Last checked October 29, 2026
Free alternatives to Plex
Plex serves the movies, shows, and music on your disks. On April 29, 2025, Plex Pass prices went up, and remote playback of your own video stopped being free. You need a Plex Pass or a Remote Watch Pass to watch that video away from home. Music and photos were not part of that change. The apps below run on hardware you already have. A rented server is a bad place for a movie library.
- If you have already decided to leave, start with the switch guide. Move from Plex to Jellyfin
What you pay for Plex
As of April 29, 2025, a new Plex Pass is $6.99 a month, $69.99 a year, or $249.99 for a lifetime pass.
Plex's April 2025 post says the new prices are $6.99 a month, $69.99 a year, and $249.99 lifetime. It says a lifetime pass was $119.99 before April 29, 2025. It does not list the old monthly or yearly price. People who already had a lifetime pass keep it. Monthly and yearly plans renew at the new price. Since April 29, 2025, remote playback of personal video needs a Plex Pass on the server admin, a Plex Pass on the viewer, or a Remote Watch Pass. Plex's support article says that rule now covers the mobile apps, the desktop app, the web app, Roku, PlayStation, Xbox, and supported smart TVs. An update on the same post says Amazon Fire TV and more TVs were added on April 29, 2026. Remote Watch Pass started at $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year. Music to Plexamp and photos to Plex Photos are not part of the remote-video rule.
Who it is for
For individuals and people who want more privacy. Its price on file: As of April 29, 2025, a new Plex Pass is $6.99 a month, $69.99 a year, or $249.99 for a lifetime pass. It is in the Media servers group.
How to switch
The closest free app on the checklist is Jellyfin. Cost and details. Move from Plex to Jellyfin.
What you can do without a Plex Pass
These scores are from the checklist on this page. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. We check each app against public docs and price pages.
Jellyfin is #1 (88). Kodi is #2 (44). Navidrome is #3 (40).
Jellyfin
#1 · Closest
7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.You only get part of: apps for phones and TVs and a music library.
Kodi
#2
7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: watch your video away from home with no paid pass and hardware transcoding. You only get part of: apps for phones and TVs, separate user accounts, and a music library, and 1 more.
Navidrome
#3
7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: a movie and TV library on your disks, hardware transcoding, and live TV from a source you are allowed to use. You only get part of: watch your video away from home with no paid pass and apps for phones and TVs.
Where they differ
A movie and TV library on your disks
Worth 10 points. Jellyfin does all of it. Movies and shows from folders you point it at. Kodi does all of it. Kodi plays local video files. Navidrome does none of it. Navidrome is for music files, not movies or TV shows.
Watch your video away from home with no paid pass
Worth 10 points. Jellyfin does all of it. Remote play is not a paid pass. You open the server yourself. Kodi does none of it. Kodi is a player, not a server your family reaches from another house. Navidrome does part of it. A Subsonic app can reach the server if you open it on your network. That is your setup, not a paid pass.
Separate user accounts
Worth 6 points. Jellyfin does all of it. Each person can have a login. Kodi does part of it. Profiles exist on the device. They are not server accounts. Navidrome does all of it. You can add listeners with their own logins.
Hardware transcoding
Worth 6 points. Jellyfin does all of it. Hardware transcoding is documented. Kodi does none of it. It plays on the device. It does not transcode for other people. Navidrome does none of it. It does not transcode video.
A music library
Worth 4 points. Jellyfin does part of it. It can serve music. A music-only server is a better fit for a large music library. Kodi does part of it. It plays local music. Navidrome does all of it. The job of the server is your music library.
Live TV from a source you are allowed to use
Worth 4 points. Jellyfin does all of it. Live TV works from a tuner or playlist you are allowed to use. Kodi does part of it. An add-on can play a playlist you supply. Navidrome does none of it.
Emby
No scoreThe server code is closed. Not scored on this checklist.
How close is it?
How this worksA full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. #1 is the closest free app that did not pay us. An ad, when one is sold, is marked and sits after #1. Paying does not change the score. Open source means you can use, change, and share the code. Run it yourself means the app can live on a computer you control.
