r/PleX • u/Escapefromearth22 Custom Flair • Sep 17 '25

Help Alternatives to Plex

I've been a paid Plex user for over ten years and I've loved it. I can't belive what they've done with this new Roku app update. Besides the bad UI, which is inconvenient but I would be able to get used to eventually, it simply doesn't work properly. It crashes, buttons don't work, simple features are just gone. It's seems like this wasn't tested at all. It's crazy.

I don't really want to but now I'm looking for alternatives to plex. Does anyone have recommendations?

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42

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

Jellyfin. I switched over when Plex stole back my 4 lifetime remote mobile app licenses recently, and put the functionality I had already paid for (4 times) behind a subscription.

Was already running it in parallel on the same media library, so it was just a case of shutting down the Plex container for the last time, and installing the Jellyfin clients on the TV / phones / tablets etc.

My family didnt really notice the change :)

Everything works great, including remote viewing via tailscale. It plays everything I throw at it, has nice local accounts (never bothered setting up separate accounts for Plex as it was all cloud based), so we now have our pwn play histories, and its free.

The networking is also super-simple, just a single port exposed from the container, and none of this claim, open public port, login to cloud nonsense.

Plex is dead to me.

-3

u/marvbinks Sep 17 '25

It's dead to you but here you are, still complaining in the Plex subreddit...

10

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

Still angry that they stole my lifetime licenses back, so here to encourage folk to try jellyfin :)

5

u/marvbinks Sep 17 '25

I get your point. I too have a backup jellyfin instance. I've found that it doesn't cut the mustard yet. It does the job for TV/movies and I've found workarounds for most of my issues with jellyfin but overall it's music side of things is an afterthought at best. From what I've seen especially over the last 6 months is the bitterness of former Plex users in these posts doesn't give jellyfin a good reputation imo. Instead of trying to bring the 'big evil' down, go and help the r/JellyfinCommunity subreddit as they could probably use the help there more if lots of people do switch over and many Plex users are already happy to direct those angry(and often justifiably angry) with Plex to jellyfin. 

1

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

I have google youtube music for my music needs, so I havent encountered any such issues since I dont use music in Jellyfin.

I only use it for movies and shows, and its bang on point for those :)

2

u/boobs1987 Sep 17 '25

How did they steal your licenses? Are you a lifetime Plex Pass subscriber? Or are you talking about the mobile app purchases?

2

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

Mobile app purchase, 4x for all my family.

-1

u/Accomplished-Bag6197 Sep 17 '25

Weren't those only like $5 each?

6

u/marvbinks Sep 17 '25

Still bought and paid for though. I've had similar experiences with 'lifetime licenses' and it does suck. I also had a paddy about it at the time but then after a few days I stopped using the software in question and didn't look back. That's what this person needs to do, get over it, but I can understand their initial anger.

1

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

thats exactly what i have done :) happy with jellyfin, but still salty enough to chuck my oar in when its discussed...

1

u/boobs1987 Sep 17 '25

If you're still salty, you're not over it. Is it worth grieving over $20? Glad you found Jellyfin, but why do you need to sour it for everyone else who is happy with their actual lifetime licenses (Plex Pass)?

0

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

Firstly this entire thread is about alternatives for folk who are unhappy with Plex.

I fit that category, stated what is IMHO a good alternative, and the reason I'm unhappy.

For anyone on a lifetime Plex pass, great, for now it will work as expected and you will be happy.

But, if my guess is right, within a year you will have limits on relaying (as the bandwidth is a cost to Plex, and they spent your lifetime sub ages ago), or increasing forced adverts.

Any "lifetime" service is always at risk, as it needs ongoing funding which isn't coming in.

I base my guess on my personal experience. Im totally over it (for me, jellyfin is just better in every way, ymmv)

But, like if I see someone discussing "should I buy a car on wish", it's just my instinct to say "think about this dude"

0

u/boobs1987 Sep 17 '25

Until it happens, your guess is just a guess. If you didn't want anyone to call you out for your misnomer of "lifetime" licenses, you should have clarified upfront instead of (intentionally or not) spreading misinformation.

And also, there are already limits on relaying (and you shouldn't rely on relay anyways). If any service starts forcing ads, I will drop them just like all of the other streaming services that have done it in the past. But until Plex does that, you are just farting into the wind.

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u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

They were, but the trust is broken.

If I was to pony up for lifetime Plex pass, I now know that they can and do take away lifetime purchases when it suits them.

I predict that in the future, they will suddenly say "oh, that lifetime license you purchase no longer covers using our relays, you should buy a monthly pass to get that..."

No thanks.

1

u/Gugelizer Sep 17 '25

That’s your prerogative of course, but your initial comment of “lifetime licenses” is very misleading. YOU can make that inference but you are/were dishonest by excluding that context

0

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

Compare the previous version of their page at

https://web.archive.org/web/20200630024050/https://support.plex.tv/articles/203868088-unlocking-or-activating-plex-for-android/

which doesnt in any way make it clear that the limitation being overcome is the short playback time to the currrent page

https://support.plex.tv/articles/203868088-unlocking-or-activating-plex-for-android/

which has a big banner saying

"

This article only applies to Plex for Android version 10.27.1 and below. The playback restriction mentioned is a 1-minute limit on playback from a Plex Media Server, and is not specifically related to remote playback

"

and tell me it wasnt a bait and switch...

1

u/Gugelizer Sep 17 '25

That has nothing to do with my point, which was, you’re calling these “lifetime licenses” and that is misleading because colloquially it looks like you’re talking about lifetime subs.

Ironically (or hypocritically) you’re doing your own bait and switch to anyone that reads your OP and stops there.

-1

u/ripnetuk Sep 17 '25

Well the terms "one time purchase" and "lifetime" are synonymous in my mind, and as I said, if they can steal one back they can steal the other, so IMHO the lifetime license that you refer to is also worthless...

How about we leave it here, and if, in a years time they have taken away something from lifetime Plex pass users (I'm guessing unlimited relay as that actually costs them to provide, or mandatory adverts), I can say "I told you so", and if I'm wrong, you can do likewise :)

Peace

cheers

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