Windows Media Center AlternativesMedia Centers and other similar apps like Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center is described as '(WMC) turns your computer into a home entertainment hub, compiling media from your computer and the internet (plugins required) into one interface. You can even use WMC to record TV (TV tuner required)' and is a popular Media Center in the video & movies category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Windows Media Center for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, iPhone and iPad apps. The best Windows Media Center alternative is Kodi, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Windows Media Center are Plex, Emby, Universal Media Server and Infuse.

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Windows Media Center alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Kodi icon

    Kodi

     1530 likes
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    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.

    76 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
    Kodi screenshot 1
     
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    15

    • Most users think Kodi is a great Windows Media Center alternative.

    • Kodi is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to Windows Media Center.

    • Kodi is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Windows Media Center.

    • Kodi is Free and Open SourceWindows Media Center is Paid and Proprietary
    • Kodi is Privacy focusedWindows Media Center is not according to our users
  2. Plex icon

    Plex

     882 likes
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    A multimedia tool for streaming movies, TV shows, sports, and music while facilitating personal media organization with versatile libraries and metadata retrieval.

    89 Plex alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • Android Auto
    • Apple TV
    • Flathub
    • Daydream
    • Kindle Fire
    • Android TV
    • Amazon Alexa
    • Kodi
    • Google TV
    • Playstation
    • Docker
    • Fire TV
    • Roku
    • Chromecast
    • Xbox
    • Docker Hub
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    Plex screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Plex as an Alternative to Windows Media Center
    Guest
    Negative
    -4

    plex's website does not mention anything of live tv.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Windows Media Center Icon
    Plex icon

    • Some users think Plex is a great Windows Media Center alternative, some don't.

    • Plex is the most popular Web-based & Self-Hosted alternative to Windows Media Center.

    • Plex is Freemium and ProprietaryWindows Media Center is Paid and Proprietary
    • Plex is LightweightWindows Media Center is not according to our users
  4. Emby icon

    Emby

     170 likes
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    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.

    48 Emby alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)
    • 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
     
  5. Universal Media Server icon

    Universal Media Server

     133 likes
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    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

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Universal Media Server screenshot 1
     
  6. Infuse icon

    Infuse

     49 likes
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    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.

    63 Infuse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once or Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV
    • visionOS
    Infuse screenshot 1
     
  7. OSMC icon

    OSMC

     82 likes
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    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...

    44 OSMC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Apple TV
    • Raspberry Pi
    OSMC screenshot 1
     
  9. MediaPortal icon

    MediaPortal

     52 likes
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    MediaPortal transforms your PC into a complete media solution. It runs on basic hardware, connects directly to your TV and displays your TV Series, Movies, Photos and Music in a much more dynamic way.

    27 MediaPortal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MediaPortal screenshot 1
     
  10. JRiver Media Center icon

    JRiver Media Center

     40 likes
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    JRiver Media Center is a multimedia application that allows the user to play and organize various types of media on a computer.

    53 JRiver Media Center alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    JRiver Media Center screenshot 1
     

    • JRiver Media Center is the most popular commercial alternative to Windows Media Center.

    • JRiver Media Center is Paid and ProprietaryWindows Media Center is also Paid and Proprietary
  11. OpenELEC icon

    OpenELEC

     55 likes
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    Open Embedded Linux Entertainment Center (OpenELEC) is a small Linux based Just Enough Operating System (JeOS) built from scratch as a platform to turn your computer into a Kodi (previously XBMC) media center.

    11 OpenELEC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Raspberry Pi
    OpenELEC screenshot 1
     
  12. nextPVR icon

    nextPVR

     11 likes
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    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
     
  13. Serviio icon

    Serviio

     54 likes
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    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.

    49 Serviio alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Serviio screenshot 1
     
  14. DVBViewer icon

    DVBViewer

     10 likes
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    DVBViewer allows you to experience Digital TV on your PC. With a proper DVB card you can enter the world of digital entertainment and experience high quality, incredibly sharp TV pictures and near CD quality radio!

    24 DVBViewer alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main window on desktop (DVB-T).
     
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