Plex AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Media Centers for Linux

There are many alternatives to Plex for Linux if you are looking for a replacement. The best Linux Media Center alternative is Jellyfin, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Plex and 15 are Media Centers available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux Media Center alternatives to Plex are Emby, Universal Media Server, MediaChips and Ampache.

filter to find the best alternatives

Plex alternatives are mainly Media Centers, but if you're looking for Media Players or Media Servers you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Open Source, Apple TV, Linux, Mac, Chrome OS and Self-Hosted. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Plex.
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Alternatives list

  1. Jellyfin icon

    Jellyfin

     334 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.

    51 Jellyfin alternatives

    Cost / License

    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
    • Cloudron
    Jellyfin screenshot 1
     
    |
    18
    Comments about Jellyfin as an Alternative to Plex
    Top Positive Comment
    seczamotu
    9

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

    obradk
    0

    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.

    intp
    Positive
    0

    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.

    3 of 18 comments
    Jellyfin icon
    Jellyfin icon
    • Jellyfin is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Jellyfin is Privacy focusedPlex is not according to our users
  2. Emby icon

    Emby

     170 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

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Apple TV
    • Kindle Fire
    • Cloudron
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
    Emby screenshot 1
     
    |
    7
    Comments about Emby as an Alternative to Plex
    Top Positive Comment
    Horaciogarro
    5

    Is the exact alternative to Plex.+ web server!

    dzevel5
    Positive
    -1

    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.

    Guest
    Positive
    -1

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 7 comments
    Emby icon
    Emby icon
    • Emby is Freemium and ProprietaryPlex is also Freemium and Proprietary
  4. Universal Media Server icon

    Universal Media Server

     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.

    47 Universal Media Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Universal Media Server screenshot 1
     
    |
    4
    Comments about Universal Media Server as an Alternative to Plex
    Jonathan Brickman
    Positive
    3

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

    Guest
    Positive
    4

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Works fine with Chromecast.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    Universal Media Server icon
    Universal Media Server icon
    • Universal Media Server is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  5. MediaChips icon

    MediaChips

     18 likes

    This app for navigating your large video collection. Add tags, performers, websites, sort/filter videos, create playlists and play them in the built-in player.

    39 MediaChips alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    MediaChips screenshot 1
     
  6. Ampache icon

    Ampache

     62 likes

    Ampache is a web based audio streaming application and file manager allowing you to access your music from anywhere, using almost any internet enabled device.

    99 Ampache alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    • Cloudron
    Ampache screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    Comments about Ampache as an Alternative to Plex
    Guest
    Negative
    6

    Ampache is an audio server, while plex supports both audio and video (and it is heavily focused on video streaming)

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Ampache is an audio server only, which is only a small subset of what Plex does, and not even Plex's primary focus.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Ampache icon
    Ampache icon
    • Ampache is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  7. OpenELEC icon

    OpenELEC

     55 likes

    Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center (OpenELEC) is a small Linux based Just Enough Operating System (JeOS) built from scratch as a platform to turn your computer into a Kodi (previously XBMC) media center.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Raspberry Pi
    OpenELEC screenshot 1
     
  9. Finamp icon

    Finamp

     7 likes

    Finamp is a Jellyfin music player. Its main feature is the ability to download songs for offline listening.

    25 Finamp alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Finamp screenshot 1
     
  11. MythTV icon

    MythTV

     83 likes

    MythTV is a free, open source media center and digital video recorder (DVR) distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL. With its plugin architecture, MythTV can be transformed into a home media center suite, capable of managing your personal photo, video, and music collections...

    42 MythTV alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    MythTV screenshot 1
     
  12. Channels - Watch TV Your Way icon

    Channels - Watch TV Your Way

     31 likes

    Watch, record, organize, and curate your favorite shows and movies with Channels. From your living room, second home, hotel room, or even on your commute, Channels lets you watch your personal media your way.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV
    • Fire TV
    • Android TV
    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Docker
    Channels - Watch TV Your Way screenshot 1
     
  13. Gerbera icon

    Gerbera

     6 likes

    Gerbera is a free UPnP media server forked from the now discontinued MediaTomb project. It's highly compatible and works with many devices including TVs, Playstation, Android & iOS phones and tablets.

    28 Gerbera alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Gerbera screenshot 1
     
  14. Enna icon

    Enna

     6 likes

    Enna is a Media Center application. Featuring a simple user interface, Enna is based on the powerful Enlightenment Foundations Libraries (EFL) as for its graphical user interface and GeeXboX libraries as for multimedia playback and information retrieval.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Enna screenshot 1
     
12 of 15 Plex alternatives