Plex vs Jellyfin: Which Media Server Wins?

Quick Verdict

Jellyfin is the better choice for most self-hosters. It’s fully open source, every feature is free, and hardware transcoding works out of the box without a subscription. Plex still has the edge in mobile app polish and effortless remote access, but its steady march toward locking features behind Plex Pass makes it a worse long-term bet. If you’re reading a site called selfhosting.sh, you probably care about owning your stack — and Jellyfin is the only option here where you actually do.

The Core Tension

Plex and Jellyfin solve the same problem: organize your media library and stream it to any device. But they represent fundamentally different philosophies.

Plex started as a self-hosted media server and has been drifting toward a cloud service for years. It now bundles ad-supported streaming, live TV, and discovery features that have nothing to do with your personal library. The self-hosted server is still there, but it increasingly feels like a sidecar to Plex’s cloud ambitions. Key features like hardware transcoding, offline sync, and skip intro require Plex Pass ($5/month or $120 lifetime).

Jellyfin is a community fork of Emby that went fully open source in 2018. No accounts, no telemetry, no paid tiers, no upsells. Every feature is free. The trade-off is that it’s rougher around the edges — client apps vary in quality, and remote access requires you to set up a reverse proxy or VPN yourself.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Jellyfin 10.10.6	Plex 1.41.x
License	GPLv2 (fully open source)	Proprietary (freemium)
Cost	Free, forever	Free tier + Plex Pass ($5/mo or $120 lifetime)
Hardware transcoding	Free	Plex Pass required
Offline sync	Supported (via apps)	Plex Pass required
Skip intro	Free (plugin)	Plex Pass required
Remote access	Manual (reverse proxy / VPN)	Built-in relay
Web UI	Included	Included
Mobile apps	Free (variable quality)	Free with limits, full unlock via Plex Pass
TV apps	Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, LG, Samsung	Roku, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, LG, Samsung, PS5, Xbox
Live TV / DVR	Free (with tuner)	Plex Pass required
Plugin system	Yes (official repository)	Limited (legacy, being deprecated)
User management	Built-in, no account required	Requires plex.tv account for all users
Telemetry	None	Sends data to Plex servers
Library metadata	Good (multiple providers)	Excellent (Plex’s own agent is best-in-class)
Music support	Good (Navidrome is better)	Good (Plexamp is excellent)
Watch Together	Plugin (SyncPlay)	Built-in
Subtitles	Open Subtitles plugin	Built-in search
GPU acceleration	VAAPI, NVENC, QSV, V4L2	VAAPI, NVENC, QSV (Plex Pass)
Resource usage	Lower idle RAM (~200-400 MB)	Higher idle RAM (~400-800 MB)
Community	Active, growing	Large but frustrated

Docker Compose: Jellyfin

services:
  jellyfin:
    image: jellyfin/jellyfin:10.10.6
    container_name: jellyfin
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8096:8096"        # Web UI (HTTP)
      - "8920:8920"        # Web UI (HTTPS, optional)
      - "7359:7359/udp"    # Client discovery on LAN
      - "1900:1900/udp"    # DLNA (optional)
    environment:
      - JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl=http://your-server-ip:8096  # Change to your server IP or domain
    volumes:
      - jellyfin-config:/config
      - jellyfin-cache:/cache
      - /path/to/media:/media:ro    # Your media library (read-only mount)
    # Uncomment for Intel QSV / VAAPI hardware transcoding:
    # devices:
    #   - /dev/dri:/dev/dri
    # Uncomment for NVIDIA GPU transcoding:
    # runtime: nvidia
    # environment:
    #   - NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all

volumes:
  jellyfin-config:
  jellyfin-cache:

Start it:

docker compose up -d

Open http://your-server-ip:8096 and walk through the setup wizard. No account creation on any external service — everything stays local.

For hardware transcoding, uncomment the relevant devices block for your GPU. Jellyfin supports Intel QSV, AMD VAAPI, and NVIDIA NVENC without any subscription. See our Jellyfin setup guide for the full walkthrough.

