The Best Plex AlternativesTop Media Servers & Media Centers like Plex

Plex is described as 'Stream movies, TV shows, sports, and music while organizing and playing all your personal media libraries with a visually stunning interface' and is a leading Media Server in the video & movies category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Plex for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, iPhone and Self-Hosted apps. The best Plex alternative is Jellyfin, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Plex are Emby, Universal Media Server, Navidrome and Meelo.

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Plex alternatives are mainly Media Servers but may also be Audio Players or Media Centers.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Plex.
Plex iconPlex
  863
  • ...

Stream movies, TV shows, sports, and music while organizing and playing all your personal media libraries with a visually stunning interface.

More about Plex
Plex alternatives page was last updated Feb 6, 2025
  1. Jellyfin icon
     272 likes

    A free, open-source media system alternative to proprietary options like Emby and Plex, with Chromecast support, 4K streaming, plugin extensions, focusing on privacy without premium features, managing media from dedicated servers to multiple devices via various apps.

    45 Jellyfin alternatives
    Jellyfin screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Flathub
    • Tizen OS
    • F-Droid
    • Android TV
    • Kodi
    • Docker
    • Fire TV
    • Roku

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Media Streaming
    2.  Media Server
    3.  Local server
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Media Center
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Media Transcoding
    8.  Support for DLNA
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  No registration required
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  Kids Mode
    Jellyfin iconPlex Icon

    Jellyfin VS Plex

    Is Jellyfin a good alternative to Plex?
     
    Comments about Jellyfin as an Alternative to Plex
     
       
    Comment summary: Jellyfin is praised for being a free, open-source alternative to Plex, offering increased privacy without requiring a cloud account. It's appreciated for customization, ease of setup, and lack of paywalls. However, users note challenges with certain devices and that Jellyfin is currently less polished than Plex, though improvements are underway. Its functionality and privacy features are highlighted as major strengths.
    seczamotu

    It's FOSS and they don't spy on you. No paywalls and 'Premium' packages. It's completely free.

    Top positive commentOct 5, 2019
    9
    obradk

    It would be ok except it's impossible to disable transcoding and have decent subtitles. It's slow, but it's FOSS and it's not trying to upsell you at all times.

    CommentFeb 12, 2024
    0
    intp

    Certainly a viable free, open-source alternative, but be advised that getting it working with a Roku, for example, can be a lot more challenging for less tech savvy users.

    Positive commentDec 23, 2023
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 18 comments
    Plex Icon
    Jellyfin icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Jellyfin is a great Plex alternative.

    • Jellyfin is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to Plex.

    • Jellyfin is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Plex.

    • Jellyfin is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Jellyfin is Privacy focusedPlex is not according to our users
  2. Emby icon
     169 likes

    Emby, formerly Media Browser, is a media aggregator plugin for Media Center that takes your recorded, digital, or ripped media and presents it in a simple, easy to use interface. Emby prides itself on delivering a fast, intuitive, media rich experience for the whole family.

    49 Emby alternatives
    Emby screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Apple TV
    • Kindle Fire
    • Cloudron
    • Playstation
    • Xbox

    Top Emby Features

    1.  Media Streaming
    2.  Media Server
    3.  Browser Gallery
    4.  Private gallery
    5.  Optimized for Mobile
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Chromecast Support
    8.  Kids Mode
    9.  Remote Media Access
    10.  Local server
    11.  Media Transcoding
    12.  Asset Pipeline
    Emby iconPlex Icon

    Emby VS Plex

    Is Emby a good alternative to Plex?
     
    Comments about Emby as an Alternative to Plex
     
       
    Horaciogarro

    Is the exact alternative to Plex.+ web server!

    Top positive commentSep 14, 2015
    5
    dzevel5

    Plex is horrible at consumer privacy! Emby just a perfect solution especially for NAS.

    While Plex logging and collecting data, Emby won’t and then device can go into sleep mode perfect.

    Positive commentMar 30, 2019
    -1
    Guest

    A superb alternative to plex, much faster streaming start of the video over internet.

