What is Plex used for?

Plex is a media server and streaming service for organizing a personal library across devices, plus free ad-supported movies and live TV. It is a good fit for streaming a home movie collection to any device, watching free ad-supported movies and keeping a personal music library accessible.

Yes. Plex has a free plan, and paid plans start at $2.99 per month.

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

Can I self-host Plex?

Yes. Although Plex is closed source, it can be self-hosted on your own servers, and the vendor also offers a hosted version.

What are some alternatives to Plex?

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

Plex: features, pricing and alternatives

About Plex

Plex is a media platform with two sides. Its media server software lets you organize your own movies, shows, music and photos and stream them to your devices, while its streaming service offers free, ad-supported movies, TV shows and live channels that can be watched without signing up.

The site includes a discover section for finding what to watch across streaming services, live TV with browsable channels, and on-demand titles organized by genre such as action, comedy, drama and documentary. For personal libraries, there are Plex Media Server downloads, apps for many devices, and Plexamp, a music app. Support resources include a community forum and support library.

Plex is a proprietary service. The media server runs on hardware you control, while accounts and streaming content are hosted by Plex. Free content is available, and subscription plans are listed on its plans pages.

Key features

Media server for personal libraries
Free ad-supported movies and TV shows
Live TV channels
Apps for many devices
Plexamp music player
Discovery of what to watch across services

Good fit for

→Streaming a home movie collection to any device
→Watching free ad-supported movies
→Keeping a personal music library accessible

Tags: media-server; streaming; live-tv; movies; music; home-media; ad-supported; plexamp

Plex: questions and answers

What is Plex used for?: Plex is a media server and streaming service for organizing a personal library across devices, plus free ad-supported movies and live TV. It is a good fit for streaming a home movie collection to any device, watching free ad-supported movies and keeping a personal music library accessible.
Is Plex free?: Yes. Plex has a free plan, and paid plans start at $2.99 per month.
Is Plex open source?: No. Plex is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Plex include Jellyfin, Navidrome and Kodi.
Can I self-host Plex?: Yes. Although Plex is closed source, it can be self-hosted on your own servers, and the vendor also offers a hosted version.
What are some alternatives to Plex?: Plex competes with Emby, Infuse and Channels DVR. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Plex alternatives.