Normally people are using https://jellyfin.org/ although i have never used it so I'm not sure if it offers the same functionality but it's worth a try.
Jellyfin has more functionality but is a lot more technical to set up. I didn’t think it was worth the effort since I already have a Plex server running, but I could see going through that if I didn’t.
Been running Plex with a lifetime pass for around a decade. Worth it for me for sure.
I've run both, and I found both required about the same level of technical understanding for an in house setup.
I started with Plex as it worked nicer with my remote, then moved to Jellyfin when I picked up an Android TV. It was the hardware transcoding (without having to pay) that sealed the deal for me.
The dealbreaker about plex for me was having to use their auth servers and having to route traffic through them.
I haven't used Plex but Jellyfin is as easy as throwing this in Docker:
***
version: "2.1"
services:
jellyfin:
image: lscr.io/linuxserver/jellyfin:latest
container_name: jellyfin
environment:
- PUID=1000
- PGID=1000
- TZ=Etc/UTC
- JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl=192.168.0.5 #optional
volumes:
- /path/to/library:/config
- /path/to/tvseries:/data/tvshows
- /path/to/movies:/data/movies
ports:
- 8096:8096
- 8920:8920 #optional
- 7359:7359/udp #optional
- 1900:1900/udp #optional
restart: unless-stopped
(from [linuxserver.io](https://docs.linuxserver.io/images/docker-jellyfin))It’s really easy to set up if you use Docker.
I want to use Jellyfin, but the clients just aren’t up to par with Plex and last I checked Jellyfin won’t transcode downloaded media.
Jellyfin does hardware transcoding.
It’s weakness is client side apps. Most are web apps and not native. It’s getting better but in comparison plex has native apps on almost everything.
I’m a lifetime plex pass user since 2016
I personally dislike the Plex apps, but yeah its native support is unmatched. The official Jellyfin app for Android gets the job done but isn't native. However, Findroid seems like the future to me on Android and I use the Kodi plugin on my TV (which is amazing).
Jellyfin is just great and easy to configure
Yeah I used to use Plex, Jellyfin all the way now.
Literally everything that makes plex better is pay walled. Support FOSS.
Jellyfin is a great alternative if you’re okay with webports.
Plex is definitely worth plex pass though. Many features and it works well on any device.
Eh, plex has been super buggy on my FireTV Cube. For some reason it always jumps back like 6 episodes in a show or just picks a random season when we resume playing the next day.
I used to have one. Then I asked myself why I was paying someone else to access my own stuff.
you're not wrong.. but you gotta give credit where credit is due. Plex does a good job of having a client on every platform. Telling family and friends "search for plex on your devices app store" is a whole hell of a lot easier than having them jump thru all the hoops that it takes for jellyfin to work.
This is the main reason I will continue to use Plex over jellyfin
Done. Doesn't seem like that many hoops.
OK great. Now to that on your Roku, Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, smart phone, etc. There aren't clients for every platform and the ones that do exist frankly are just not even close to as polished looking as Plex is.
Because Plex provides you with the user interface to access your own content. Atleast that's how I like to think about it
Jellyfin is the way
Jellyfin with Jellyseer and all the *ars
What sealed the deal for me was skip intro. Incredible feature I don’t believe any other option has.
Wait for lifetime memberships to go on sale if you can. There are a few sales a year. Usually on Black Friday.
Jellyfin has a skip intro plugin that is easy to install and works great from my experience.
Jellyfin plug-in to skip intros: https://github.com/ConfusedPolarBear/intro-skipper
Jellyfin also has skip intro
I bought the lifetime pass when it went on sale a few years ago. I have used the hell out of it and loved plexamp before that feature was available to non Plex pass users. If I had to buy it now, I might just go with an open source alternative like jellyfin.
I sub for the skip intros alone, turns out it affects everyone who watches on your server which is great.
I don't really utilise any other aspects of Plex Pass but £4 isn't much to me and Plex is insanely useful to me.
I feel like it is, but, be on the lookout for a sale and get the lifetime option when there's a sale.
No. Just use Jellyfin
If you pay the one time fee or the subscription fee, the system unlocks all the paid features for all of the users on your account. Under your account you can have multiple users, each with their own viewing history (and restrictions, iirc). So if your users log into Plex on their devices using your account username and password - abbadon420 and Hunter1 - and then select their user profile, they will all have access to the features.
The one time fee unlocks forever (the lifetime of Plex, of course) and the subscription unlocks the features for the term of the subscription and then you revert back.
Plex subscription is crap, this is coming from someone who had one. I'd recommend using something else like emby or jellyfin
I used to have a Plex Pass, but I dont think it's worth it anymore. I have remote access via Tailscale, which I use for a number of other services as well.
I bought it when it was a one time payment. It's been worth it but I don't think I would do it if it was a monthly fee.
There are modded versions of the android app that let you play on mobile without the pass, check mobilism.
I dig the hardware transcoding, the hdr-sdr tone mapping and the tablet App.
If you use Plex free and never found the limitations to be a burden, you have your answer.
All in all I personally find that a one time unlimited subscription is a great deal that is rarely seen nowadays
Not sure if you wanna weigh this in as a reason to choose one or the other, but with the one-time purchase you can only stream via Plex on mobile. If you want to download the file and then watch it at a later time WITHOUT streaming you need Plex Lifetime (I made this error!)
Pay anyone but google, amazon and meta. Fuck these companies.
Absolutely worth it imo. I mean it helps the developers and along with what others have said, for me Plexamp music player is the nuts. Forked originally from Winamp it plays all my music across all my devices including Android Auto like a personal Spotify
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