The Most Popular Media Servers

The Most Popular Open-Source Media Servers 
 The most popular open-source media servers are: 
 
 Plex 
 Jellyfin 
 Kodi 
 Emby 
 MediaPortal 
 Universal Media Server 
 OSMC 
 
 A Feature Comparison 
 The media server features we will compare are: 
 
 Server Platforms - The device type(s) where you can install the media server software. The server platform can also be its own client as with a Home Theater server. The server platforms are different than the client platforms. 
 Client Platforms - The device(s) that can access your media server remotely. In some cases, there is no separate client application. The server software itself must be installed on any device you wish to access your media library. In this case the client platform will be "self". 
 Hardware Transcoding - This indicates if the media server supports hardware transcoding. Transcoding is a process media servers use to convert a video or audio file into a different format so it can be accessible to a wide range of devices. Software transcoding is CPU intensive so to offload the transcoding process to a dedicated piece of hardware with its own CPU is preferable for best performance. 
 Local Access without Internet - Some media server software requires you to setup an account with the developer. In some cases, you have to sign-in using your account to access your media server libraries even if the server is local.  
 Music / Sync  - This indicates if the server supports a music library and/or the ability to download or sync content. 
 Photo / eBooks - This indicates if the server supports photo libraries and/or an electronic book library. 
 Live TV / DVR - This indicates if the server integrates Live TV  and/or has DVR functionality. Usually via an over-the-air (OTA) or cable peripheral tuner card for the media server or a network OTA/cable appliance such as a HD Homerun . 
 
 
 
 
 
 Media Server 
 Server Platforms 
 Client Platforms 
 Hardware Transcoding 
 Local Access without Internet 
 
 Music / Sync 
 
 
 Photo / eBooks 
 
 Live TV / DVR 
 
   
 Subscription 
 
 
 
 Plex 
 
 Linux, Windows, Docker, NAS, Nvidia Shield, 
 Western Digital My Passport Wireless Pro, 
 NETGEAR X10 router 
 
 
 Android, IOS, Web, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, 
 Android TV, 
 Chromecast,LG, 
 Samsung, 
 VIDAA, 
 Vizio, 
 and Hisense 
 Smart TVs 
 
 Yes 1 
 No 2 
 Yes / Yes 
 Yes / No 
 
 Yes / Yes 1 
   
 
 
 Free / Paid 
   
 
 
 
 JellyFin 
 Linux, Windows, MacOS, Docker 
 Android, IOS, Android TV, Roku, Apple TV, WebOS (LG Smart TVs) 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes / Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Free 
 
 
 Kodi 
 Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi 
 self 
 No 
 Yes 
 Yes / No 
 Yes / Yes 3 
 Yes / Yes 
 Free 
 
 
 Emby 
 Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, NAS 
 
 PC or mobile browser has full playback capability. 
 
   
 The following clients are supported with a paid subscription:Windows, Linux, MacOS, IOS, Android, Fire TV, Android TV, Roku, Apple TV, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, XBox, PS4 
 
 Yes 1 
 Yes 
 Yes / Yes 1 
 Yes / Yes 
 Yes 1 / Yes 1 
 Free / Paid 
 
 
 Media Portal 
 Windows 
  Self, Android, IOS 
 Yes 3 
 Yes 
 Yes / No 
 Yes / No 
 Yes / Yes 
 Free 
 
 
 Universal Media Server 
 
 Windows, macOS, Linux, 
 Docker 
 
 
 It is able to stream videos, audio and images to any DLNA-capable device 
 
 Yes 
 Yes 
 Yes / No 
 Yes / No 
 No / No 
 Free 
 
 
 OSMC 
 
 Windows, MacOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi, and Vero (OSMC's flagship appliance) 
 OSMC did support Apple TV but it will no longer received any updates as it has been deprecated. 
 
 self 
 No 
 Yes 
 Yes / No 
 Yes / No 
 No / No 
 Free 
 
 
 
 1  A paid subscription is required for this feature 
 2  Local access to your Plex server without Internet is possible by activating the internal DLNA server. This must be done while you have Internet access as it requires you to sign-in to your account to change the configuration. You won't be accessing your Plex server via the standard UI however. You will need to have a DLNA client to do that. Roku has a DLNA app in its app store and there are several available for the PC, such as VLC. 
 3 Supports this feature if using an add-on or plug-in