Plex AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Media Servers for Mac

There are many alternatives to Plex for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. The best Mac Media Server 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 16 are Media Servers available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac Media Server alternatives to Plex are Emby, Universal Media Server, Serviio and Infuse.

filter to find the best alternatives

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
  860
  • ...

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 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. 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.

    48 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?
     
  5. 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
  6. PS3 Media Server icon
     70 likes

    PS3 Media Server is a DLNA compliant Upnp Media Server for the PS3, written in Java, with the purpose of streaming or transcoding.

    36 PS3 Media Server alternatives
    GUI

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    PS3 Media Server Features

    1.  Support for DLNA
    Discontinued

    The project seems to be no longer developed, but last version, 1.90.1, released in August 2013, can be still downloaded from the official website.

    PS3 Media Server iconPlex Icon

    PS3 Media Server VS Plex

    Is PS3 Media Server a good alternative to Plex?
     
  7. MediaTomb icon
     28 likes

    MediaTomb is an open source (GPL) UPnP MediaServer with a nice web user interface, it allows you to stream your digital media through your home network and listen to/watch it on a variety of UPnP compatible devices.

    33 MediaTomb alternatives
    MediaTomb screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux

    MediaTomb Features

    1.  Media Streaming
    2.  Support for DLNA
    Discontinued

    Shut down per notice on homepage, but has been forked via Gerbera icon Gerbera http://mediatomb.cc/

    MediaTomb iconPlex Icon

    MediaTomb VS Plex

    Is MediaTomb a good alternative to Plex?
     
7 of 16 Plex alternatives