set up Jellyfin for video streaming, discovers it handles music too, and wants something better than the default Jellyfin mobile app for music playback specifically.

The HowToGeek reviewer Jordan Gloor describes exactly this path [1][2]: running Jellyfin for movies and TV, then uploading a full music collection, then reaching for Fintunes as the dedicated music client on Android. In his homelab article, he describes it as giving “a similar experience to that of Tidal or Spotify” [2] — which is an honest summary of what you get. It’s not feature-identical to Spotify, but the core loop of search-browse-play works and it doesn’t look out of place on a modern phone.

The privacy angle is the same reason people run Jellyfin at all. Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal all know everything you play, build profiles, and can remove content or raise prices at any time. When Plex’s privacy settings became a story [5], and when services like Amazon Prime and Apple Music went down in the same weekend due to an AWS DNS outage [2], self-hosters noted the contrast: their local Jellyfin stack stayed up, and Fintunes kept playing [2].

AlternativeTo lists Fintunes under the “Jellyfin alternatives” EU category with the description: “Mobile app for Android and iOS streaming music from Jellyfin with playlist support, high-quality playback, offline downloads, easy searching, and open-source accessibility” [3]. It also appears in a curated list of beautiful open-source iOS apps, which is a signal that the UI is at least above average for the space [4].

That said, the honest picture includes a real negative: the same reviewer who praised Fintunes in one article [2] later reported switching to Finamp specifically because Fintunes “was giving me trouble” and he “didn’t like how navigation worked” [1]. He moved to the Finamp beta, which includes a full UI redesign and lyric support. That’s a direct switch-away from a user who clearly gave Fintunes a genuine run, which matters more than generic praise.

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Features

From the README and website:

Core playback:

• Stream full audio library at full quality from your Jellyfin server [README]
• Browse by tracks, albums, playlists [README][website]
• Search across your library [README]
• Queue management [README]

Wireless streaming:

• AirPlay support (iOS) — cast to Apple TV, HomePods, speakers [README][website]
• Chromecast support (Android/iOS) — cast to TVs and speakers [README][website]

Offline:

• Download tracks for offline playback [README][website]
• Downloads section in the app [README]

UI:

• Dark mode and light mode, auto-switched by OS settings [README][website]
• Screenshot gallery in the README shows: Now Playing screen, recent albums, album list, album view, downloads, search — six distinct screens, all with the same minimal aesthetic [README]

Translations:

• Managed via Weblate — community-contributed translations [README]

Platform availability:

• iOS App Store (https://apple.co/3MFYIJH) [README]
• Google Play [README]
• F-Droid (for de-Googled Android) [README]
• APK/IPA direct download from GitHub releases [README]
• TestFlight beta [README]

What it doesn’t do (based on available data):

• No scrobbling built in — the FAQ asks about it, which implies users want it; the answer text wasn’t available in the scrape [website FAQ]
• No bitrate/sample rate selection per the FAQ [website FAQ]
• No video playback — it’s audio only
• No server management or Jellyfin admin functions

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Pricing: the actual math

Fintunes itself is free. MIT license, no in-app purchases, no subscription, no ads [README][3].

The real cost conversation is about the Jellyfin + Fintunes stack versus a music streaming subscription:

Streaming subscription cost:

• Spotify Individual: $9.99/mo → $119.88/yr
• Apple Music Individual: $10.99/mo → $131.88/yr
• Tidal HiFi: $10.99/mo → $131.88/yr
• Family plans go higher; student plans go lower

Jellyfin + Fintunes stack cost:

• Fintunes app: $0
• Jellyfin server software: $0 (GPL-2.0 licensed)
• Hardware: whatever you’re already running for home server use, or a $5–10/mo VPS
• Music files: you need to own them (ripped CDs, purchased downloads, or use what you already have)

If you’re starting from zero with no music collection, this isn’t a streaming service replacement — Spotify has 100 million+ tracks you don’t own. Fintunes plays your files, not a licensed catalog. The people this is actually for are those who already own a music library and are paying monthly for streaming on top of that, or those who have stopped acquiring new music and want to stop paying recurring fees.

