Running your own home media server isn’t new. For years, people have installed their media server software of choice and streamed movies and TV shows to devices both inside and outside their homes. For most, that media server software was Plex. But it’s far from the only option. And it isn’t the best option either.

Jellyfin isn’t a newcomer to the media server scene, but it’s improved considerably in recent years. Now, it’s the best media server software for most people, and it isn’t even close.

No subscriptions, no paywalls

Only media

At its core, Plex is still excellent at taking a media file and making it available to play on another device on your network. But it has a problem that’s only gotten worse of late: its monetization strategy.

Plex advertises a free tier, which may be enough for some people. But it still hides essential features behind its Plex Pass subscription, and those features can cost hundreds of dollars. Features like hardware transcoding are locked behind the Plex Pass paywall, as are remote access and offline downloads.

By contrast, Jellyfin is an open-source fork of the popular Emby, and it works the way you might expect: it’s your server, and you can do what you want with it. That means that there is no paywall, and all of the features that make a home media server so great are available right out of the gate and for free.

In a world where subscription creep is very real, avoiding another monthly expense is always a good idea. Jellyfin makes that possible.

Feature parity where it matters

Differences where they matter, too

You might think that because Jellyfin is free, it offers a subpar experience, but that just isn’t the case. It’s a common myth that choosing open-source software means missing out on important features or putting up with terrible interfaces. Jellyfin proves that doesn’t have to be true, and it’s packed with important features.

Jellyfin automatically scrapes metadata for your media, including poster artwork, actor profiles, and more, from databases like TheMovieDB and TheTVDB, so you know it’s pulling in great information. It also offers apps for all major devices and operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, iOS, and WebOS. There is also a lively community of third-party apps that can sign in to your Jellyfin server, too. Infuse is a personal favorite, and it even works with Plex servers as well.

But it isn’t just what Jellyfin does that makes it a great experience. It’s also what it doesn’t do. Open a Plex dashboard, and you’ll be bombarded by different types of media, not all of it from your server. The crowded interface includes ad-supported FAST channels, storefronts, newsfeeds, and promotions. That’s a lot when all you want is to watch media that’s safe and sound on your own server, ready to go.

Jellyfin, by contrast, offers a clean, distraction-free experience. You see your media and your media alone. Just choose what you want to watch and kick back.

Local, self-hosted

A fully contained server

While both Plex and Jellyfin run on your own home server, that isn’t the full story. The former relies on cloud infrastructure for user authentication, for example. Every time you or a family member logs into a Plex app, it uses Plex’s servers to authenticate. If those servers — or your home internet — are down, you can’t sign in. And yes, that’s happened before. Plex also tracks viewing telemetry and other system analytics by default.

As you’ve probably already guessed, there’s none of that with Jellyfin. It stays on your server. Jellyfin doesn’t collect server telemetry or user data, and your media will always be available as long as your server is. No internet connection is required.

Jellyfin’s open-source status also means it has built a huge community of users and developers. It has a plugin marketplace you can use to add functionality or change how Jellyfin looks with custom skins.

Plex is great, but Jellyfin is better

It’s no contest

Plex is one of those companies whose name has become the descriptor for a whole category. Like, to some, all tissues are Kleenex and all adhesive bandages are Band-Aids; Plex is the name people think of when you say “media server.” But don’t let that sway you.

Jellyfin offers all the most important features Plex boasts, plus some it doesn’t. Importantly, it does it absolutely for free, giving you full control of your media server and how it works. Many people who use their own media server do it to take back control of their media-enjoying experience. Only one of these two server software options lets you do that. You can download it for free right now.