Free Plex alternatives

Top Media Players & Servers like Plex

Updated Oct 12, 2026

The most popular alternative to Plex is Jellyfin, which has a free version. Other great alternatives to Plex are Emby, Kodi, Infuse, and VLC media player.

Most alternatives to Plex are in the Media Players & Servers category, compared here by price, platform and features.

Plex alternatives

All Free Open source

9 apps

Jellyfin
4.1(489) · App Store
Jellyfin is a free, open source media server for hosting your own movies, TV shows, music, books and photos and streaming them to web, mobile, TV and desktop clients. Forked from Emby in 2018, it has no premium tier or tracking: hardware transcoding, live TV and DVR, multiple users and plugins are all included. The server runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker and many NAS devices.
9 Jellyfin alternatives
Pros
Completely free, with hardware transcoding and DVR included
Open source, with no tracking and no premium tier
Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker and many NAS devices
Cons
Client apps are less polished than Plex or Emby on some devices
Remote access needs manual setup such as a reverse proxy or VPN
Cost / License
FreeOpen source
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Web Windows Mac Linux iPhone Android Self-hosted
Features
Ad-free Hardware decoding Media server Plugins & extensions Subtitles support
Visit website More about Jellyfin
Emby
3.1(654) · App Store
Emby is a media server that organizes your movies, shows, music and photos and streams them to apps on the web, mobile devices, smart TVs and consoles. It supports multiple user profiles with parental controls, automatic metadata and live TV. The server and basic apps are free, while an Emby Premiere subscription unlocks extras such as hardware transcoding and DVR. Emby moved away from open source in 2018.
7 Emby alternatives
Pros
Streams to web, mobile, smart TVs and consoles
Multiple profiles with parental controls and live TV
Automatic metadata keeps libraries well organized
Cons
Hardware transcoding and DVR require an Emby Premiere subscription
No longer open source, unlike its fork Jellyfin
Cost / License
FreemiumProprietary
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Web Windows Mac Linux iPhone Android Self-hosted
Features
Hardware decoding Media server Plugins & extensions Subtitles support
Visit website More about Emby
Kodi
21.3Kstars
Kodi is a free, open source media center, originally known as XBMC, designed for the big screen and remote controls. It organizes local and network movies, shows, music and photos with artwork and metadata, plays nearly every format, and is extended through add-ons, skins and PVR backends for live TV. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and small devices such as the Raspberry Pi.
9 Kodi alternatives
Pros
Big-screen interface designed for remote controls
Extensible with add-ons, skins and PVR backends for live TV
Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and the Raspberry Pi
Cons
Setup and configuration take time for newcomers
Third-party add-ons vary in quality, and some carry legal or security risks
Cost / License
FreeOpen source
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Windows Mac Linux Android
Features
Hardware decoding Plays almost any format Plugins & extensions Subtitles support
Visit website More about Kodi
Infuse
4.7(28.4K) · App Store
Infuse is a video player for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac and Vision Pro that plays files from network shares, cloud drives and media servers such as Plex, Emby and Jellyfin. It fetches artwork and metadata, downloads subtitles from OpenSubtitles and syncs watch history with Trakt. Core playback is free, while Infuse Pro adds support for more formats, Dolby Vision and Atmos audio, and additional services.
7 Infuse alternatives
Pros
Polished playback with artwork and metadata across Apple devices
Connects to network shares, cloud drives, Plex, Emby and Jellyfin
Trakt sync and automatic subtitles from OpenSubtitles
Cons
Apple platforms only, with no Android or Windows app
Some formats, Dolby Vision and Atmos require Infuse Pro
Cost / License
FreemiumProprietary
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Mac iPhone
Features
Cross-device sync Plays almost any format Subtitles support
Visit website More about Infuse
VLC media player
3.7(6K) · App Store
VLC is a free and open source media player from the VideoLAN non-profit that handles most video and audio formats, DVDs, audio CDs and network streams without installing extra codecs. It supports subtitles, hardware decoding, filters, format conversion and streaming, and can be extended with add-ons and skins. It runs on desktop and mobile platforms, with no ads, tracking or paid tier.
9 VLC media player alternatives
Pros
Plays almost any file, disc or stream without extra codecs
Free and open source, with no ads or tracking
