I run Plex and Jellyfin side by side to dodge the paywall—here's exactly why

Published Aug 25, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT Andy is a senior writer and former Mac editor at HTG. He has over 20 years experience as a consumer tech journalist, and has covered everything from the old Palm Pilots to the original iPhone and Android devices, to the latest gadgets. He has written and edited for UK-based print publications like PDA Essentials and Android Magazine, and online at sites including MUO, Android Tips and Hacks, broadband.co.uk, and Envato. He has a passion for all things mobile and has been a keen Mac enthusiast since 2005. If you're looking to set up a media server for your movie and TV library, Plex and Jellyfin are the two obvious choices, but I avoided choosing at all by running both together. It means I get a very powerful media server setup, and it doesn't cost me anything. Both apps use the same library I don't need two copies of everything When I first wanted to move away from using local files for my media library and use my own media server instead, I started with Plex like most people. Over time, I installed Jellyfin to see what the hype was about, and I ended up running both of them side-by-side almost by accident. It might sound redundant to have two apps that do the same thing, but it isn't. They have different strengths and complement each other pretty well. There's also a relatively low overhead in doing it. I don't need two copies of the same files. I just point the apps at the same folder of files, and they use those with their own databases and metadata. It gives me the best of both worlds. Plex has the better UI and is easier to use It's a lot less hands-on for most things For my day-to-day use, I usually reach for Plex. It's got a much nicer UI, and even though I'm comfortable with Jellyfin, I still find it easier to use. It's a lot less hands-on. If I just want to switch on and watch something, Plex is the one I go for. ​​​​​​​ Many people don't like the extras that come with Plex these days, such as recommending content that isn't part of your library. I'm not overly keen on it either, but I don't mind it. And I find that it brings a lot of the familiarity of streaming services, which I'm quite happy with. I also like that Plex apps are available pretty much everywhere, and the TV apps in particular tend to be more polished. It's also familiar to other people, which makes it more accessible. Although it lacks some of the features that Jellyfin has, you can avoid paying in some cases by using an app like Plezy. However, that simply adds another complication that takes you away from the "it just works" ethos. But Jellyfin gives me more for free Advanced features without the paywall That paywall is the reason why I use Jellyfin as well. Jellyfin gives me all the features I care about, without having to pay. The trade-off is time versus money. You pay for convenience with Plex, but if you're happy to get your hands dirty, you don't need to. The main feature I use that Jellyfin has for free is to be able to download files for offline viewing. It's such a simple feature that it doesn't feel worth paying for, even though I use it all the time. There's intro skipping, too, which is another small feature that's easy to take for granted. It's part of Plex Pass, but I use a free plugin to get it on Jellyfin. Hardware acceleration is another plus for Jellyfin. I like to keep my library pretty well optimized so that it works without needing to fall back on transcoding too often. But it's good to know that the option is there when I do need it. The other established features are also important. I rarely need remote access myself, but I have a few people who can access my library, so being able to set it up for them without paying is definitely a bonus. It's annoying to configure at first, but once you've made it work, it works pretty well. Getting the best of both worlds Why I use both apps So when do I use the two apps? For me, Plex is for quick day-to-day watching, sharing with others, and general hassle-free use. For anyone accessing my library on my network, Plex is where I send them. Jellyfin is for downloading and offline viewing and for hardware-accelerated transcoding if I do have any more obscure or difficult files. It's also for remote access. Plus, I like experimenting with its various features and plugins and testing out some of its third-party clients. Some of them are much nicer than the official Jellyfin clients. I also figure that at some point I will make a choice between Plex and Jellyfin. Having used them extensively, I'll be in a better position to make that choice when the time comes. In truth, I'm likely to choose Jellyfin in the long term. As much as I enjoy Plex, the company has made some dodgy decisions in recent years, locking features behind a paywall and increasing prices, which makes me lean increasingly towards the free and open source option. But for now, I'll keep them both running together.