Jellyfin vs Plex vs Emby
The three most popular media servers for streaming your movies, shows and music. The big difference: Jellyfin is 100% free with no subscription, while Plex and Emby lock features behind paid plans.
| Tool | ★ GitHub | License | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| | 53,564 | GPL-2.0 | C#, deb, Docker |
| | 0 | ⊘ Proprietary | Unknown |
| | 0 | ⊘ Proprietary | C# |
Popularity (★ on GitHub)
Jellyfin is a fully free media server that organizes and streams your movies, shows and music to any screen. Unlike Plex, it has no features behind a subscription and no dependency on external servers.
Centralized home media playback system with a powerful central server.
Home media server supporting both DLNA and DIAL (Chromecast) devices out-of-the-box.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best self-hosted alternative among Jellyfin, Plex, Emby?
It depends on your case. Jellyfin is the most popular (53,564 stars). Compare license, platform and features in the table above.
Are Jellyfin, Plex, Emby free?
Yes, they're all open source and self-hosted — you run them on your own server with no monthly fee.