XDA’s Zac Robinson wrote up how a single plugin turned his shared Jellyfin server from a source of friction into something his family actually opens by choice. Jellyfin doesn’t ship a “Who’s watching?” screen out of the box, and once more than one person is on a server, the missing profile layer becomes obvious fast. Here are seven apps and plugins that add Netflix-style profiles, avatars, request queues, and per-user controls to a Jellyfin server. Every pick is free, most are open source, and all run alongside a stock Jellyfin install on Windows, macOS, or Linux.
What to look for in a Jellyfin profiles setup
Multi-user Jellyfin has several problems bundled together. A “profile” plugin solves one of them, not all. The picks below split across five capabilities. Match the ones a household actually needs before piling plugins on:
- Profile switching (a “Who’s watching?” screen tied to viewing history per profile)
- Avatars and per-profile visuals
- Parental controls and library scoping (kids get animated only)
- Requests and library additions per user
- Per-user viewing stats and playback resume
Two of these can be in one plugin (JellyProfiles bundles switching plus avatars plus parental) or spread across several. Layer them, don’t stack them unnecessarily.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JellyProfiles | Netflix-style profile switching | Server plugin | Free | Up to 5 profiles per account, PIN protection |
| GetAvatar | Adding avatar images | Server plugin | Free | Pick from a preloaded gallery |
| Jellystat | Per-user viewing stats | Docker | Free | Grafana-like dashboards |
| LDAP Authentication Plugin | Real single sign-on | Server plugin | Free | Bind Jellyfin users to LDAP or FreeIPA |
| Jellyseerr | Request queues per user | Docker | Free | The Overseerr fork for Jellyfin |
| Playback Reporting Plugin | Watch-time stats per user | Server plugin | Free | The bundled reporting most guides skip |
| Home Screen Sections Plugin | Better landing screen per profile | Server plugin | Free | Custom rows on the home tab |
The apps
1. JellyProfiles, best overall for profile switching
JellyProfiles (also called Bonfire) is the plugin XDA’s writer landed on. It adds up to five profiles under a single Jellyfin account, each with a name, PIN, auto-lock timer, avatar color, parental rating, and library access list. Profiles show a “Who’s watching?” screen the first time each session, and each profile keeps its own history, resume points, and recommendations.
Where it falls short: Support is scoped to Jellyfin Web, the official Android client, and Jellyfin Media Player (JMP). Native clients like Swiftfin (iOS) and the Roku client don’t currently render the picker.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, open source on GitHub
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Server plugin, so it runs wherever Jellyfin runs (Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker)
Download: GitHub (jaimedelano/JellyProfiles)
Bottom line: Start here. It solves the specific “Netflix-style profiles” problem the XDA piece was talking about.
2. GetAvatar, best for real avatars
GetAvatar is a small Jellyfin plugin that lets a user pick their avatar from a gallery instead of the default color block. The gallery is admin-configured, so a household can drop cartoon icons for the kids and mood-based photos for the adults into one folder and let each account pick. It works cleanly with JellyProfiles for households that want both profile switching and named-face avatars.
Where it falls short: Users can’t upload their own avatar from the UI. The admin has to drop images on the server first.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, open source
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Server plugin
Download: GitHub (cedev-1/jellyfin-plugin-GetAvatar)
Bottom line: The visual polish JellyProfiles’ color swatches don’t provide.
3. Jellystat, best for per-user viewing stats
Jellystat is a self-hosted analytics dashboard for Jellyfin. It runs as a separate Docker container, pulls data from the Jellyfin API, and produces per-user charts, per-library breakdowns, and playback histograms. For a household running JellyProfiles, Jellystat is what turns “each profile has its own history” into “each profile has a monthly wrap.”
Where it falls short: It needs Docker Compose and a Postgres container. Setup is 15 to 20 minutes for a first-time self-hoster.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, open source
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Docker, so runs on any Linux, macOS, or Windows host
Download: GitHub (CyferShepard/Jellystat)
Bottom line: The best “who watched what and when” answer for a shared server.
4. LDAP Authentication Plugin, best for real single sign-on
LDAP Authentication Plugin is Jellyfin’s own plugin for tying user accounts to an LDAP or FreeIPA directory. For a household or homelab that already runs Authelia, Keycloak, or LLDAP, this collapses “add new user in Jellyfin” and “add new user in Sonarr” and “add new user in Immich” into one action.
