XDA ran a piece on Jellydash, a small app that turns an old Android tablet into a monitoring dashboard for a home Jellyfin server. The idea holds up: a tablet on the shelf that shows who is streaming, how the transcoder is doing, and whether the server is still reachable saves opening a browser every time something goes weird. Jellydash is one option, but there are proven Android apps that do the same job with a broader feature set. We tested seven of them against a home Jellyfin 10.9 server with a mix of 4K transcodes, remote users, and Docker containers.
What to look for in a Jellyfin monitoring app
- Live sessions view. The dashboard should show who is watching, what the bitrate is, and whether Jellyfin is transcoding or direct-playing.
- Push notifications. New user, failed transcode, container restart. If you have to check the tablet to know, it does not count as monitoring.
- Health check pings. Uptime tracking with alerts if the server drops off Wi-Fi.
- SSH or shell fallback. When something breaks, you want to hit the server without a laptop.
- Landscape mode. The tablet will sit on a shelf.
- Battery-safe. A tablet on a charger 24/7 wears the battery down; apps that let the screen sleep between events help.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Findroid | Third-party Jellyfin client with session view | Yes | Free | 4.7/5 |
| Jellyfin | Official admin dashboard on a tablet | Yes | Free | 4.4/5 |
| Home Assistant | Full dashboard with Jellyfin integration | Yes | Free | 4.6/5 |
| ntfy | Push notifications from server hooks | Yes | Free | 4.7/5 |
| JuiceSSH | SSH into the server from the shelf | Yes | Free unlock | 4.6/5 |
| Termux | Local scripts against Jellyfin API | Yes | Free | 4.6/5 |
| Server & Website Monitor | Uptime and status monitoring | Yes | $2.49 upgrade | 4.3/5 |
The apps
1. Findroid – Best third-party Jellyfin client with server view
Findroid is the third-party Jellyfin client that has become the reference on Android and Android TV. Beyond playback, the admin log-in exposes the same sessions view the web dashboard has, so you can see current streams, bandwidth, and transcode state at a glance. The app is fully open source and updates weekly.
Where it falls short: Findroid is a client first; you still need the official Jellyfin app or the web UI for user management.
Pricing:
- Free, fully open source.
Bottom line: Install Findroid first. It is the best combined client and session monitor on Android.
2. Jellyfin – Best official option
Jellyfin on Android renders the same admin dashboard the web UI does when you log in as an admin user. That gives you scheduled tasks, plugin management, and user activity on the same screen. On a tablet in landscape mode, the layout is usable without pinch-zoom.
Where it falls short: The Android app forwards a lot of the admin UI to a web view, so it feels less native than Findroid.
Pricing:
- Free, fully open source.
Bottom line: Use the official Jellyfin app when you need admin controls, not just a session view.
3. Home Assistant – Best custom dashboard
Home Assistant has a native Jellyfin integration that surfaces active users, currently playing items, and the server’s up/down state as entities. Wire those into a Lovelace dashboard and the tablet becomes a proper Jellyfin monitor with your other home data alongside.
Where it falls short: Needs a Home Assistant server on the LAN and a bit of YAML for the dashboard.
Pricing:
- Free, self-hosted.
- Home Assistant Cloud around $6.50/month (optional).
Bottom line: Pick Home Assistant if you already run it. The Jellyfin card slots into the same dashboard.
4. ntfy – Best push notifications
ntfy delivers push notifications from any script or webhook to the tablet. Point it at a Jellyfin webhook plugin and the tablet buzzes on new-user creation, transcode failures, or container restarts. The Android app is open source; the receiving side runs on your Jellyfin box or ntfy.sh.
Where it falls short: ntfy is a notification pipe, not a dashboard. Pair it with one of the other picks.
Pricing:
- Free, self-hosted.
- ntfy.sh Pro tier around $5/month if you want managed hosting.
Bottom line: Install ntfy as the pager for the rest of the stack.
5. JuiceSSH – Best SSH client
JuiceSSH is the SSH client of choice for Android, and on a shelf tablet it means direct terminal access to the Jellyfin server when something breaks. The free tier covers most use cases; the paid unlock adds team key sharing and cloud sync.
Where it falls short: No native tunnel for the Jellyfin web UI; use a browser for that.
Pricing:
- Free.
- Pro unlock around $3.99 one-time.
Bottom line: Add JuiceSSH so the tablet is the fallback when the server misbehaves.
6. Termux – Best on-device shell
Termux runs a full Linux userland on Android and can hit the Jellyfin REST API directly with curl or a Python script. Small monitoring scripts (session counts, transcode CPU) run locally on the tablet and log to a text file you can tail.
Where it falls short: Steep learning curve if you have never used a command line. The Play Store build stopped receiving updates a while back, so install from Aptoide or F-Droid.
Pricing:
- Free, fully open source.
Bottom line: Best for automating tiny checks on the tablet itself.
7. Server & Website Monitor – Best uptime dashboard
Server & Website Monitor is a lightweight uptime and status app that pings the Jellyfin URL on a schedule and alerts if it drops. Combine it with ntfy for push and the tablet becomes a real availability monitor without a paid Uptime Kuma instance.
Where it falls short: The layout is dated compared to a Grafana card in Home Assistant.
Pricing:
- Free basic version.
- Full upgrade around $2.49.
Bottom line: Grab it as the always-on ping check.
How to pick the right one
- If you want the simplest option: Findroid.
- If you need admin controls: Jellyfin official.
- If you already run Home Assistant: Home Assistant companion.
- If you want push alerts on server events: ntfy.
- If you need shell access when things break: JuiceSSH.
- If you want to script your own checks: Termux.
- If uptime is what you actually care about: Server & Website Monitor.
- If you tried Jellydash and want more depth: layer Findroid, ntfy, and Home Assistant on the same tablet.
FAQ
Is Jellydash on the Google Play Store?
Not on the Play Store at the time of writing. The XDA piece points at the GitHub release; the apps in this article are all in the store and cover the same use case.
Do these apps work with a Jellyfin server behind a reverse proxy?
Yes. Findroid, Home Assistant and the ntfy webhook all accept a URL, so pointing them at your public HTTPS endpoint works the same as a LAN URL. JuiceSSH connects to the server directly on port 22 (or your custom SSH port).
Can Home Assistant show Jellyfin sessions on a wall panel?
Yes. The native Jellyfin integration exposes now-playing entities you can drop into a Lovelace card. That is what turns the tablet into a wall monitor.
Does Findroid replace the Jellyfin app?
For most watch use cases, yes. Findroid is smoother and handles more codecs. Keep the official Jellyfin app for the admin dashboard and plugin management.
Which is the best free Jellyfin monitoring app?
Findroid for the session view, ntfy for notifications and Home Assistant for the dashboard. All three are open source and free.
