Plex
Free / Plex Pass from ~$6.99 per mo or lifetime
Jellyfin
Free (open-source)
Plex is the polished, easy media server with apps everywhere, but its best features need a paid Plex Pass and it relies on Plex's servers. Jellyfin is completely free and open-source with no paywalls or accounts, but it is more hands-on. Plex wins on polish; Jellyfin wins on freedom and privacy.
Pick Plex if you want the easiest, most polished media server with apps everywhere and do not mind a Plex Pass for advanced features.
Pick Jellyfin if you want a completely free, open-source server with no accounts or telemetry and you are comfortable with more setup.
Plex and Jellyfin both let you stream your own movies, shows, and music from a home server to any device, but they come from different philosophies. Plex is the polished commercial option: slick apps on virtually every platform, easy setup, and extras like live TV and a built-in streaming catalog, though its best features (hardware transcoding, mobile sync, and more) require a paid Plex Pass and it depends on Plex's online accounts and servers. Jellyfin is a free, open-source project with no paywalls, no accounts, and no telemetry, fully self-hosted and under your control.
On price, Jellyfin is completely free forever, while Plex is free to start with a Plex Pass subscription (recently restructured, with the lifetime option rising sharply in 2026). The decision is mostly polish and convenience (Plex) versus freedom, privacy, and zero cost (Jellyfin), at the price of more setup.
We compare polish and ease, price, features, privacy, and device support.
| Quick facts | Plex | Jellyfin |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free / Plex Pass (paid) | Free (open-source) |
| Ease of setup | Easy | More hands-on |
| App polish | Best-in-class | Good |
| Privacy / no accounts | Requires Plex account | Fully self-hosted |
| Best for | Convenience | Freedom + privacy |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | P Plex | J Jellyfin |
|---|---|---|
| Apps on most devices | Best-in-class | Good |
| Completely free | No | Yes |
| Hardware transcoding | Plex Pass | Free |
| No account / telemetry | No | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Live TV / DVR | Plex Pass | Plugin |
| Easy setup | Yes | Moderate |
| Mobile downloads | Plex Pass | Free |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-22.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Plex is more polished and easier, but it gates key features behind Plex Pass and relies on Plex's accounts and servers.
Jellyfin is free and private with everything unlocked, but it takes more effort to set up and maintain.
Plex Pass pricing changed in 2026, with the lifetime option rising sharply, which has pushed some power users toward Jellyfin.
The average person juggles a dozen subscriptions and forgets at least one. Subkept is a privacy-first subscription tracker: add Plex, Jellyfin, and everything else, then get renewal reminders, price-hike alerts, and a clear monthly total, with no bank connection, ever. Free for up to 5 subscriptions, no time limit.
See how the price has moved