Docker Compose: Plex

services:
  plex:
    image: plexinc/pms-docker:1.41.4.9463-630c9f557
    container_name: plex
    restart: unless-stopped
    network_mode: host    # Plex works best with host networking for discovery
    environment:
      - TZ=America/New_York                # Your timezone
      - PLEX_CLAIM=claim-xxxxxxxxxxxx      # Get from https://plex.tv/claim (expires in 4 minutes)
      - PLEX_UID=1000                      # Host user ID that owns media files
      - PLEX_GID=1000                      # Host group ID
    volumes:
      - plex-config:/config
      - /tmp/plex-transcode:/transcode     # Temporary transcode directory
      - /path/to/media:/data:ro            # Your media library (read-only mount)
    # Uncomment for Intel QSV / VAAPI hardware transcoding (requires Plex Pass):
    # devices:
    #   - /dev/dri:/dev/dri
    # Uncomment for NVIDIA GPU transcoding (requires Plex Pass):
    # runtime: nvidia
    # environment:
    #   - NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all

volumes:
  plex-config:

Start it:

docker compose up -d

Open http://your-server-ip:32400/web to finish setup. You’ll need a plex.tv account — there’s no way around this. The PLEX_CLAIM token links your server to your account and expires 4 minutes after generation, so grab it right before running docker compose up.

Note the network_mode: host — Plex’s device discovery and DLNA work best this way. If you need bridge networking, you’ll have to manually map about a dozen ports. See our Plex setup guide for details.

If you need basics on Compose file structure, check Docker Compose Basics.

Transcoding

This is where the choice gets easy for most people.

Jellyfin gives you hardware-accelerated transcoding for free. Enable it in the dashboard under Playback → Transcoding, pick your GPU type (VAAPI, QSV, NVENC), and you’re done. Intel Quick Sync on an N100 mini PC handles multiple 4K-to-1080p transcodes without breaking a sweat. No subscription, no activation key, no strings.

Plex locks hardware transcoding behind Plex Pass. Without it, you’re stuck with software transcoding, which means your CPU is doing all the work. On a low-power box like an N100, software transcoding a single 4K stream will peg the CPU at 100%. You can still use Plex without Plex Pass, but if you ever transcode (and you will — mismatched client codecs guarantee it), the experience is painful.

Jellyfin also supports tonemapping (HDR to SDR conversion) for free on supported hardware. Plex requires Plex Pass for this too.

Client Apps

This is Plex’s strongest advantage, and it’s real.

Plex has polished, native apps on virtually every platform: iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Samsung, LG, PlayStation, Xbox. The experience is consistent, well-designed, and actively maintained. Plexamp (the dedicated music player) is genuinely excellent — one of the best music apps on any platform.

Jellyfin’s client situation is more fragmented. The web UI is solid. The Android app works well. The iOS app (Swiftfin) has improved significantly but still lags behind Plex’s. For TV platforms, Jellyfin has official apps on Roku, Android TV, and Fire TV, plus a third-party app (Infuse) on Apple TV that’s excellent but costs money. The Samsung/LG TV apps exist but are less polished.

If you primarily watch on a web browser, Android device, or Android TV / Fire TV, Jellyfin’s clients are perfectly fine. If you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem or want a single app that works identically on every device, Plex has the edge.

Remote Access

Plex handles remote access automatically. Your server connects to Plex’s relay infrastructure, and you access it from anywhere through the plex.tv web app or any Plex client. It just works. The downside: your traffic routes through Plex’s servers (unless you set up direct connections via port forwarding), and you’re dependent on Plex’s infrastructure being up.

Jellyfin has no built-in remote access. You need to handle it yourself:

• Reverse proxy (Nginx Proxy Manager, Caddy, Traefik) with a domain and SSL — see our reverse proxy guide
• Tailscale or WireGuard for VPN-based access without exposing anything to the internet
• Cloudflare Tunnel for a middle ground — no open ports, Cloudflare handles SSL

This is more work upfront, but you end up with a better setup. Your traffic doesn’t route through a third party, you control the domain, and you’re not dependent on Plex Inc. staying in business.

The Plex Pass Problem

Plex’s free tier used to be generous. Over the years, features have steadily migrated behind the paywall:

• Hardware transcoding → Plex Pass
• Skip intro → Plex Pass
• Offline sync → Plex Pass
• Live TV / DVR → Plex Pass
• Lyrics support → Plex Pass
• Mobile app full quality → Plex Pass (free tier limits to 1 minute of playback without an unlock)

Meanwhile, Plex has added free ad-supported movies and TV shows, live TV channels, and a content discovery feed — features that serve Plex’s advertising business, not your personal library. The server settings page now has more options for Plex’s streaming service than for your own media.

