Plex AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Media Servers
The best Media Server alternative to Plex 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 many of them are Media Servers so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Media Server alternatives to Plex are Emby, Universal Media Server, Meelo and Serviio.
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Plex alternatives are mainly Media Servers but may also be Media Centers or Media Players. 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.- Media Server
- Freemium • Proprietary
- 47 Jellyfin alternatives
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Android
- iPhone
- Android Tablet
- iPad
- Self-Hosted
- Flathub
- Tizen OS
- F-Droid
- Android TV
- Kodi
- Docker
- Fire TV
- Roku
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 CommentMost Recent CommentobradkIt 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.
intpCertainly 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.
- 49 Emby alternatives
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.
License model
- 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
Top Emby Features
Comments about Emby as an Alternative to Plex
Top Positive CommentHoraciogarroIs the exact alternative to Plex.+ web server!
Most Recent Commentdzevel5Plex 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.
A superb alternative to plex, much faster streaming start of the video over internet.
- 46 Universal Media Server alternatives
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.
License model
- Free • Open Source
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Comments about Universal Media Server as an Alternative to Plex
Most Recent CommentJonathan BrickmanExtremely easy install. Completely seamless connection to Roku Media Player. Very lightweight, but fully functional.
No faffing about and less intrusive and no personal data shared like plex does.
Works fine with Chromecast.
- 47 Meelo alternatives
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 like MusicBrainz.
- 48 Serviio alternatives
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.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Serviio Features
- 69 Infuse alternatives
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.
License model
- Freemium • Proprietary
Application types
Country of Origin
United States
Platforms
- Mac
- iPhone
- iPad
- Apple TV
- visionOS
Infuse Features
Comments about Infuse as an Alternative to Plex
This is equivalent to other media players (like VLC etc.) not to streaming media servers like Plex.
- 31 MiniDLNA alternatives
MiniDLNA (aka ReadyDLNA) is server software with the aim of being fully compliant with DLNA/UPnP-AV clients. It is developed by a NETGEAR employee …
Comments about MiniDLNA as an Alternative to Plex
Plex is too commercial too many nags - also smart tv apps are variable SAMSUNG smart tv app hasn't worked for years :(
Overly complicated and conditional 'compiling' required. A very out-dated approach for today. Much as I hate Plex, this doesn't come close to its convenience, power, and simplicity in execution.
It's FOSS and they don't spy on you. No paywalls and 'Premium' packages. It's completely free.