If you already run a home server or NAS, the marginal cost of adding Jellyfin music + Fintunes is near zero. That’s the scenario where the math is obvious.

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Deployment reality check

Fintunes is an app. You don’t deploy it — you install it from the App Store, Google Play, or F-Droid. That part is trivial [README].

What you do need to deploy is Jellyfin, which is a separate project. The README is honest about this: setup is a single step in the Fintunes app (“Set Jellyfin server” button → enter URL → authenticate), but the URL you enter has to point to a working Jellyfin instance you already control [README].

Getting Jellyfin running is its own project. It’s not difficult — Docker Compose, point it at your media directory, it auto-fetches metadata from MusicBrainz and AudioDB [1] — but it’s a prerequisite. If you haven’t done it, that’s the actual work. The HowToGeek writer ran his full music collection through Jellyfin with auto-downloaded album art, artist info, and time-synced lyrics (via LrcLib plugin) [1]. That setup works, but involves configuring Jellyfin plugins, not just Fintunes.

Practical requirements for Fintunes specifically:

• A running Jellyfin server (self-hosted, accessible on your network or via domain/VPN)
• Your music files uploaded to Jellyfin
• A phone running iOS or Android

What can go sideways:

• The navigation issues flagged by the HowToGeek reviewer [1] aren’t described in detail, but they were bad enough to trigger a full switch to Finamp. Navigation-style frustrations in mobile apps tend to be hard to fix without a major redesign, and the competing app Finamp is currently mid-redesign.
• Small team, unclear maintenance cadence — the GitHub metadata in the input was listed as “n/a,” which suggests the data pipeline didn’t capture star/fork counts from the API. The 1,355 stars from the merged profile are real; the relative activity level of the repo should be verified on GitHub before committing to it.
• Codec support — the FAQ asks about it but the answer wasn’t in the scrape. Jellyfin handles transcoding server-side, so most formats should work, but edge cases depend on your Jellyfin config [website FAQ].

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Genuinely free, MIT licensed. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads, no account required [README][3]. You could fork it tomorrow.
• Available on iOS, Android, and F-Droid. The F-Droid listing matters for de-Googled Android users who specifically avoid the Play Store [README][3].
• AirPlay and Chromecast. Both included out of the box, no extra config — cast to any compatible speaker or TV [README][website].
• Offline playback. Downloads work [README][website], which is the main reason Spotify users stay on Spotify for travel or poor-signal situations.
• Clean UI. Landing on a curated “beautiful open-source iOS apps” list [4] isn’t nothing. The screenshots in the README support the claim — it looks like something a developer cared about.
• F-Droid builds are automated via GitHub Actions + Fastlane — the badge is in the README, suggesting builds are CI-managed, not manually uploaded [README].
• Community translations via Weblate — not a one-language project [README].

Cons

• Requires Jellyfin. This is a hard dependency. You cannot use Fintunes without already running a Jellyfin server. It’s not a standalone app [README].
• Known navigation issues. The HowToGeek reviewer (a genuine, multi-article homelab practitioner) switched away from Fintunes to Finamp specifically because navigation “wasn’t working” for him [1]. This is the most credible negative signal in the available data.
• No native scrobbling. The FAQ field exists, which means users ask for it [website]. Last.fm scrobbling is table stakes for serious music listeners.
• No bitrate control. Again, in the FAQ — users want it, it’s apparently not fully supported [website FAQ]. For audiophiles, this matters.
• Small community. 1,355 stars, 7 AlternativeTo likes [merged profile][3]. This is not a widely-adopted tool. Compare Finamp (the main alternative) at 2,800+ stars and a full UI redesign in progress [1].
• You supply the catalog. No discovery, no curated playlists, no “users who like X also like Y.” If you’re paying for Spotify partly for its recommendation engine, Fintunes won’t replace that.

