Five alternative Plex clients for Apple TV, iPhone, iPad and Mac

Why look beyond the official app

You do not have to use the official Plex app to watch content from a Plex server. Apple Insider has published a round-up of alternative clients for tvOS, iOS, iPadOS and macOS, arguing that third-party apps can improve the viewing experience for people who already run a Plex server.

According to the report, the official Plex apps have grown cluttered and slow because of the many features packed into them. The site also points to a recent example of quality-control problems: in October, beta versions of the iOS and tvOS apps reportedly failed to load 4K Dolby Vision content, even though 4K HDR played normally, and a later analysis found every Dolby Vision profile 8.1 MKV file opened to a loading spinner instead of video.

These claims come from Apple Insider and have not been confirmed by Plex. Even so, the site notes that switching clients does not change what you pay Plex for the server itself. It can, however, solve problems that are caused by the client rather than the server.

The benefits of a third-party client

Apple Insider lists several reasons to try an alternative. Third-party apps tend to be leaner, because they focus on playing your library rather than adding extra features, so navigation can feel faster. Their developers also take a different approach to design, which the site suggests is often better than the official interface.

There are practical advantages too. Some paywalled Plex features, such as remote streaming, can reportedly be accessed through third-party clients, although the legal and technical details are not addressed in the report.

Another benefit is multi-server support. Official Plex apps only work with Plex, and official Jellyfin apps only with Jellyfin. Alternative clients are not bound by that restriction, which is useful if you run both a Plex and a Jellyfin server at home.

Plezy, a modern multi-server client

Plezy is described as a client with a clean, modern and intuitive interface. It can browse libraries across Plex, Jellyfin and Emby, another media server platform, and pulls recommendations from services including Plex Discover, MyAnimeList and Seerr.

The app supports a wide range of codecs, including HEVC, AV1 and VP9, and offers live TV and DVR functions, downloads and background playback of stored music.

Plezy is available for iOS, iPadOS and tvOS for a one-time App Store price of $5.99. Apple Insider notes it is also on macOS, Windows, Google Play, Fire TV and Linux, and that the source code is available on GitHub for anyone who prefers to build it themselves.

Rivulet, built only for Apple TV

Rivulet takes a narrower approach: it is made exclusively for the Apple TV, which the site says lets it concentrate on a sleek and simple interface.

It works with both Plex and Jellyfin servers and supports multiple servers at once. Plex Home profiles are supported, along with watchlists, collections and playlists.

On the playback side, Rivulet handles 4K HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision video, plus Dolby Atmos and lossless audio. It also supports Plex Live TV and DVR, and can show up to four channels at once in a multi-view layout.

The app is free. Its developer, Bain Gurley, describes it as a non-commercial project, according to Apple Insider.

Infuse, the established multi-platform option

Infuse from Firecore is the most established name in the round-up. It connects to Plex, Jellyfin and Emby servers, showing their libraries, metadata and artwork, and it syncs watch history and ratings between devices.

It is not limited to home servers. The app can also reach content stored on cloud services such as Dropbox and Google Drive, and it can stream via AirPlay or Google Cast from an iPhone to a television.

Format support is broad, covering MP4, MKV, M4V and MOV files, along with HDR10+, Dolby Vision and Dolby and DTS audio. Apps are available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV and Apple Vision.

The base app is free, while Infuse Pro costs from $1.99 per month or $16.99 per year, with a lifetime option at $99.99.

Dusk, a free and open-source Plex-only app

Dusk is a native Plex client for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, designed to be fast and to stay out of the way of the content. It does not support Jellyfin, but it does work with several Plex servers that you can switch between freely, and it offers cross-library search with real-time results.

The app plays many formats, including MKV, HEVC, DTS and TrueHD audio, and SRT and PGS subtitles, without needing the server to transcode. Features include automatic skipping of intros and credits, season-long autoplay, an option to disable the are-you-still-watching prompt, offline playback and picture-in-picture on some versions.

Dusk is free in the App Store and fully open source, so it can be forked. Instead of a paid tier, developer Marvin von Rappard accepts optional support payments, from a one-time $2.99 coffee purchase up to a $24.99 Yearly Supporter or $49.99 Patron tier.

What this means for Plex users

The overall message from Apple Insider is that a Plex subscription does not lock you into one app. If the official client feels slow, has a playback bug or hides features behind a paywall, a third-party client may offer a smoother path to the same library.

The choice depends on your setup. Apple TV owners who want a focused, free television app have Rivulet, while Plezy and Infuse cover the whole Apple ecosystem plus other platforms. Dusk suits people who want an open-source, Plex-only experience. Anyone running both Plex and Jellyfin should look first at the multi-server options.

As with any third-party software, features and pricing can change, and the paywalled-feature claims rest on the reporting rather than on confirmation from Plex. It is worth checking each app's current listing before committing.