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Plex

Media server software that organizes your own movies, shows, music and photos and streams them to your devices.

Try Plex (opens the Plex website in a new tab)

Our verdict

Plex suits people who want a polished media server with apps on many devices and are happy to pay for remote streaming or extras. Skip it if you want everything free and open source, or only watch at home and don't need any paid features.

What it does well

  • Free to set up a server and stream on your home network
  • Server runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, NAS devices and Docker
  • Plex Pass offers a one-time lifetime payment as well as monthly and yearly plans

Where it falls short

  • Remote streaming of your own video needs a paid Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass
  • Hardware transcoding and downloads need Plex Pass ($6.99/month or more)
  • Closed-source; lifetime Plex Pass is listed at $749.99
The Plex website
The official Plex website, 17 October 2026.

Plex Media Server takes your own movie, TV, music and photo files, builds libraries from them and streams them to Plex apps on other devices. The server is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and FreeBSD, and also runs on many NAS devices and in Docker. Plex also offers free ad-supported movies, shows and live TV, but those are separate from your own media.

Downloading Plex, setting up a server and streaming to devices on your local network is free. To stream your own video outside the home you need either a Remote Watch Pass or a Plex Pass. According to Plex's pricing API (USD), Remote Watch Pass is $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. Plex Pass is $6.99 per month, $69.99 per year, $249.99 for five years or $749.99 for a lifetime. Plex's plans page lists a 14-day free trial of Remote Watch Pass.

Plex Pass adds features such as hardware transcoding, downloads for offline viewing, Skip Intro and Credits, DVR features, Plex Dash and members-only features in the Plexamp music app. Plex states that a Plex Pass does not remove ads from its free ad-supported streaming service.

Plex compared

Open source alternatives to Plex

Free to use, with code anyone can inspect.

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Last updated 17 October 2026. Facts checked against the official site on 16 October 2026. How we make money