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Who should use this / who shouldn’t

Use Fintunes if:

• You already run Jellyfin and want a clean mobile client dedicated to music playback.
• You own a music library (ripped CDs, purchased downloads) and are tired of paying monthly to stream what you already own.
• You want offline playback and wireless casting without a subscription.
• You’re on a de-Googled Android phone and need an F-Droid build.
• You value MIT licensing and want to be able to fork or modify the app.

Consider Finamp instead if:

• Navigation in Fintunes frustrates you — Finamp’s redesigned beta adds lyric support and a significantly overhauled UI [1].
• You care about Last.fm scrobbling (verify Finamp’s support before committing).
• You want to follow the more actively starred project in the Jellyfin audio client space.

Skip both and use the official Jellyfin app if:

• You also watch video through Jellyfin — the official app handles both; Fintunes handles only audio.
• You don’t want to think about which client does what.

Don’t bother at all if:

• You don’t own a music library. There’s no catalog here, only what you upload.
• You’re not willing or able to run a Jellyfin server.
• You rely on streaming for music discovery — self-hosted won’t replace that.

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Alternatives worth considering

• Finamp — the main Jellyfin audio alternative. More stars, active development, and a redesigned beta with lyrics [1]. The HowToGeek homelab writer switched from Fintunes to Finamp. If you’re choosing between the two today, check Finamp’s beta first.
• Official Jellyfin mobile app — handles video and audio, less specialized, gets official support alongside the server project.
• Symfonium — paid Android-only app with broader server support (Jellyfin, Emby, Subsonic, Plex). Not open source but highly regarded in the r/selfhosted space. Data not available on pricing.
• Plexamp — Plex’s music-dedicated app. Polished, but requires Plex (and a Plex Pass for full offline/download features), which puts you back in the privacy situation Jellyfin users are trying to escape [5].
• Spotify / Apple Music / Tidal — if you don’t own a music library and want catalog access and discovery, these are the correct tools. Self-hosting doesn’t give you a 100-million-track catalog.

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Bottom line

Fintunes is a functional, clean, free MIT-licensed Jellyfin music client that does the basics right: browse, search, play, cast, download. If you’re already running Jellyfin and want a dedicated mobile music interface that looks good on iOS or Android, it’s worth installing. The honest caveat is that the most credible third-party reviewer using it in a real homelab setup eventually switched to Finamp [1], which should at minimum prompt you to look at both before committing. The lack of scrobbling and limited bitrate controls are genuine gaps for music listeners who care about those things. But for the target user — someone paying $10–11/mo for a streaming service they use mainly to play music they already own or could own — the math of switching to Jellyfin + Fintunes is straightforward. The app costs nothing. The only bill is the hardware you may already be running.

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Sources

1. Jordan Gloor, How-To Geek — “3 Self-Hosted Services I’m Running in My Homelab and Use Every Day” (Jul 20, 2025). https://www.howtogeek.com/self-hosted-services-im-running-in-my-homelab/
2. Jordan Gloor, How-To Geek — “My Homelab Was Never More Valuable Than It Was This Weekend” (Oct 21, 2025). https://www.howtogeek.com/my-homelab-was-never-more-valuable-than-it-was-this-weekend/
3. AlternativeTo — “Jellyfin Alternatives: Top 7 Media Servers & Media Centers from the EU” (updated Apr 18, 2026). https://alternativeto.net/software/jellyfin/?origin=eu
4. AlternativeTo — “Beautiful Open Source Apps for iOS (nice & modern UI/UX)” (community list). https://alternativeto.net/lists/34092/beautiful-open-source-apps-for-ios-nice-and-modern-ui-ux-/
5. The Crow — “Paranoid and perplexed by Plex privacy pickle? Just Enjoy Jellyfin”. https://thecrow.uk/paranoid-and-perplexed-by-plex-privacy-pickle-just-enjoy-jellyfin/

Primary sources:

• GitHub repository and README: https://github.com/leinelissen/jellyfin-audio-player (1,355 stars, MIT license)
• Official website: https://fintunes.app