    Positive commentFeb 28, 2019
    -1
    Show more comments
    3 of 7 comments
    Plex Icon
    Emby icon
    • Most users think Emby is a great Plex alternative.

    • Emby is Freemium and ProprietaryPlex is also Freemium and Proprietary
  3. Universal Media Server icon
     133 likes

    Universal Media Server is a media server capable of serving videos, audio and images to any DLNA-capable device. It supports any device capable of DLNA and runs on all major operating systems: Windows, OS X and Linux.

    45 Universal Media Server alternatives
    Universal Media Server screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Support for DLNA
    2.  Dedicated Server Hosting
    3.  Chromecast Support
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  File Tagging
    8.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Support for 4K
    11.  Media Transcoding
    12.  Simple installation
    Universal Media Server iconPlex Icon

    Universal Media Server VS Plex

    Is this a good alternative to Plex?
     
    Comments about Universal Media Server as an Alternative to Plex
     
       
    Jonathan Brickman

    Extremely easy install. Completely seamless connection to Roku Media Player. Very lightweight, but fully functional.

    Positive commentNov 16, 2018
    3
    Guest

    No faffing about and less intrusive and no personal data shared like plex does.

    Positive commentMay 4, 2019
    4
    Guest

    Works fine with Chromecast.

    Positive commentJul 7, 2015
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Plex Icon
    Universal Media Server icon
    • Most users think Universal Media Server is a great Plex alternative.

    • Universal Media Server is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Universal Media Server is LightweightPlex is not according to our users
  4. Navidrome icon
     30 likes

    Navidrome is an open source web-based music collection server and streamer. It gives you freedom to listen to your music collection from any browser or mobile device.

    63 Navidrome alternatives
    Navidrome screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Cloudron

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Self-hosted music
    2.  Subsonic API
    3.  Media Transcoding
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  ListenBrainz scrobbling
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  Lossless Audio
    8.  No Tracking
    9.  No registration required
    10. Last.fm icon  Integrated Last.fm scrobbler
    Navidrome iconPlex Icon

    Navidrome VS Plex

    Is Navidrome a good alternative to Plex?
     
  5. Meelo icon
     7 likes

    A versatile self-hosted music server offering music video access, B-Side and rare track identification, extensive format support via transcoding, and detailed metadata parsing. Additional features include automatic 'featuring' detection, song version browsing, and genre retrieval through platforms li...

    44 Meelo alternatives
    Meelo screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker

    Meelo Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  Automatic Lyrics Finder
    4.  Musicbrainz support
    5.  Music collection
    Meelo iconPlex Icon

    Meelo VS Plex

    Is Meelo a good alternative to Plex?
     
  6. Music Assistant icon
     9 likes

    Turn your Home Assistant instance into a jukebox, hassle free streaming of your favorite media to Home Assistant media players.

    4 Music Assistant alternatives
    Music Assistant screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Music Library
    2.  No registration required
    3.  Chromecast Support
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Dark Mode
    6.  No Tracking
    7. Spotify icon  Spotify integration
    8.  Subsonic API
    9. Deezer icon  Deezer integration
    10. Apple Music icon  Apple Music integration
    11. TIDAL icon  TIDAL integration
    Music Assistant iconPlex Icon

    Music Assistant VS Plex

    Is Music Assistant a good alternative to Plex?
     
  7. Serviio icon
     54 likes

    Serviio is a free media server. It allows you to stream your media files (music, video or images) to any DLNA-certified renderer device (e.g. a TV set, Bluray player, games console) on your home network.

    47 Serviio alternatives
    Serviio screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Serviio Features

    1.  RAW Photo Editors
    2.  Create Playlist
    3.  Media Streaming
    4.  Stream audio
    5.  Support for subtitles
    6.  Xbox
    7.  Playstation
    8.  Support for DLNA
    Serviio iconPlex Icon

    Serviio VS Plex

    Is Serviio a good alternative to Plex?
     
7 of 93 Plex alternatives