Emby vs Plex for Music: Which Should You Self-Host?
Quick Verdict
Plex wins for music — specifically because of Plexamp. Plexamp is a dedicated, beautifully designed music client with sonic analysis, crossfade, gapless playback, and offline mode. Emby’s music experience is functional but secondary to video. Both require paid subscriptions for the best features, but Plexamp justifies Plex Pass more than Emby Premiere justifies its cost for music alone.
Overview
Emby is a proprietary media server that handles video, music, photos, and live TV. Its music support is solid — browse by artist, album, genre; create playlists; stream to Emby clients. Advanced features like hardware-accelerated transcoding and smart playlists require Emby Premiere ($5/month or $119 lifetime).
Plex is a proprietary media server with similar scope but a different approach to music. Alongside the standard Plex music player, Plex offers Plexamp — a dedicated, standalone music app that rivals commercial streaming services in design and features. Plexamp requires Plex Pass ($5/month, $40/year, or $120 lifetime).
Both servers started as Emby (then called “Media Browser”) before the Plex/Emby split. Their architectures differ but their general media server capabilities overlap significantly.
Feature Comparison (Music Only)
| Feature | Emby | Plex (with Plexamp) |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated music app | No (uses general Emby app) | Yes (Plexamp) |
| Web player | General-purpose UI | Plexamp web + standard Plex |
| Gapless playback | Client-dependent | Yes (Plexamp) |
| Crossfade | No | Yes (Plexamp) |
| Loudness normalization | Basic | Yes (server-side analysis) |
| Sonic analysis | No | Yes (Sonic Sage — tempo, mood) |
| Smart playlists | Yes (Premiere) | Yes (Plex Pass) |
| Lyrics | Yes | Yes (synced lyrics in Plexamp) |
| Last.fm scrobbling | Via plugin | Via plugin |
| Offline downloads | Yes (Premiere) | Yes (Plexamp, Plex Pass) |
| Internet radio | No | No |
| Multi-user | Yes | Yes |
| Subsonic API | No | No |
| Mobile app quality (music) | Adequate | Excellent (Plexamp) |
| Desktop app (music) | Emby Theater (discontinued) | Plexamp desktop |
| Hardware transcoding | Yes (Premiere) | Yes (Plex Pass) |
| DLNA | Yes | Yes |
| RAM (idle) | 300-500 MB | 300-600 MB |
| Paid tier cost | $5/mo or $119 lifetime | $5/mo, $40/yr, or $120 lifetime |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
Installation Complexity
Both are single-container deployments with similar setup processes.
Emby: Deploy the container, run the setup wizard, add music libraries. Music-specific configuration is minimal — point it at your music folder and it starts scanning. Environment variables use UID/GID/GIDLIST (not the LSIO PUID/PGID convention).
Plex: Deploy the container, claim the server with a plex.tv token (expires in 4 minutes — grab it fast), run the setup wizard. Adding a music library is straightforward. For Plexamp, install the separate app on your phone/desktop and log in with your Plex account.
Plex has a slightly higher setup friction due to the external account requirement and claim token, but neither is difficult.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Metric | Emby | Plex |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | 300-500 MB | 300-600 MB |
| RAM (music streaming) | 350-600 MB | 400-700 MB |
| CPU (music playback) | Low | Low |
| CPU (library analysis) | Moderate | High (Sonic Sage analysis) |
| Disk (application) | ~500 MB | ~1 GB |
Plex uses slightly more resources because Sonic Sage runs background analysis on your music library — calculating tempo, key, mood, and sonic characteristics. This is a one-time cost per track that enables Plexamp’s smart features, but it adds CPU load during initial library setup.
For ongoing music playback, both are lightweight. Neither needs transcoding for music in common formats (FLAC, MP3, AAC) to most clients.
Community and Support
Emby has a community forum and Reddit presence. Support quality is okay — Premiere subscribers get priority. Being proprietary and smaller than Plex means fewer community resources, guides, and plugins.
Plex has a massive community — one of the largest in self-hosted media. Extensive forums, subreddits, and third-party guides. However, Plex the company has drawn criticism for adding ad-supported streaming, requiring external authentication, and collecting usage data.
For music specifically, Plexamp has a dedicated community of enthusiasts. Emby doesn’t have a music-specific community.
Use Cases
Choose Emby If…
- You already use Emby for video and want music in the same ecosystem
- You prefer a single app for all media types
- You don’t need a dedicated music experience
- You want DLNA support for casting to older devices
- You want slightly lower resource usage
Choose Plex (with Plexamp) If…
- Music quality and experience matter to you
- You want a dedicated, polished music app (Plexamp)
- Sonic analysis and mood-based playlists appeal to you
- You want gapless playback and crossfade
- You’re willing to pay for Plex Pass
- Desktop music playback is important (Plexamp desktop app)
Final Verdict
For music, Plex with Plexamp is the clear winner. Plexamp is what separates these two — it’s a purpose-built music experience that makes your self-hosted library feel like a commercial streaming service. Emby treats music as a secondary feature alongside video.
That said, neither Emby nor Plex is the best choice if music is your primary need. Navidrome is lighter, free, and gives you access to 50+ Subsonic-compatible music apps. Consider Navidrome for music and keep Emby or Plex for video.
If you’re choosing between Emby and Plex as an all-in-one media server and music is a factor — Plex wins this comparison thanks to Plexamp.
FAQ
Is Plexamp worth the Plex Pass cost just for music?
If music is important to you, yes. Plexamp’s sonic analysis, crossfade, and offline mode create an experience that Emby can’t match. At $120 lifetime, it pays for itself within a year compared to a streaming subscription.
Can I use Emby and Plex together?
Technically yes — point both at the same media directory. But managing two media servers adds unnecessary complexity. Pick one for your primary use and consider Navidrome as a dedicated music complement.
Which has better mobile music apps?
Plex, definitively. Plexamp on iOS and Android is purpose-built for music. Emby’s mobile app handles music but it’s designed primarily for video browsing.
What about Jellyfin?
Jellyfin is the free, open-source alternative to both Emby and Plex. Its music experience is between Emby and Plex — better than Emby (Finamp is a decent dedicated music app) but not as polished as Plexamp. See our Jellyfin vs Plex vs Emby comparison.
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