In this technology world, there are several media server software available in the market. In the list, Jellyfin and Plex are the most popular ones. Both Jellyfin and Plex are great media servers that can be used to organize files, photos, and other documents. If you are new to media servers, then you might be confused about what to choose and what to leave. To help you better, this article will show the features, price, user experience, and pros & cons of Jellyfin and Plex. Let’s dig deeper into Jellyfin vs. Plex.
What is Jellyfin?
Jellyfin is a free media service that allows you to collect, manage, and stream media files. It is an open-source software where you can store all the media files such as video, audio, photos, and other documents. Further, you can save your favorite movies with a beautiful collection of posters and organize the TV shows by season automatically. Jellyfin is compatible with Andriod, iOS, Roku, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV.
What is Plex?
Plex is a digital media player that allows you to host your local files from one device using the Plex server and stream them on Plex-compatible devices. It is a universal tool that includes more than 50,000 free on-demand titles and 250+ live TV channels. In Plex, you can scan and organize files in the Plex library. It works perfectly with Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromecast, and smartphones.
Head Start
| Aspects | Jellyfin | Plex |
| Installation Process | Easy to Install | Easy to install |
| Supported Devices | Almost all smart devices | Devices that are connected to the internet |
| User Experience | Good User interface | Intuitive user interface |
| Live TV & DVR | Yes | Yes (Requires subscription) |
| Price | Free | Freemium- $4.99/month, $39.99/year and $119.99/lifetime |
| Library Sharing | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| Customization | Flexible | Flexible (limited) |
| Free online content | No | Yes |
| Plug-ins and Add-ons | Yes | No |
| Virtual Reality Support | No | Yes |
| Offline Viewing | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| Transcoding | Yes | Yes |
| Customer Support | No | Yes |
Features – Jellyfin VS Plex
Jellyfin
- SyncPlay Support: With this feature, you can easily get connected with your friends z& family and stream different categories of content like movies, TV shows, or music at the same time.
- Plug-in Support: In Jellyfin, you can download third-party plug-ins like Open subtitles or Trakt.
- Media Transcoding: The Jellyfin will automatically adjust your media file based on your internet speed.
- PDF and Comics Reader functionality: Jellyfin supports ebooks. So, apart from watching movies and TV shows, you can also read.
Plex
- Plex allows you to share your media library or give access to your friends or family easily without using cloud services.
- It offers a huge library collection of free movies and TV shows.
- Using one server, you and your friends can enjoy the same movies or TV shows from different locations. The content is synchronized to give the best experience.
- It comes with the Plex Dash Tool, through which you can monitor or track your server logs and graphs for the network.
Setup / Installation
Jellyfin
The initial step to install Jellyfin is by visiting the official Jellyfin website. There, you will get two options Stable and Unstable versions. If you are new to the media server, then you can opt for the Stable option. Once you select the option, the software will begin to download. It may take a few minutes based on your internet speed. After installing the app, just open the app and set up your server. To complete the setup process, you also need to download the Client app on your respective device from the respective app store or by visiting the website.
Plex
Installing Plex is quite simple and straightforward. All you need to do is, download the Plex to your device from the respective app stores. After installing, follow the on-screen prompt and add your media folder to it. You can find the Plex app on the device’s app store or can access it directly from the website too.
User Experience
Jellyfin
The first and the best thing is that Jellyfin is completely free to use, so the users need not worry about both the subscription charges or cancel the subscription. Apart from that, Jellyfin provides simple and clear instructions to create the folder for each category and a sub folder for each file as it uses the tools like TMDB and TVDB. However, it has some issues in reading embedded meta tags. In the end, the Jellyfin comes with a great user experience when you use the stable version of the software.
Plex
Of course, Plex is extremely great in its intuitive interface and easy to use. You get 43 supported languages, so the users can use the app without any language barriers. Moreover, you can even turn your smartphone to the remote and the transcoding makes the user experience smoother and stress-free. But, the Plex is not suitable for advanced users and most of the features require the Plex Pass subscription.
Customer Support
Customer support is the main thing that the software or app needs. Here, let’s see which gives the best and most timely customer support.
Jellyfin
There is no customer support or help center for Jellyfin. The only way to resolve the issue is through Discord and the Matrix network. Additionally, they have online platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Telegram. This is considered to be a great disadvantage for Jellyfin.
Plex
Plex has a larger community and has official customer support. You can reach the Plex help team through the website and this is the only way to contact them. There is no contact number or email address.
Pricing – Jellyfin VS Plex
Jellyfin
Jellyfin is completely free to download and use. Even though it is free, you still get tons of amazing features like local and remote sharing, Live TV & DVR, Library sharing, and Third-party plug-ins.
Plex
Plex is also available for free with limited content. However, to enjoy the full feature, you need to subscribe to a Plex Plus subscription. Plex offers three different subscription plans, which include a Monthly plan for $4.99, an Annual plan for $39.99, and Lifetime Plan for $119.99, in which you get DVR and parental control. In Plex, you can even play up to 27 classic games and it costs $5 per month, but for Plex Pass subscribers, it charges $3 per month.
Which is Better: Jellyfin VS. Plex
Both Jellyfin and Plex is the best and great media server. When you are looking for free, then Jellyfin is the best. However, if you are ready to pay extra to get advanced features like game streaming and virtual reality, then Plex is best.
FAQs
Yes. Jellyfin is available in both Play Store and App Store.
The basic features are available for free. To use the advanced feature, you need to subscribe to their Plex pass subscription.
No, you can connect a Jellyfin server to Plex or vice versa.