Jellyfin is better on paper, but Plex still wins where it actually matters

Published Jul 29, 2026, 10:46 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. In a straight comparison between Jellyfin and Plex, there's one clear winner. Jellyfin is open source, totally free with no premium tier, has no account requirement, and has almost everything Plex users need, along with greater customization. For the average person, the day-to-day experience is what really matters, putting Plex above Jellyfin. It's more accessible to the average user Install it. Use it. Done. Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek Plex and Jellyfin both have decent setup wizards. Jellyfin has improved a lot in this regard over the years and even has an advantage in Quick Connect, which allows users to sign in without creating an account. But in general terms, Plex remains more accessible to the typical non-tech user. The UI on both the Plex server and the client apps feels like parts of the same product. The apps deliver a more consistent experience regardless of the device you're using them on, and they're available on pretty much everything, including consoles and a wide range of smart TVs. And for more advanced things like being able to access your library outside your home network, Plex leaps ahead. Yes, you have to pay for remote streaming, unlike on Jellyfin, but if UPnP is enabled on your router, then the setup is almost automatic. Just log in, and your server is right there. By contrast, Jellyfin requires more networking knowledge for remote access. The client quality also varies considerably. The official client is fine, but you'll get a more polished experience and, in some cases, better features with third-party clients, at the cost of them often looking completely different. In general terms, there are more settings to understand in Jellyfin before you get everything working perfectly. And you're more likely to find yourself searching forums or GitHub issues to solve any problems you encounter. UniFi Dream Router 7 Brand Unifi Range 1,750 square feet The Unifi Dream Router 7 is a full-fledged network appliance offering NVR capabilities, fully managed switching,a built-in firewall, VLANs, and more. With four 2.5G Ethernet ports (one with PoE+) and a 10G SFP+ port, the Unifi Dream Router 7 also features dual WAN capabilities should you have two ISP connections. It includes a 64GB microSD card for IP camera storage, but can be upgraded for more storage if needed. With Wi-Fi 7, you'll be able to reach up to a theoretical 5.7 Gbps network speed when using the 10G SFP+ port, or 2.5 Gbps when using Ethernet. And you spend less time managing it Jellyfin needs a lot more housekeeping Once you've got Plex set up, you'll spend less time managing your library or your server. You won't be doing it constantly on Jellyfin—once it's working, it's normally pretty solid—but the housekeeping required does add up over time. For example, metadata matching is usually more reliable on Plex, features like intro skipping are built in for Plex Pass subscribers, and transcoding requires less experimentation. None of these things are especially difficult in Jellyfin, but they often rely on manual tweaks or plugins to get working. None of this is to say that Jellyfin is unreliable, but it still rewards people who enjoy tinkering with their software. Plex, on the other hand, as a mainstream, commercial product, hides all the technicalities and takes care of them for you. If something does go wrong, there's usually a straightforward fix, or at least an official support article or a mature knowledge base to refer to. Jellyfin has a very active community, and you can find support from a lot of places, but solutions are often more scattered across GitHub, Reddit threads, forum posts, or Discord discussions. Plex’s ecosystem is simply more polished Everything works together One of Plex's biggest strengths is that it has excellent apps for virtually every platform. Features arrive across your clients fairly consistently, and it makes it much more accessible for less technical family members. You can get Jellyfin up and running on most platforms, with some notable exceptions like the PS5, but you'll often need third-party clients to do it, which can differ significantly from the official clients. Because access is tied to a Plex account, it's a lot simpler for a new person to access your library, especially if they're not part of your home network. And there's a lot to be said for the way the apps look. They resemble the kind of streaming service that all of your users will instantly recognize. It comes with downsides as well, since Plex has amassed a certain amount of bloat, including recommending content that isn't even part of your library. It's one of the reasons why some people move to Jellyfin. But it's difficult to deny that the design familiarity is a plus for Plex.​​​​​​​ Yet don't write off Jellyfin It's still better in many ways Credit: Andy Betts / How-To Geek This doesn't change the fact that Jellyfin still outweighs Plex in so many ways. The differences between the two are often reduced down to free versus paid. The cost is a big part of the Jellyfin appeal. You don't have to pay a subscription fee, and genuinely useful features are not locked behind a paywall. Remote streaming, watching together, intro skipping, and countless other things are all part of the free Jellyfin experience. Being open source is another benefit. As it relies on user accounts and cloud services, Plex collects a lot of data about how you use it, including your location, what you watch, who you interact with, and more. Jellyfin doesn't track you in this way at all. It also has less bloat, and many people are not happy with the direction Plex is heading. On paper, Jellyfin is the stronger product. It's more open, more private, more customizable, and completely free. But software is more than just a feature list. If your priority is simply installing a media server that works reliably across all your devices with minimal effort, Plex still delivers the smoother experience. Plex Brand Plex Free trial Free version available