Plex vs Emby vs Jellyfin
A comprehensive comparison to help you choose the best media server for your needs.
Table of Contents
Introduction
This comparison provides a detailed look at Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin. It incorporates significant recent changes—most notably Plex's major policy shift in 2025 regarding remote streaming and pricing—which fundamentally alters the "free vs. paid" landscape.
Whether you're a privacy enthusiast, a power user, or someone who just wants the easiest setup, this guide will help you make an informed decision about which media server is right for you.
Quick Verdict
- Choose Plex if: You want the most polished, "Netflix-like" experience and don't mind paying for convenience. It has the best app support but is becoming increasingly expensive and commercialized.
- Choose Emby if: You want a balance. It offers the stability and ease of Plex but with more customization and power-user administrative tools.
- Choose Jellyfin if: You want something 100% free and private. It is the best choice for privacy enthusiasts who want hardware transcoding and offline downloads without a monthly fee, provided you are comfortable with a bit more setup.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature |
Plex
|
Emby
|
Jellyfin
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost (Free Tier) | Limited (Local playback only) | Limited (Local playback mainly) | 100% Free |
| Premium Cost | $6.99/mo or $249 Lifetime (Price increased April 2025) |
$4.99/mo or $119 Lifetime | $0 (Donation supported) |
| Remote Streaming | Paid (Requires Plex Pass or "Remote Watch Pass") | Paid/Complex (Emby Connect is free but limited; full ease requires Premiere) | Free (Requires manual setup like VPN/Reverse Proxy) |
| Hardware Transcoding | Paid (Plex Pass) | Paid (Emby Premiere) | Free |
| Live TV & DVR | Paid (Plex Pass) | Paid (Emby Premiere) | Free |
| Offline Downloads | Paid (Plex Pass) | Paid (Emby Premiere) | Free |
| Device Support | Excellent (Native apps for almost everything) | Very Good (Most major platforms supported) | Good (Roku/Android good; Apple TV relies on 3rd party apps) |
| User Interface | Polished, "Netflix-style", easy for anyone | Functional, slightly dated but highly customizable | Clean, functional, improving rapidly (e.g., new Roku update) |
| Privacy | Low (Centralized auth, data collection, closed source) | Medium (Closed source, some centralized auth) | High (Open source, self-hosted, no tracking) |
| Music Support | Excellent (Plexamp app is top-tier) | Good | Good (Finamp app is a solid alternative) |
Detailed Pros & Cons
1. Plex
The market leader, known for its beautiful interface and "it just works" philosophy. However, recent moves in 2025 have paywalled features that used to be free.
Advantages:
- Most Polished UI: The interface is sleek, modern, and very easy for non-tech-savvy family members to use.
- Plexamp: A dedicated music app that is arguably the best music streamer for personal libraries, featuring "Sonic Analysis" for smart playlists.
- Wide Device Support: Native apps are available on virtually every smart TV, game console, and stick.
- "Watch Together": A seamless feature for watching content in sync with remote friends.
Disadvantages:
- Cost Increase: As of April 2025, remote streaming (watching outside your home) is no longer free and requires a subscription. The Lifetime Pass price also doubled to ~$249.
- Privacy: It is closed-source and requires authentication through Plex's central servers. If Plex.tv goes down, your local server authentication can fail without specific workarounds.
- Bloat: The interface is increasingly cluttered with Plex's own ad-supported content ("Watch Free" movies) which can be annoying to hide.
2. Emby
Emby sits in the middle. It started as open-source but went closed-source to build a business. It appeals to users who find Plex too restrictive but Jellyfin too "unfinished."
Advantages:
- Admin Control: Offers significantly more comprehensive tools for server management, metadata editing, and user restrictions than Plex.
- Customization: You can alter the home screen layouts and CSS (on the web) to make it look exactly how you want.
- Stability: Often praised for its reliable "Direct Play" capabilities and lower resource usage than Plex on some hardware.
- Pricing: The Lifetime subscription (~$119) is now significantly cheaper than Plex's new pricing.
Disadvantages:
- Paywalls: Like Plex, key features like Hardware Transcoding and Cinema Mode are locked behind the "Emby Premiere" subscription.
- Closed Source: It is proprietary software, meaning you cannot audit the code for privacy or modify it yourself.
- Smaller Ecosystem: Fewer 3rd party tools and plugins compared to the massive community behind Plex (and the growing one behind Jellyfin).
3. Jellyfin
The "For the People" choice. It is a fork of Emby (from before Emby went closed-source) and is entirely free.
Advantages:
- 100% Free & Open Source: No monthly fees, no "Premium" tier. Hardware transcoding, Live TV, and unlimited users are all free.
- Privacy King: No "phoning home," no central authentication server. You own 100% of your data.
- No Bloat: No ads, no "free streaming channels" pushed into your feed. It only shows your media.
- Rapid Improvement: The community is very active. For example, the Roku app recently received a major UI overhaul (v3.1.0) making it much more modern.
Disadvantages:
- Requires More Setup: Remote access isn't "one-click." You generally need to set up a Reverse Proxy (like Caddy or Nginx) or a VPN (like Tailscale) to access it securely outside your home.
- Client Gaps: While Android/Roku are good, Apple TV users often rely on 3rd party apps like Swiftfin or Infuse (paid) because the official native app is still a work in progress.
- Rougher Edges: You may encounter occasional bugs or metadata mismatches that require manual fixing compared to Plex's polished matching.