Finamp: a Jellyfin music client for Android, iOS and desktop

What Finamp solves, and who it is for

Jellyfin gives you a server that streams your own media, but the web interface is built for a browser, not for a phone in a pocket. Finamp exists to close that gap for music specifically. The README describes it as "a free Jellyfin music player for Android, iOS and Desktop" that "allows you to stream and download the music you own." The target user is someone who already runs a Jellyfin server and wants a native mobile client that behaves like a streaming app: browse, queue, download, play offline.

The scope is deliberately narrow. Finamp is not a server, a library manager or a metadata editor. It is also not a general Jellyfin client: it plays music, not video. If you have no Jellyfin server, the README points you to Jellyfin's own site first, because Finamp has nothing to connect to without one.

How Finamp talks to Jellyfin: streaming, downloads and transcoding

The architecture is a Flutter app on top of the Jellyfin API. The repository layout shows platform folders for android, ios, linux, macos and windows alongside a shared lib directory, which is the standard Flutter arrangement: one Dart codebase, several platform shells.

Two data paths matter. For streaming, Finamp can request transcoded audio from Jellyfin, which the README says saves mobile data. For offline use, it downloads music to the device.

On top of the transport, Finamp implements client-side features that depend on server support. The app also supports Jellyfin's Playback Reporting plugin, which records listening activity on the server side. AudioMuse integration is listed for sonic analysis and improved mixes, which means Finamp can consume analysis produced elsewhere rather than computing it itself.

Installing Finamp and playing your first track

Finamp ships as an app, not as a service you install on a server. The README links Google Play, the Apple App Store and F-Droid, APK files from the releases page, an `.msix` package or plain zip for Windows, an `.app` for Mac, and Flathub or the AUR for Linux.

You install the app, then point it at your Jellyfin server. On Arch Linux the README gives `yay -S finamp` for the AUR package, and on Windows a self-signed certificate must be installed once before the `.msix` file.

If you want to build Finamp yourself, note that the repository's default branch is redesign, so a clone without a branch argument lands there.

Contributor setup details live in CONTRIBUTING.md, which the README links as its Contribution Guidelines. The repository also carries a flake.nix and flake.lock, which suggests a Nix-based path to a development shell.

Where Finamp is the wrong tool

The hard requirement is the server: the README says you need access to a Jellyfin server or you won't be able to use Finamp at all, and that Navidrome and Lyra also work but aren't actively supported. Android Auto and CarPlay are both supported, though Android Auto requires installing the app from the Play Store.

The repository contains linux, macos and windows folders, and the README lists desktop support as a feature, with installs for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Finamp against Plexamp, Symfonium and Feishin

The obvious comparison is Plexamp, and the difference is the server, not the app. Plexamp plays a Plex library; Finamp plays a Jellyfin library. If your music lives in Plex, Finamp cannot see it, and switching means moving the library. Both aim at the same listening pattern, so the choice is usually already made by which server you run.

Symfonium is a different kind of difference. Finamp is free, open source under MPL-2.0, and built for Jellyfin; the README says Navidrome and Lyra also work but aren't actively supported.

Finamp ships desktop builds, and the README lists desktop support among its features.

Navidrome is not a client at all. It is a music server, and the README says Finamp also works with it, though Navidrome is not actively supported.

Maintenance, licensing and the cost of upgrading

The repository is not archived, and the last push was on 2026-11-02, which is recent. Releases have been frequent: 1.0.1-beta on 2026-09-02, then 1.0.1 on 2026-10-11, titled as the redesign finally being stable after 4 years of development, and 1.0.2 on 2026-10-29. That is a project with active maintenance.

Server-side, Playback Reporting support depends on the corresponding Jellyfin plugin.

Finamp is licensed under MPL-2.0, a file-level copyleft licence. Modifications to MPL-covered files must be published under the same licence, while larger works that combine MPL files with other code can be licensed differently. This is a description of the licence text, not legal advice; if you plan to redistribute a modified build, read the LICENSE file in the repository and, for anything commercial, talk to a lawyer.

Editorial conclusion

Adopt Finamp if you already run Jellyfin and want a mobile client with offline downloads and transcoded streaming, on phones or desktop. Do not adopt it if you have no Jellyfin server, since the README says you won't be able to use Finamp at all without one; Navidrome and Lyra also work but aren't actively supported.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. finamp-app/finamp on GitHub
2. Issues
3. License: MPL-2.0
4. README
5. Releases