Getting a media server like Plex is tempting if you have an extensive database of movies and TV shows. You can use it to stream videos to clients and transcode them to lower resolution for optimal playback on slower internet connections.
Plex has many useful features, but most of the good ones require a subscription. Free media servers are incredibly enticing in such a situation. Plex is far from being the only media server in the market. To help you make an informed decision, we have compiled this list of the best Plex alternatives.
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8 Best Media Servers Like Plex
Jellyfin
Jellyfin is, hands down, the best Plex alternative out there. It is a free and open-source server that started as a fork of Emby in 2018. Its features closely resemble Plex, and just like the latter, it pulls the metadata of all your movies and shows.
Jellyfin has several useful features, such as automatic subtitle support, transcoding, and library management. You can even enable remote play syncing to watch something with your friends and family living in different places.
Jellyfin must be first installed as a server, after which it fetches metadata from the internet to categorize your music, movies, and shows. This Plex alternative can also handle live and recorded TV, books, and photos.
It has a web panel and client applications for Android, iOS, MacOS, Windows, and several flavors of Linux. Jellyfin also has a Kodi plugin and supports DLNA streaming. All this is available for free, which is why it is the best Plex alternative.
Also Read: Jellyfin vs Plex: which is better?
Emby
Emby is a media streaming platform like Plex that needs to be installed as a server. You can run it on Windows, MacOS, Linux devices, and FreeBSD. It can even be used natively on NAS drives, including those running FreeNAS or Synology and Western Digital proprietary systems.
Emby is quite similar to Jellyfin, a fork of the former. However, many of its features have been locked behind a license fee ever since it went closed-source.
The subscription starts at $4.99/month and provides access to offline media, live TV recording via DVR, hardware transcoding, CarPlay, and Android Auto Support.
Emby also has some unique features like smart home integration, HDR tone mapping, lyrics display for music and cinema intros. It is accessible anywhere once configured and is a top Plex alternative.
Kodi
Kodi, formerly XBMC, is not strictly a media server but can be used as one due to its DLNA streaming capabilities. It has to be installed locally on the device you want to use and is a quick solution to stream content in a basic manner.
Once installed, Kodi can pull in media from local and remote servers, and you can set it to keep multiple instances in sync. It supports movies, TV shows, and music and labels everything using metadata scrapers. You can also share photos, get DVR-style recordings, and run games and emulators on Kodi.
As a standard DLNA uPnP server, Kodi acts as a bridge between your main entertainment center and other devices on the network. It is an open-source, free tool and a worthwhile alternative to Plex.
Universal Media Server
A basic tool that can stream to a multitude of devices is Universal Media Server. It is an open-source program written in Java that works off the DLNA/UPnP protocol and is widely compatible with different devices.
Thus, this Plex alternative allows you to stream music, videos, and images on multiple Windows, MacOS, and Linux versions. Universal Media Server can also transcode videos so that you can play them on devices that may not have the necessary capabilities.
This media server is regularly updated, has an optional web browser interface, and is expandable with plugins.
Stremio
The next media server alternative to Plex on our list is Stremio. It is a solution that emphasizes streaming services and, hence, has an extensive catalog of user-contributed add-ons that enable streaming from a wide range of sources. Stremio is an easy-to-use media center that can also use magnet links or play video streams.
With add-ons, content from different providers can be easily combined with the Stremio interface. It also takes into account the movies and shows on your own device while creating the library. A calendar function is available that helps you keep track of new episodes or highly anticipated film releases.
Stremio ideally runs on the computer or Android device plugged into your TV, though you can also cast wirelessly via Chromecast. It has no DLNA support but does support hardware encoding and Facebook integration and has several community add-ons.
Mezzmo
The media server Mezzmo operates through a freemium model: you can use the basic version for free but must subscribe to the pro edition to access the extra features. It also has a paid Android app that can be used as a remote application to retrieve content from the local Mezzmo server on Android devices.
The app has an integrated digital media server(DMS) that you can use to stream files stored on the device.
Once installed, Mezzmo automatically searches and organizes all the movies, photos, music, and subtitles stored in the system. It further transcodes the media content in real-time for optimal streaming quality.
MediaPortal
MediaPortal is a GPL-licensed open-source program that supports TV cards and lets you watch TV through your media server. This Plex alternative additionally combines FM, information services like news and weather, and media files stored on your computer in a single user interface.
On MediaPortal, you can install and integrate plugins for additional functions and use skins to give the user interface a new appearance. However, it is available only on Windows and has no separate apps for smartphones and smart TVs.
TVersity
TVersity is a paid media server package enabling users to stream content from their PCs to different devices. It can transcode files in real-time while photo, video, and song indexing happens in the background.
This Plex alternative can also combine your personal media collection with web content like RSS feeds, video streams, or podcasts the client can retrieve on the selected device.