Available on desktop and mobile platforms
Cons
Interface looks dated next to more modern players
Advanced settings are buried in complex preference menus
Cost / License
FreeOpen source
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Windows Mac Linux iPhone Android
Features
Ad-free Hardware decoding Plays almost any format Plugins & extensions Subtitles support
Visit website More about VLC media player
mpv
37.3Kstars
mpv is a free, open source media player for the command line with a minimal on-screen controller. Built on FFmpeg and descended from MPlayer, it plays a wide range of formats, renders high-quality video with GPU shaders and hardware decoding, and is configured through text files and key bindings. Lua and JavaScript scripts extend it, and the libmpv library powers front ends such as IINA.
9 mpv alternatives
Pros
Excellent video quality with GPU shaders and hardware decoding
Highly scriptable with Lua and JavaScript
libmpv powers other front ends such as IINA
Cons
Minimal interface with no menus or playlist manager by default
Configuration lives in text files, which deters casual users
Cost / License
FreeOpen source
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Windows Mac Linux
Features
API access Hardware decoding Plays almost any format Plugins & extensions Subtitles support
Visit website More about mpv
IINA
46.7Kstars
IINA is a free, open source video player for macOS built on top of mpv. It wraps mpv's broad format support and hardware decoding in a native Mac interface with dark mode, Picture-in-Picture, trackpad gestures and Touch Bar controls. It can fetch subtitles from online sources, play YouTube and other web streams through youtube-dl compatible tools, and supports plugins written in JavaScript.
7 IINA alternatives
Pros
Native macOS interface with Picture-in-Picture and trackpad gestures
mpv engine plays almost any format with hardware decoding
Fetches subtitles online and plays web streams
Cons
Available only on macOS
No media library management or media server features
Cost / License
FreeOpen source
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Mac
Features
Dark mode Hardware decoding Plays almost any format Plugins & extensions Subtitles support
Visit website More about IINA
PotPlayer
PotPlayer is a free media player for Windows published by the South Korean company Kakao. It includes built-in codecs for most video and audio formats, hardware acceleration through DXVA, CUDA and QuickSync, and broad subtitle support including SRT, SMI, VobSub and Blu-ray subtitles. It also offers 3D video output, bookmarks, scene capture and a large number of playback and display settings.
6 PotPlayer alternatives
Pros
Built-in codecs play most video and audio formats
Hardware acceleration through DXVA, CUDA and QuickSync
Extensive subtitle support and fine-grained playback settings
Cons
Available only on Windows
The sheer number of settings can overwhelm casual users
Closed source, unlike VLC or MPC-HC
Cost / License
FreeProprietary
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Windows
Features
Hardware decoding Plays almost any format Subtitles support
Visit website More about PotPlayer
MPC-HC
15.9Kstars
MPC-HC (Media Player Classic - Home Cinema) is a lightweight, open source media player for Windows with a classic, uncluttered interface. The maintained fork by clsid2 bundles LAV Filters to decode nearly all common formats, supports hardware-accelerated decoding, subtitles and renderers such as madVR or MPC Video Renderer, and runs well on older PCs. It is free and has no ads.
6 MPC-HC alternatives
Pros
Lightweight and fast, even on older PCs
Bundled LAV Filters decode nearly all common formats
Supports high-quality renderers such as madVR
Cons
Available only on Windows
Dated interface with few modern conveniences
Relies on a community fork since the original project stopped
Cost / License
FreeOpen source
Categories
Media Players & Servers
Platforms
Windows
Features
Ad-free Hardware decoding Plays almost any format Subtitles support
Visit website More about MPC-HC

Plex vs its alternatives at a glance

Pricing, platforms and the key features of Plex, compared with its most popular alternatives.

Plex vs its alternatives at a glance
App	Pricing	Platforms
Plex	Freemium	Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, Self-hosted
Jellyfin	FreeOpen source	Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, Self-hosted
Emby	Freemium	Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android, Self-hosted
Kodi	FreeOpen source	Windows, Mac, Linux, Android
Infuse	Freemium	Mac, iPhone
VLC media player	FreeOpen source	Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android

Plex alternatives: frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Plex?

The most popular alternative to Plex is Jellyfin: Free, open source media server for your movies, shows and music. Other great alternatives are Emby, Kodi, Infuse, and VLC media player.