The $120 lifetime Plex Pass is reasonable value if you commit. But the pattern is clear: Plex is a cloud media company that happens to offer a self-hosted server, not a self-hosted media server that happens to have cloud features.

Performance

On identical hardware, Jellyfin uses less RAM at idle and during playback:

Scenario	Jellyfin	Plex
Idle (library scanned)	~200-400 MB	~400-800 MB
1 direct play stream	~300-500 MB	~500-900 MB
1 transcode stream (HW)	~400-700 MB	~600 MB-1.2 GB
Library scan (1000 items)	Moderate CPU spike	Moderate CPU spike

Both run fine on modest hardware. An Intel N100 mini PC with 8 GB RAM handles either one comfortably. But if you’re running other services on the same box, Jellyfin’s lower footprint matters.

Plex’s metadata agent (the system that fetches movie/show information, artwork, and match data) is noticeably better than Jellyfin’s. It matches titles more accurately and pulls higher-quality artwork. Jellyfin uses a combination of TMDb, OMDb, and other providers that works well but occasionally mismatches or pulls lower-resolution images.

Plugins and Extensibility

Jellyfin has a growing plugin ecosystem. Notable plugins:

• Intro Skipper — detects and skips intros (free, unlike Plex)
• Open Subtitles — automatic subtitle downloads
• Jellyseerr — request management (like Overseerr)
• SyncPlay — synchronized playback for watch parties
• LDAP — authentication against an LDAP directory
• Fanart — additional artwork sources

Plugins install from the Jellyfin dashboard in one click. The plugin API is documented and the community actively develops new plugins.

Plex had a plugin system that it deprecated and then effectively killed. The old “Channels” framework still technically works for some plugins, but Plex actively discourages it and has removed the UI for managing plugins in newer clients. The community maintains workarounds (like WebTools-NG and Kitana), but it’s a dying ecosystem.

For extending functionality beyond the core media server, Jellyfin is the clear winner.

Community and Development

Jellyfin is developed by a volunteer community. Development is steady — major releases come every few months with meaningful improvements. The 10.9 and 10.10 releases brought significant client improvements, better hardware transcoding support, and UI refinements. The project is active on GitHub, Matrix, and Reddit. Because it’s GPLv2, the project can’t be bought, relicensed, or locked down.

Plex is developed by Plex Inc., a VC-funded company. Development is faster in some areas (client apps especially), but the direction is increasingly toward Plex’s streaming and advertising business rather than the self-hosted server. The community is large but there’s growing frustration — the Plex subreddit and forums regularly feature complaints about features being locked behind Plex Pass, unwanted content appearing in the UI, and the direction of the product.

For a comparison with Jellyfin’s other competitor, see our Jellyfin vs Emby comparison.

When Plex Still Makes Sense

Be honest — Plex is the better choice if:

• You share with non-technical family members. Plex’s onboarding is smoother, the apps are more intuitive, and remote access works without any configuration on the viewer’s end.
• You’re deep in the Apple ecosystem. Plex’s Apple TV and iOS apps are best-in-class. Jellyfin works on Apple platforms (via Swiftfin and Infuse), but the experience isn’t as seamless.
• You want Plexamp. There’s no Jellyfin equivalent that matches Plexamp’s music experience. Finamp (Jellyfin’s music app) is improving but not there yet.
• You already own a lifetime Plex Pass. The sunk cost is real. If you paid $120 and everything works, switching costs time for minimal gain.

Final Verdict

Jellyfin wins for most self-hosters. The calculus is straightforward:

• Free hardware transcoding vs. $120+ for the same feature
• No telemetry vs. data sent to Plex servers
• No account required vs. mandatory plex.tv account for every user
• Growing open-source project vs. company drifting away from self-hosting
• Full plugin ecosystem vs. deprecated plugin system

Plex’s polished clients and effortless remote access are genuine advantages, but they’re not enough to overcome the fundamental issue: Plex is a company that increasingly treats your self-hosted server as a secondary feature. Jellyfin treats it as the entire point.

Start with Jellyfin. If you specifically need Plex’s client polish or family sharing ease, it’s still a solid option — just buy the lifetime Plex Pass rather than paying monthly.

For a full ranking of all self-hosted media servers, see our Best Self-Hosted Media Servers roundup.

Related

• How to Self-Host Jellyfin
• How to Self-Host Plex
• Best Self-Hosted Media Servers
• Jellyfin vs Emby
• Docker Compose Basics
• Reverse Proxy Setup