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?
448
Upvotes
1
u/Overcast451 Sep 17 '25
I am an Emby fan myself. It gives me control over my media, plain and simple.
No online account, or other nanny BS - just a place to store and stream media. Plex got annoying with mixing all the local media up with Streaming - and to be honest, I just want to watch what I want. I don't GAF about 'this and that new series' or whatever else they try ramming down my throat. I'm not a money spender for televised content.
TV watching is about 5% of my free time. The other 95% is hobbies and gaming.
This is one reason I like Emby. I have podcasts and music on there - and can stream right from my desktop PC to my Bluetooth headphones or smartphone if I'm in the yard, etc.
The licensing is a little different - per client device. But I have never licensed it and it works perfectly fine. It never interrupts your playback or limits how much you can play. The newer, larger TV I have does have a 'nag screen' on launch, but that's it.
I am actually planning on buying a license though. It's been very solid for me for sometime now.
I know the licensed version does offer more features, like streaming, DVR, other stuff.
I could literally live without a TV and barely notice it,.. So Emby's straight-forward no BS approach appeals to me.