Plex AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Media Centers for Mac

There are many alternatives to Plex for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac 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 13 are Media Centers available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac Media Center alternatives to Plex are Emby, Universal Media Server, Infuse and MediaChips.

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

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Plex alternatives page was last updated Oct 9, 2024
  1. Jellyfin icon
     267 likes

    Jellyfin is a Free Software Media System that puts you in control of managing and streaming your media. It is an alternative to the proprietary Emby and Plex, to provide media from a dedicated server to end-user devices via multiple apps. Jellyfin is descended from Emby's 3.

    43 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.  Kids Mode
    12.  Audio Books
    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
     168 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
     134 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.

    46 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. Infuse icon
     48 likes

    Ignite your video content with Infuse – the beautiful way to watch almost any video format on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. No need to convert files! Infuse is optimized for iOS 12, with powerful streaming options, trakt sync, and unmatched AirPlay & subtitle support.

    70 Infuse alternatives
    Infuse screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV

    Infuse Features

    1.  Vast format support
    2.  Search metadata
    3.  Support for DLNA
    4.  HDR Support
    5.  TV Shows meta data support
    Infuse iconPlex Icon

    Infuse VS Plex

    Is Infuse a good alternative to Plex?
     
    Comments about Infuse as an Alternative to Plex
     
    Guest

    This is equivalent to other media players (like VLC etc.) not to streaming media servers like Plex.

    Negative commentSep 27, 2020
    4
    Plex Icon
    Infuse icon
    • Most users think Infuse is a great Plex alternative.

    • Infuse is Freemium and ProprietaryPlex is also Freemium and Proprietary
  5. MediaChips icon
     13 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.

    36 MediaChips alternatives
    MediaChips screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreemiumOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  File Tagging
    2.  Media library
    3.  Content Management
    4.  Dark Mode
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  No Tracking
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Support for 4K
    9.  Full-Text Search
    10.  Built-in viewer
    11.  Portable
    12.  File Organizer
    MediaChips iconPlex Icon

    MediaChips VS Plex

    Is MediaChips a good alternative to Plex?
     
  6. Ampache icon
     57 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.

    98 Ampache alternatives
    Ampache screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    • Cloudron

    Ampache Features

    1.  Subsonic API
    2.  Self-hosted music
    3.  Streaming
    4.  Support for MPD
    5.  WebDAV Support
    6.  Web-Based
    7.  Based on Laravel
    Ampache iconPlex Icon

    Ampache VS Plex

    Is Ampache a good alternative to Plex?
     
    Comments about Ampache as an Alternative to Plex
     
    Guest

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

    Negative commentFeb 25, 2018
    6
    Guest

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

    Negative commentAug 7, 2021
    0
    Plex Icon
    Ampache icon
    • Some users think Ampache is a great Plex alternative, some don't.

    • Ampache is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  7. JRiver Media Center icon
     39 likes

    JRiver Media Center is a multimedia application that allows the user to play and organize various types of media on a computer.

    56 JRiver Media Center alternatives
    JRiver Media Center screenshot 1

    License model

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows

    JRiver Media Center Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Music Library
    3.  Music collection
    JRiver Media Center iconPlex Icon

    JRiver Media Center VS Plex

    Is JRiver Media Center a good alternative to Plex?
     
7 of 13 Plex alternatives