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 Infuse.

filter to find the best alternatives

Plex alternatives are mainly Media Servers, but if you're looking for Media Centers or Media Players 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

     337 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.

    51 Jellyfin alternatives

    Cost / License

    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
    Jellyfin vs Plex Comments
    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.

    3 of 18 comments
    • Jellyfin is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Jellyfin is Privacy focusedPlex is not according to our users
  2. Emby icon

    Emby

     171 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

    Cost / License

    • 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
    Emby screenshot 1
     
    |
    7
    Emby vs Plex Comments
    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.
    3 of 7 comments
    • Emby is Freemium and ProprietaryPlex is also Freemium and Proprietary
  4. Universal Media Server icon

    Universal Media Server

     133 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.

    47 Universal Media Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Universal Media Server screenshot 1
     
    |
    4
    Universal Media Server vs Plex Comments
    Jonathan Brickman
    Positive
    3

    Extremely easy install. Completely seamless connection to Roku Media Player. Very lightweight, but fully functional.

    Guest
    Positive
    4

    No faffing about and less intrusive and no personal data shared like plex does.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Works fine with Chromecast.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    3 of 4 comments
    • Universal Media Server is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  5. Ad
  6. Meelo icon

    Meelo

     14 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 types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    Meelo screenshot 1
     
  7. Infuse icon

    Infuse

     51 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.

    111 Infuse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV
    • visionOS
    Infuse screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Infuse vs Plex Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    4

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Infuse is Freemium and ProprietaryPlex is also Freemium and Proprietary
  8. Serviio icon

    Serviio

     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.

    50 Serviio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Serviio screenshot 1
     
  10. MiniDLNA icon

    MiniDLNA

     48 likes

    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 …

    30 MiniDLNA alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Termux
    • Terminal
    MiniDLNA screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    MiniDLNA vs Plex Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    3

    Plex is too commercial too many nags - also smart tv apps are variable SAMSUNG smart tv app hasn't worked for years :(

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    -8

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • MiniDLNA is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  11. Streama icon

    Streama

     14 likes

    Ever had a huge bookshelf full of shows and movies? Ever wanted to digitalize them, but didn't have a good way of organizing the files? Worry no more! Streama is your own personal Netflix for just such a purpose!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    Streama screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Streama vs Plex Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Streama is very like Netflix

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Streama is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  12. LibreELEC icon

    LibreELEC

     26 likes

    LibreELEC is ‘Just enough OS’ for Kodi, a Linux distribution built to run Kodi on current and popular mediacentre hardware. We are an evolution of the popular OpenELEC project. LibreELEC software will be familiar to OpenELEC users.

    11 LibreELEC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    LibreELEC screenshot 1
     
  13. nextPVR icon

    nextPVR

     11 likes

    NextPVR. NextPVR is a popular free personal video recorder application for Microsoft Windows, making it easy to watch or record Live TV.

    19 nextPVR alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Docker
    Home
     
  14. Nero MediaHome icon

    Nero MediaHome

     6 likes

    Comprehensive media manager for archiving, organizing, and playing files. It supports wireless transfer from devices, CD ripping with album art, and offers editing tools. Users can create slideshows, playlists, and burn them to optical discs, enhancing the experience with music and templates.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Nero MediaHome screenshot 1
     
  15. PS3 Media Server icon

    PS3 Media Server

     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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    GUI
     
12 of 35 Plex alternatives