The Most Popular Media Servers
The Most Popular Open-Source Media Servers 2023
The most popular open-source media servers of 2023 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, usuallyserver remotely. - 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.
- TV / Movie Libraries - This indicates if the server supports TV and/or Movie libraries typically with metadata support.
- Music / Photo Libraries - This indicates if the server supports Music and/or Photo libraries.
- 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 |
TV / Movie Libraries |
Music / Libraries |
Live TV / DVR |
Subscription1 |
| 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 |
Yes1 |
No2 |
Yes / Yes |
Yes / Yes |
Yes / Yes1
|
Free / Paid
|
| JellyFin |
Free |
|||||||
| Kodi |
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi |
Self
|
Free |
|||||
| Emby |
Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, NAS | Free / Paid |
||||||
| Media Portal |
Windows |
Self |
Free |
|||||
| Universal Media Server |
Windows, macOS, Linux |
|
Free |
|||||
| OSMC |
Free |
|||||||