A Festify Alternative for iPhone and Apple TV
Festify is a genuinely good idea: your guests vote on the next song from their phones, no app to install. But it is built around Spotify and runs in a browser. If you live in Apple Music — or you want the party on your TV — here is how the two compare.
The short answer
Festify is a free, open-source web app that plays through Spotify and needs Spotify Premium on the host's account. Jukebox is a native iPhone app that plays through Apple Music, and it has an Apple TV app so the queue, the votes and the lyrics can live on the big screen. Guests vote free from any phone in both.
Side by side
| Festify | Jukebox | |
|---|---|---|
| Music service | Spotify | Apple Music |
| Host needs | Spotify Premium | Apple Music |
| Guests need | Nothing — browser | Nothing — browser |
| Host runs on | Web browser | Native iPhone app |
| Apple TV app | No | Yes |
| Guests vote on songs | Yes | Yes |
| Guests request songs | Yes | Yes |
| Vote to skip | No | Yes |
| Synced lyrics | No | Yes |
| Price | Free, open source | Free to host and join |
Where Festify is the better pick
Credit where it is due. If your music lives in Spotify, Festify is the natural choice — Jukebox will not play your Spotify library. Festify is also open source and runs anywhere with a browser, including Android and a laptop, so there is nothing to install on any device. And it costs nothing, with no paid tier at all.
If those three things describe your setup, use Festify. It is a well-made piece of software.
Where Jukebox pulls ahead
It plays Apple Music
This is the whole reason most people go looking. If your playlists and your subscription are Apple Music, a Spotify-based jukebox is a non-starter. Jukebox plays your existing Apple Music playlists or your whole library.
There is an Apple TV app
This is the part nothing else in this category does. Jukebox has a real tvOS app that shows what is playing, the queue with live vote counts, time-synced lyrics and a join QR the whole room can scan. Crucially, the music keeps playing from the host's phone — the TV only draws the screen, so it never hijacks your speakers the way screen mirroring does.
Voting to skip
Festify lets the room rank what plays next. Jukebox adds a group vote to move past the current song, which is the other half of the problem at a real party.
A recap when the night ends
When the party finishes, everyone who was there sees what happened — songs played, votes cast, and whose picks the room actually wanted. It can be shared as an image.
How to switch
- Download Jukebox on the host iPhone and sign in to Apple Music.
- Pick a playlist — or your whole library — and start the party.
- Share the code or QR. Guests join in their browser on any phone. Nothing to install.
- Optional: add the TV. Install Jukebox on Apple TV, and type the four-character code it shows into your phone.
Run tonight's party on Apple Music
Free to host, free for guests. iPhone and Apple TV.
Download on theApp StoreFrequently asked questions
Is there a Festify alternative that works with Apple Music?
Yes. Festify plays through Spotify and needs Spotify Premium on the host account. Jukebox plays through Apple Music instead, so if your library and subscription are Apple Music it works with what you already have.
Does Festify have an iPhone or Apple TV app?
Festify runs in a web browser rather than as a native iPhone app, and there is no Apple TV version. Jukebox is a native iPhone app and has an Apple TV app that shows the queue, live votes and lyrics on the big screen.
Do guests need an account with either one?
No. Guests vote free in a browser with both. Only the host needs a music subscription — Spotify Premium for Festify, Apple Music for Jukebox.
Can I use Jukebox with Spotify?
No. Jukebox plays through Apple Music only. If your music is in Spotify, Festify is the better fit.