What is Emby used for?

Emby is a self-run media server that catalogs your personal videos, music, photos and live TV and streams them to apps on your devices. It is a good fit for streaming a personal movie collection to a TV and sharing a music library with family.

No. Emby is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Emby include Jellyfin, Ampache and Kodi.

Can I self-host Emby?

Yes. Although Emby is closed source, it can be self-hosted on your own servers.

What are some alternatives to Emby?

Emby competes with Infuse and Channels DVR. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Emby alternatives.

Emby: features, pricing and alternatives

About Emby

Emby is a media server that you run yourself to catalog and stream a personal collection of movies, shows, music, photos and live TV. The server software goes onto a home computer or network storage device, point it at your media folders and use Emby apps on TVs, phones, tablets, computers and consoles to watch or listen.

The server turns folders into a browsable library with artwork, descriptions and recommendations, supports music collections with playlists and album art, and lets the owner create individual users, set parental controls and manage who sees what. Content stays on the owner's server. Emby Premiere is an optional paid upgrade that unlocks extras such as mobile downloads, hardware-accelerated transcoding and free apps.

Emby is proprietary software despite being self-hosted. Emby Connect helps link accounts and devices, and the site offers server downloads, an app browser and community resources for new users and long-time owners alike.

Key features

Self-hosted media library for video and music
Automatic artwork and metadata
Apps for TVs, phones and computers
User accounts with parental controls
Live TV support
Emby Premiere bonus features

Good fit for

→Streaming a personal movie collection to a TV
→Sharing a music library with family

Tags: media-server; self-hosted; streaming; dvr; music; home-media; nas

Emby: questions and answers

What is Emby used for?: Emby is a self-run media server that catalogs your personal videos, music, photos and live TV and streams them to apps on your devices. It is a good fit for streaming a personal movie collection to a TV and sharing a music library with family.
Is Emby free?: Yes. Emby has a free plan.
Is Emby open source?: No. Emby is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Emby include Jellyfin, Ampache and Kodi.
Can I self-host Emby?: Yes. Although Emby is closed source, it can be self-hosted on your own servers.
What are some alternatives to Emby?: Emby competes with Infuse and Channels DVR. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Emby alternatives.