Open source alternatives to Plex

What Plex does

Plex Media Server is free-to-use proprietary software that scans a personal media collection, adds artwork and descriptions, and streams it to Plex apps in browsers and on phones, TVs, consoles and streaming devices, transcoding when a device cannot play a file directly. With a tuner and antenna it can show live TV, and DVR recording is part of the paid Plex Pass. A Plex account ties servers and apps together: once a server is claimed, access requires signing in with the owner’s account or an account the library is shared with.

Why people look for an alternative

• Remote playback became a paid feature. Since 29 April 2025, streaming personal video from outside the server’s local network requires a Plex Pass on the server admin’s account, or a Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass on the viewer’s account. On 29 April 2026 the rule was extended to Fire TV, smart TVs and game consoles, and Plex says all apps will eventually be covered. Music in Plexamp and photos in Plex Photos are exempt.
• Higher subscription prices. Plex raised Plex Pass prices on 29 April 2025 for new and existing subscriptions, except existing lifetime holders, describing it as the first increase in more than ten years.
• Features behind Plex Pass. Hardware-accelerated transcoding, skipping intros and credits, HDR to SDR tone mapping and DVR are listed as Plex Pass features.
• Dependence on Plex accounts. A claimed server authenticates users through Plex’s own account system by default, so access to your library depends on Plex’s service.
• Account security and privacy. On 8 September 2025 Plex disclosed that an unauthorized party had accessed emails, usernames, hashed passwords and authentication data from one of its databases, and asked users to reset their passwords and sign out connected devices. In 2025 Plex also revised its Privacy Policy to describe how it may share or sell data, while stating that it does not collect, share or sell information about personal libraries.

What to compare in an alternative

1. Media types. Movies and series only, or also music, audiobooks, photos and live TV with DVR.
2. Clients. Apps for each TV platform, console and phone in your home.
3. Transcoding. Whether hardware acceleration is included and which GPUs it supports; this decides how much server you need.
4. Remote access. Open source servers have no vendor relay, so plan a reverse proxy with HTTPS, a VPN or port forwarding.
5. Users and sharing. Per-user permissions, parental controls and how friends and family sign in.
6. Migration. None of the listed apps documents an importer for Plex watch history; pointing the new server at the same folders rebuilds the library from your files and online metadata.

Which one to choose

Jellyfin is the closest replacement: it covers movies, series, music, books, photos and live TV with DVR, includes hardware-accelerated transcoding and SyncPlay, has official apps for TVs, phones and the Xbox, and states that it has no paid features. It needs a server with a GPU or integrated GPU for comfortable video transcoding. Kyoo is a younger, video-only server for movies, series and anime that needs no particular folder structure and builds every feature in rather than relying on plugins, but it has fewer clients and needs several Docker services with PostgreSQL.

If you only want to play files on TVs and consoles at home, a DLNA server such as Universal Media Server or Gerbera may be enough, though neither streams over the internet. Our media server guide covers music servers, and Audiobookshelf handles audiobooks.