These 4 overlooked Plex companion apps do what the official app refuses to

Published Aug 22, 2026, 12:00 PM 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. Plex is the ideal starting point for anyone who wants to build their own media server with minimal setup. But it isn't perfect. Some features you might want are missing, while others are locked behind a paywall. I use a few companion apps to add these features and upgrade my Plex experience in the process. Tautulli Gives you the server stats Plex leaves out Tautulli is one of the most popular companion apps among Plex enthusiasts, but its nerdiness means it isn't quite as well known beyond that. The app gives you a clear picture of what's happening on your Plex server, showing you stats that go further than what you can get through Plex's own tools. Among the many things you get, you can see a comprehensive viewing history, including user activity showing what people are watching and how often, playback info, data on bandwidth usage, server analytics, and a whole lot more. It's all displayed visually, which makes it easy to digest. There are numerous advanced features. I like being able to export library data, for instance, and you can even send newsletters to your users. If you've added some new content to your library, you can tell them about it. The app works on the desktop but is also available for Android and iOS, letting you monitor your server remotely. Plezy Gives you features Plex locks behind a paywall Plezy is my favorite alternative to the official Plex app. It's available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, plus Fire TV, iOS, and Android. It's open source, and the desktop versions are free. This lets you get a good feel for the app before getting the app store versions (which require a small one-off fee). Plezy delivers a full Plex-like experience but adds a number of extra features that are paywalled or missing from Plex. This includes offline downloads and the much-missed Watch Together feature. You also get intro and credit skipping thrown in for free. On top of that, there are plenty of nice-to-haves, such as variable speed playback and broader codec support, that can cut down on the amount of transcoding your server needs to do. The app looks great and delivers a consistent vibe across all of its platforms. You can use it with Jellyfin as well, if you run both of them. Infuse Combine local files with your Plex library If you're an Apple user and don't think Plex looks quite enough like an Apple app, switch to Infuse instead. It's a beautiful high-end video player that runs on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and even Vision devices. What's particularly enjoyable about Infuse is that it combines all of your media together in one place. It's primarily an offline video player designed to work with your local files, but you can also connect it to media servers like Plex or Jellyfin and see all of your content through the same interface. Obviously, it won't make your local files accessible on other devices, but if you've got videos on your iPhone or Mac that aren't part of your Plex library, this is far more convenient than having to juggle apps and remember where your files are. That's not its only benefit, though. Infuse uses its own playback engine and can handle a wider range of video, audio, and subtitle formats, which can often cut back on transcoding. Plus, you get a full range of video features, including subtitle controls, chapter support, multiple audio tracks, and so on. QuasiTV Make your Plex library look like live TV One of the most common complaints about streaming services is that it can often be difficult to find something to watch. I have the same problem with my Plex library. If I'm not looking for something specific, I'll find myself endlessly scrolling through thumbnails, unable to pick anything. QuasiTV is a novel solution to this problem. It turns your Plex library into a TV listings guide. Movies and shows are available on a set schedule, meaning you don't have to choose what to watch. It's great for those times when you can't decide, and it's ideal for binging episodes of your favorite shows at random. The app is free and works on Android TV and Fire TV. You have to create channels and add content to them manually, which takes a little time at first. But it's fairly easy and well worth it in the long run. Once it's set up, you can start channel surfing just like the old days. If you have other devices, there are similar paid options with more automated setup, including the excellent Coax for Apple devices and Nostalgia TV for Android. Third-party apps power up Plex Plex is extremely capable as it is, but using a few extra apps can enable you to overcome any limitations you think it has. It might not have the sheer range and breadth of apps and plugins as Jellyfin, but the ones you can install are genuinely useful. They unlock better statistics, improved video playback, or an entirely different way to watch your library.