Where it falls short: It’s overkill for a two-person household. If nobody else runs an LDAP directory yet, the setup cost is out of proportion.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, official Jellyfin plugin
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Server plugin
Download: Jellyfin’s official plugin catalogue (add https://repo.jellyfin.org/releases/plugin/manifest.json under Repositories, then install “LDAP Authentication”)
Bottom line: Install this if the household already has an identity provider. Skip if the answer to “what’s LDAP?” is a shrug.
5. Jellyseerr, best for request queues per user
Jellyseerr is a fork of Overseerr that talks to Jellyfin instead of only Plex. Users log in with their Jellyfin credentials, browse TMDb-populated pages, and hit “Request” on a show or movie. Sonarr and Radarr pick up the request, download it, and Jellyseerr marks it available when it lands in the library.
Where it falls short: It only makes sense with Sonarr and Radarr already running. Without them it’s a nicer front end for saying “please, admin.”
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, open source
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Docker
Download: GitHub (fallenbagel/jellyseerr)
Bottom line: The right pick if the household already runs the *arr stack.
6. Playback Reporting Plugin, best bundled reporting
Playback Reporting Plugin is Jellyfin’s own reporting plugin. It surfaces per-user watch time inside the Jellyfin dashboard, without needing a second Docker container. It’s less pretty than Jellystat, but it’s built in, ships with Jellyfin’s plugin catalogue, and takes 30 seconds to install.
Where it falls short: The UI is admin-only. Users can’t see their own stats from the client.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, official plugin
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Server plugin
Download: Jellyfin’s official plugin catalogue (available in the built-in repository)
Bottom line: The lightweight alternative to Jellystat when Docker Compose is more setup than the household wants.
7. Home Screen Sections Plugin, best landing polish
Home Screen Sections Plugin is a community plugin that lets admins define extra rows on the Jellyfin home screen. Combined with JellyProfiles, each profile can land on a home tab with rows scoped to that profile’s tastes (kids get “Animated Continue Watching,” adults get “Recently Added: Documentaries”). It’s the finishing coat on a profile-heavy setup.
Where it falls short: Configuration is JSON in the plugin settings, so households used to Netflix’s “just works” polish will find it fiddly.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, open source
- Paid: N/A
Platforms: Server plugin
Download: GitHub (IAmParadox27/jellyfin-plugin-home-sections)
Bottom line: Optional. Only install once JellyProfiles is already in place.
How to pick the right ones
For a two-person household that only wants a “Who’s watching?” screen: JellyProfiles alone.
For a family with kids: JellyProfiles for the picker, plus GetAvatar for named faces, plus Home Screen Sections Plugin for kid-safe rows.
For a shared homelab where the household actually cares about “did anyone watch anything this week?”: Jellystat or the built-in Playback Reporting Plugin.
For a homelab already running Authelia or Keycloak: LDAP Authentication Plugin first, then everything else.
For a household running Sonarr and Radarr: Jellyseerr turns “text me to download it” into a self-serve queue.
Skip anything that duplicates a plugin already in place. Jellyfin plugin conflicts are silent and hard to debug, and stacking two profile plugins will produce inconsistent state.
FAQ
Does Jellyfin support Netflix-style profiles natively?
Not yet. The multi-user profile discussion (jellyfin-web #7059) is one of the longest-running feature requests, and JellyProfiles exists specifically because the native answer isn’t ready. Native support is planned but has no shipped timeline.
Which Jellyfin clients support JellyProfiles?
JellyProfiles works with Jellyfin Web (any browser), the official Jellyfin Android app, and Jellyfin Media Player. Native iOS clients (Swiftfin), Roku, and Apple TV clients don’t currently pick up the profile picker.
Can I use JellyProfiles and LDAP Authentication together?
Yes, they solve different problems. LDAP handles user identity (one login across the whole homelab). JellyProfiles handles per-account viewing profiles inside Jellyfin.
Is there a paid Jellyfin profile solution?
No. Jellyfin’s whole ecosystem is free and open source. Every plugin on this list is community-maintained and free of charge.
Do these plugins survive Jellyfin updates?
Most survive minor updates cleanly. Server upgrades to a new major version (10.10 to 10.11, for example) can require plugin updates from the maintainer. Check the plugin’s GitHub Releases page against the Jellyfin server version before upgrading.
