Plex
Plex orginally was a Media Server that made it possible to stream your personal media remotely. While it still provides that service, it has evolved, for better or worse, into a streaming platform of its own. Something akin to NetFlix or Hulu with native ad supported offerings.
If you have a collection of media, Plex enables you to stream all that stuff from a computer or server onto your TV or smartphone. And while you can use Plex for free, a lot of its best features, especially media server related features, require a paid subscription to Plex Pass.
On a personal note, I don't really like "sharing" my media server user interface (UI) with content from another source, even if it is Plex itself. Granted Plex as a media server is excellent, but there are a number of issues starting to pile up since they decided to become a streaming platform themselves.
There are a number of pros and cons for Plex as it is today. Here is my list:
| Plex Pros |
Plex Cons |
| Supports a wide variety of server and client platforms and devices. |
Extremely limited UI customization. User interfaces can vary greatly from one platform to another. |
| Hardware transcoding is excellent |
No ability to access your media locally from your Plex server if your Internet is down (DLNA is possible but not practical) |
| Efficient use and decent monitoring of device resources |
No support for eBooks or audio books |
| Loads of community support |
Most of the popular features, such as hardware transcoding, downloads, mobile sync, DVR recording, music lyrics, skipping intros and credits, custom sharing restrictions and bandwidth and transcoding limits require a paid subscription or a lifetime membership. |
| Supports Live TV and DVR options (we are talking locally, not Plex's own offerings) |
Android and IOS mobile apps require a fee |
| Very good database management and backup options |
No ability to grant friends access to your local Live TV unless you make them part of your Home account (which lists them with your home users every time you login) |
| Regular updates and patches |
No ability to change the name of user accounts to human friendly name. You get a truncated version of their email address as a username. (If you use Tautulli you can change it there but it won't show up in Plex that way) |
| No ability to "push" the menu (custom UI) you want your users to see on their devices. |
|
| New libraries on your Plex server show up at the bottom of your user's menus. Requiring them to re-pin and change the order of their menus anytime there's a library addition or change. |
After paying for a Plex Pass lifetime subscription years ago, I find I don't really care for the direction Plex has taken. With little or no say in how my media server is used by Plex, I am actively seeking a replacement. So far, JellyFin is in the lead as a replacement for Plex.
With that said, if you want an alternative or supplemental streaming service, Plex has an attractive list of free offerings. However, if you want a Home Theater media server or a media server you can completely control and share your libraries with friends and family, you may want to look elsewhere.