For folks who want to run a private media server similar in look and feel to the streaming apps we’ve all become familiar with, Plex has long been the go-to choice. I think that should change.
Plex is the name of a collection of software, with a self-hosted media server being the primary component in most Plex setups. However, Plex is able to do more than just stream local media. You can also use your Plex clients these days to stream live TV, review movies and TV, and even rent digital content.
Jellyfin has come a long way
Credit: Jordan Gloor / How-To Geek
For a long time, Jellyfin has been seen as the inferior choice for personal media servers compared to Plex and Emby. That’s still true, at least in terms of feature completeness and ease of use. Plex’s relay servers and plug-and-play transcoding abilities definitely take some of the pain out of self-hosting. For many, that fusslessness is all that matters.
For myself, though, I see a lot more value in what Jellyfin offers. It’s highly flexible, and that flexibility is not impeded by paywalls and proprietary code. Especially since the arrival of Jellyfin 10.11, the capabilities have increased a lot. The underpinnings are stronger, with built-in backups and resource management that actually puts that expensive RAM to use.
The community has also contributed a lot of value. Plugins like Intro Skipper get you what was once Plex-only features, and there’s an ever-growing list of good third-party clients that might make you refuse to go back to the first-party versions. Since they continue Jellyfin’s tradition of being strictly open source, they also boast maybe its best feature: a zero-dollar price tag.
Plex has fallen from grace
Credit: Patrick Campanale/How-To Geek
While Plex has managed to stay technologically more advanced and offer a lot more in terms of user-friendliness compared to Jellyfin, it’s also stayed more advanced in the field of ticking off its own user base.
Plex has had multiple privacy scandals recently, like the time in 2023 when it started sharing people’s “intimate” watch histories in newsletters. There was also a Plex security breach in 2025. You might ask, “What tech company isn’t being breached these days?” Good point, but in the case of Jellyfin, those kinds of incidents can only happen with a ton of user errors on your part.
From what I’ve read, Plex has also alienated its fan base by replacing what used to be a privacy-minded community with a profit-minded corporation. The new emphasis on money-making schemes like rentals and ad-supported TV doesn’t appeal to self-hosting enthusiasts like myself. I certainly don’t feel like paying money to access that.
In a world of increasing prices, free can’t be beat
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I’m writing this in a context where the financial costs of the hardware side of self-hosting are skyrocketing. The AI boom (or bubble?) has resulted in RAM, storage, and possibly even GPUs, all increasing in price. Those components are all necessary to properly host your own media server.
So unless you bought your server equipment years ago, you have to ask yourself: is Plex Pass, which enables you to take full advantage of your server the same way Jellyfin can for free, worth the additional cost?
That’s probably a personal decision each person will have to make. There are legitimate reasons to pay for Plex Pass, but much of it comes down to your time and capacity. How does the effort you’ll likely expend getting a Jellyfin server configured the way you want compare to the price of a Plex Pass subscription that bypasses much of that required effort?
Related
5 Reasons to Run Plex and Jellyfin Together
I prefer Plex, but Jellyfin has some compelling features.
You may only be able to answer that once you’ve actually tried setting up a Jellyfin server yourself. I do think it’s worth a try, because in my homelab it’s one of my most-used services. I’ve effectively replaced Spotify Premium with Jellyfin, and its completely ad-free experience makes me prefer it over other streaming services.
Jellyfin isn’t even your only option. If you just want to stream your music collection, Navidrome is worth looking into. You can also watch your personal movies and TV shows from the comfort of your living room with a basic Kodi setup. None of it comes with any sort of Plex-like corporatism or subscription costs.
OS
Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, Fire TV, Roku OS, WebOS, Xbox,
Price
Free
Jellyfin is the volunteer-built media solution that puts you in control of your media. Stream to any device from your own server, with no strings attached. Your media, your server, your way.
