Plex AlternativesOnly Self-Hosted apps categorised as Media Centers

There are many alternatives to Plex as a self-hosted solution if you are looking for a replacement. The best Self-Hosted 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 five of them are Media Centers available as a self-hosted solution so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Self-Hosted Media Center alternatives to Plex are Emby, Ampache, Oblecto and PHPMediaServer.

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 Open Source, Android, Apple TV, Linux, Mac, Chrome OS and Free. 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.
More about Plex
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Plex alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Jellyfin icon

    Jellyfin

     327 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    50 Jellyfin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open 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
    • Cloudron
    Jellyfin screenshot 1
     
    |
    18
    126
    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.
    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.

    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

    Emby

     170 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    48 Emby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)
    • 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
    134
    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.
    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
  4. Ampache icon

    Ampache

     62 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    • Cloudron
    Ampache screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    6
    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.
    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
  5. Oblecto icon

    Oblecto

     4 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Oblecto is a media server, similar to Plex, Emby, Netflix and others. It runs in the background on a home server to index your media such as movies and TV shows to make them searchable and streamable through a REST based interface.

    52 Oblecto alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    Oblecto screenshot 1
     
  6. PHPMediaServer icon

    PHPMediaServer

     Like
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    OpenSource Web Media Server to browse and stream any video file format supported by ffmpeg with easy web interface for play on any platform with html5 browser, dnla or kodi plugin.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    PHPMediaServer screenshot 1
     
5 of 5 Plex alternatives