- #1 · ClosestOpen sourceNotes on the review
Jellyfin
A free media server with Live TV. The code is GPL-2.0.
7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.You only get part of: apps for phones and TVs and a music library.
Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-2.0
Run it yourselfWebAndroid - #2Open sourceNotes on the review
Kodi
A free media player. IPTV needs the IPTV Simple Client add-on.
7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: watch your video away from home with no paid pass and hardware transcoding. You only get part of: apps for phones and TVs, separate user accounts, and a music library, and 1 more.
Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-2.0-or-later
AndroidWindowsLinuxMaciOS - #3Open sourceNotes on the review
Navidrome
A music server you run for the songs you already own.
7 of 7 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.What you give up: a movie and TV library on your disks, hardware transcoding, and live TV from a source you are allowed to use. You only get part of: watch your video away from home with no paid pass and apps for phones and TVs.
Last checked October 29, 2026 · License: GPL-3.0
Run it yourselfWebLinux
Feature by feature
Full means it does the whole job. Partial means it does some of it. Missing means it does not. Not checked counts as zero. The number under each feature is how much it counts. A bigger number moves the score more.
Scroll sideways to see every app.
| Feature | Jellyfin#1 · 887 of 7 checked features | Kodi#2 · 447 of 7 checked features | Navidrome#3 · 407 of 7 checked features |
|---|---|---|---|
| A movie and TV library on your disksCounts for 10 | FullMovies and shows from folders you point it at. | FullKodi plays local video files. | MissingNavidrome is for music files, not movies or TV shows. |
| Watch your video away from home with no paid passCounts for 10 | FullRemote play is not a paid pass. You open the server yourself. | MissingKodi is a player, not a server your family reaches from another house. | PartialA Subsonic app can reach the server if you open it on your network. That is your setup, not a paid pass. |
| Apps for phones and TVsCounts for 8 | PartialOfficial and third-party clients exist. Not every TV app store has a first-party app. | PartialYou install the player on the TV or computer. It does not ship a phone app for a shared server. | PartialYou use a Subsonic player. Navidrome does not ship a TV app for movies. |
| Separate user accountsCounts for 6 | FullEach person can have a login. | PartialProfiles exist on the device. They are not server accounts. | FullYou can add listeners with their own logins. |
| Hardware transcodingCounts for 6 | FullHardware transcoding is documented. | MissingIt plays on the device. It does not transcode for other people. | MissingIt does not transcode video. |
| A music libraryCounts for 4 | PartialIt can serve music. A music-only server is a better fit for a large music library. | PartialIt plays local music. | FullThe job of the server is your music library. |
| Live TV from a source you are allowed to useCounts for 4 | FullLive TV works from a tuner or playlist you are allowed to use. | PartialAn add-on can play a playlist you supply. | Missing |
What it costs
Jellyfin
- Free plan
- The server and the official clients are free to download. There is no paid tier on the Jellyfin site.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Run it yourself
- Setup: medium. You install the server, add an M3U tuner, and add XMLTV guide data if you want the guide and recordings.
Kodi
- Free plan
- Kodi is free. The IPTV Simple Client add-on is free. You bring your own playlist.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Run it yourself
- This app does not run on your own computer. It is not a server you host for other people. You install the player on the device where you watch.
Navidrome
- Free plan
- The server is free to run. You bring the music files.
- They host it
- No hosted price on file.
- Run it yourself
- Easy. A single binary or container pointed at your music folder. It is not a movie server.
Did you switch?
If you left Plex, tell us if it worked and how long it took. Notes stay private until we approve them. Nothing is shown until at least five are approved.
Closest pair
Move from Plex to Jellyfin
Point Jellyfin at the same media folders. Watch history can move with a third-party script. Shared Plex friends and Plex Pass features do not.
Read how to switchRelated alternatives
- Navidrome: A music server you run for the songs you already own.
- Jellyfin: A free media server with Live TV. The code is GPL-2.0.