Personal media server for streaming your library to any device
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.
- features
- 4
- alternatives
- 7
- platforms
- 7
- Updated
- Oct 12, 2026
Features
Our take
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
Editorial assessment by the Alternatives.tools team, based on what the product is known for. Not a user review.
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