Plex AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Video Streaming Apps

The best Video Streaming alternative to Plex is Kodi, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Plex and many of them are Video Streaming Apps so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Video Streaming App alternatives to Plex are Universal Media Server, Serviio, Ampache and Videostream.

filter to find the best alternatives

Plex alternatives are mainly Video Streaming Apps, but if you're looking for Media Servers or Music Streaming Services you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Open Source, Linux, Mac, Chrome OS, Self-Hosted and iPhone. 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. Kodi icon

    Kodi

     1560 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.

    93 Kodi alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Fire TV
    • Apple TV
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • Xbox
    • F-Droid
    Kodi screenshot 1
     
    |
    12
    Kodi vs Plex Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    0

    Kodi has way more functionalities than Plex

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    10

    kodi is not a media server, it's a media viewer not designed to share content

    fPortal
    Negative
    0

    It is not a media server. It is a player.

    3 of 12 comments
    • Kodi is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Kodi is Privacy focusedPlex is not according to our users
  2. Universal Media Server icon

    Universal Media Server

     137 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.

    54 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.

    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Works fine with Chromecast.

    3 of 4 comments
    • Universal Media Server is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  4. 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.

    55 Serviio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Serviio screenshot 1
     
  5. Ampache icon

    Ampache

     62 likes

    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.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • PHP
    • Cloudron
    Ampache screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    Ampache vs Plex Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    6

    Ampache is an audio server, while plex supports both audio and video (and it is heavily focused on video streaming)

    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.

    • Ampache is Free and Open SourcePlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  7. Videostream icon

    Videostream

     16 likes

    Select any video from the Videostream extension for Google Chrome and, using the Chromecast extension, play it on your Chromecast. It's fast and simple to use. Videostream supports subtitles, MKV, AVI, MP4, playlists, and more.

    28 Videostream alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Chrome OS
    • Google Chrome
    Videostream screenshot 1
     
  8. 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.

    20 nextPVR alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Docker
    Home
     
  9. Olaris icon

    Olaris

     2 likes

    Olaris is an open-source, community driven, media manager and transcoding server.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    Olaris screenshot 1
     
  10. Airflow icon

    Airflow

     38 likes

    An all-in-one solution for sending about any video from your Windows or Mac computer to your Chromecast or Apple TV.

    18 Airflow alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    Airflow screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Airflow vs Plex Comments
    fPortal
    Negative
    2

    Nothing to do with Plex. This software just streams to your media devices. (Chromecast or Apple TV)

    • Airflow is Paid and ProprietaryPlex is Freemium and Proprietary
  12. iMediaShare icon

    iMediaShare

     8 likes

    Play videos from your mobile to your HD TV! No box, no cables, no TV apps! Just pick a video and tap to play!

    18 iMediaShare alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    iMediaShare screenshot 1
     
  13. Emit icon

    Emit

     4 likes

    Emit can stream from a Windows/Mac/Linux machine to an android/iOS device. Videos are transcoded live and can be in any format. It supports subtitles (including mkv subtitles). The devices do not need to be in the same WLAN network, the streaming works over 3G as well.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    Emit screenshot 1
     
12 of 20 Plex alternatives