Free Plex AlternativesTop Media Centers & Media Servers like Plex

The best free alternative to Plex is Kodi, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Plex and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Plex are Jellyfin, Emby, Universal Media Server and Infuse.

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Most Plex alternatives are Media Servers, but you can also narrow the list to Media Centers or Media Players. Other popular filters are Apple TV, Open Source, Android, Linux and Mac. You can also filter for EU-based alternatives if you prefer software from the European Union.
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Alternatives
Plex alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Kodi icon
     1572 likes

    Open-source media player compatible with Linux, Mac, Windows, Xbox, and iOS, designed for home theater PCs. Customizable with themes, supports 4K, audio and video formats, streaming, privacy-focused operations, and extensible with plugins.

    114 Kodi alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    • Xbox
    • Apple TV
    • US flagUnited States
    Kodi screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    12
  2. Jellyfin icon
     396 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.

    106 Jellyfin alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2018

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • Self-Hosted
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    • Kindle Fire
    Good alternative?
     
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    18
  3. Emby icon
     179 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.

    73 Emby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2010

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    • Kindle Fire
    • US flagUnited States
    Emby screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    7
  4. 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.

    60 Universal Media Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2012

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
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    4
  5. Infuse icon
     55 likes

    The beautiful way to watch almost any video format on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, and Vision Pro. No need to convert files.

    153 Infuse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2015

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV
    • visionOS
    • US flagUnited States
    Infuse screenshot 1
    Good alternative?
     
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    1
  6. Meelo icon
     17 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2025

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Docker
    Good alternative?
     
  7. Plezy icon
     9 likes

    Cross-platform media client with Flutter UI offering native performance and a visually streamlined interface, compatible with Plex and Jellyfin servers, enabling direct streaming, HDR and Dolby Vision playback, offline downloads, and minimal transcoding.

    32 Plezy alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2026

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Debian
    • Ubuntu
    • Arch Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    Good alternative?
     
  8. Music Assistant icon
     16 likes

    Turn your Home Assistant instance into a jukebox, hassle free streaming of your favorite media to Home Assistant media players.

    12 Music Assistant alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2024

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    Good alternative?
     
  9. Android TV icon
     17 likes

    Android TV is Google’s operating system for smart TVs and streaming devices. Android TV makes it easier for people to watch, play and do everything they love on their TV.

    53 Android TV alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2017

    Platforms

    • Android TV
    Good alternative?
     
  10. OSMC icon
     81 likes

    OSMC (Open Source Media Center) is a free and open source media player based on Linux and founded in 2014 that lets you play back media from your local network, attached storage and the Internet. OSMC is the leading media center in terms of feature set and community and is based...

    47 OSMC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2015

    Platforms

    • Apple TV
    • Raspberry Pi
    Good alternative?
     
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    2
  11. MediaChips icon
     20 likes

    MediaChips is a desktop app for organizing local media libraries. It helps you tag, filter, preview, and browse videos, images, audio, and text files that already live on your disks or NAS — with no accounts, no cloud, and no data collection.

    54 MediaChips alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2021

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Docker
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 95 Plex alternatives