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.

Windows Media Center iconWindows Media Center
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Windows Media Center (WMC) turns your computer into a home entertainment hub, compiling media from your computer and the...

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Windows Media Center alternatives page was last updated Sep 9, 2022
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  1. Kodi icon

    Kodi

     1511 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.

    73 Kodi alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Fire TV
    Kodi screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Media Streaming
    2.  TV Shows meta data support
    3.  Video library
    4.  Media Center
    5.  Media library
    6.  Support for IPTV
    7.  Media Server
    8.  Automatic subtitles download
    9.  Built-in Media Downloader
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    12.  Portable

    Kodi VS Windows Media Center

     

    • 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
  2. Plex icon

    Plex

     870 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.

    88 Plex alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • Windows Phone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV
    • Daydream
    • Kindle Fire
    • Android TV
    • Kodi
    • Roku
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    • Android Auto
    • Xbox
    • Playstation
    • Fire TV
    • Chromecast
    • Google TV
    • Amazon Alexa
    Plex screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Media Server
    2.  Media Streaming
    3.  Play local content
    4.  Local Storage
    5.  Media Center
    6.  Media Transcoding
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Chromecast Support
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  No registration required

    Plex VS Windows Media Center

     
    Comments about Plex as an Alternative to Windows Media Center
    Guest
    Negative Jun 13, 2015
    -4

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

    Windows Media Center Icon
    Plex icon

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

    • 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

     169 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.

    49 Emby alternatives

    License model

    • 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

    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 VS Windows Media Center

     

    • Emby is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Windows Media Center.

    • Emby is Freemium and ProprietaryWindows Media Center is Paid and Proprietary
  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.

    44 Universal Media Server alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Universal Media Server screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable

    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 VS Windows Media Center

     
  6. Infuse icon

    Infuse

     48 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.

    62 Infuse alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple TV
    • visionOS
    Infuse screenshot 1

    Infuse Features

    1.  Vast format support
    2.  Search metadata
    3.  Support for DLNA
    4.  HDR Support
    5.  TV Shows meta data support

    Infuse VS Windows Media Center

     
  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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Apple TV
    • Raspberry Pi
    OSMC screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Designed for TVs
    2.  Momentjs integration
    3.  Auto-identifies vids
    4.  Based on Debian
    5.  Stream video to Apple TV

    OSMC VS Windows Media Center

     
  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.

    28 MediaPortal alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    MediaPortal screenshot 1

    MediaPortal Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Dvb-t
    3.  Skinnable
    4.  DVB-C
    5.  TV Streaming
    6.  TV Tuner

    MediaPortal VS Windows Media Center

     
  10. OpenELEC icon

    OpenELEC

     54 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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Raspberry Pi
    OpenELEC screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    Since 2017 source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenELECalso, the website is dead.

    OpenELEC Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Streaming
    3.  TV Streaming
    4.  OPENGL

    OpenELEC VS Windows Media Center

     
  11. 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.

    47 Serviio alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Serviio screenshot 1

    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 VS Windows Media Center

     
  12. JRiver Media Center icon

    JRiver Media Center

     39 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.

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    JRiver Media Center screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Music Library
    3.  Music collection

    JRiver Media Center VS Windows Media Center

     

    • 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
  13. Playon icon

    Playon

     14 likes
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    PlayOn is both browser and media server for your Windows PC which lets you magically stream your favorite shows, movies, even your personal media from your PC to your TV, smartphone or tablet. To display videos on your TV, PlayOn relies on a friend such as a game console like...

    30 Playon alternatives

    License model

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Playon screenshot 1

    Playon Features

    1.  Record videos
    2.  Media Streaming
    3.  Support for DLNA

    Playon VS Windows Media Center

     
  14. MythTV icon

    MythTV

     82 likes
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    MythTV is a free, open source media center and digital video recorder (DVR) distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL. With its plugin architecture, MythTV can be transformed into a home media center suite, capable of managing your personal photo, video, and music collections...

    42 MythTV alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    MythTV screenshot 1

    MythTV Features

    1.  TV Tuner
    2.  DVR
    3.  TV Streaming

    MythTV VS Windows Media Center

     
12 of 26 Windows Media Center alternatives