Plex vs Jellyfin vs Emby: Here's how the three media servers really compare

Plex is expensive and proprietary, but easy to use

If you've got a folder of movies and TV episodes that you want to watch on other devices without too much fuss, it's hard to go wrong with Plex. The program guides you through the setup, and selecting your media folders is the most complicated thing you'll encounter as a mandatory part of the process. Better yet, that basic functionality is totally free.

But if you want to use hardware transcoding for a smoother playback experience with certain files, or if you want to stream your media over the Internet so you can enjoy your favorite films from a hotel room, you'll need to pay. After a massive price hike last year, Plex offered a lifetime premium pass for $250, but as of today, that fee has increased to a staggering $750.

Plex clearly wants premium users to subscribe to its monthly tiers, which run $3 for basic Internet streaming, and $7 for extras like hardware transcoding, remote downloads, and a skip intro button. Plex also does a lot of work on its own servers, and that proprietary tech stack is what Plex Pass subscribers are paying for. Its cloud backend handles logins, permissions, and other elements of security that Jellyfin requires a user to configure manually. Its apps, which are available on all major platforms, are more polished than the open-source packages Jellyfin relies on, and incur development costs.

Jellyfin is free and open-source, but requires some tinkering

Plex's most well-known alternative is Jellyfin, and while it ultimately offers almost identical functionality, the way it gets there is radically different. Jellyfin is free and open-source software, meaning you cannot pay for it even if you want to (though you can donate to the volunteers who develop it or contribute to the project yourself). But with the nonexistent price tag comes a trade-off.

On one hand, there's more privacy and freedom. You can configure Jellyfin however you like because you're doing so on your own hardware with no third party in the middle. On the other hand, there's an expectation that users do more of the technical legwork to configure Jellyfin on their hardware and network. This can make the initial setup a bit of a headache for those who aren't well-versed in the basics of networking.

You may not pay for the convenience of streaming media remotely, but you'll need to set up some kind of mesh network, secure tunnel, or dynamic DNS to get things working. If you're unfamiliar with those terms, then Jellyfin will come with some homework. You'll also need to connect a database if you want your media catalogued by title, cast, and so on. With some time invested, Jellyfin can be truly bespoke for your needs, but the plug-and-play ease of Plex may be better suited for anyone who hates fiddling with computers.

Emby is left in the middle

Its subscription price is cheaper than Plex's ($5 a month, or $119 for a lifetime license). It runs more locally than Plex but requires user network configuration for remote streaming, similarly to Jellyfin. Still, those who chafe against Plex's centralization yet balk at the extensive legwork Jellyfin requires may find Emby to be a Goldilocks solution.