Alternatives to Emby
Media server between Plex and Jellyfin
Emby ranks #1 of 11 in Media servers, with an Alt Score of 96. It is proprietary, freemium from $4.99/mo (or $119 lifetime) and available on Windows, macOS and Linux. 10 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
People with a personal video, music, or photo collection who want to organize it and stream it to their own devices at home and remotely.
A self-hosted media server that scans and organizes your library with metadata and artwork, then transcodes and streams it on demand to apps on TVs, phones, computers, and other devices. Includes Live TV/DVR support, parental controls, and remote access via Emby Connect without manual network configuration. Emby Premiere (paid) unlocks extras like mobile/cloud sync and additional client apps. Core server software is free and partly open-source.
You install the Emby Server on a computer or NAS and point it at your media folders; it indexes and organizes the content. You then connect from Emby apps on other devices to browse and stream that library, locally or remotely.
Where Emby stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Emby
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How Emby compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Media servers checklist | Emby | Jellyfin | Kodi | Navidrome | Audiobookshelf | Calibre-Web |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
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| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Transcoding (hardware) | ||||||
| Live TV & DVR | ||||||
| Mobile sync/downloads | ||||||
| Multi-user profiles | ||||||
| Metadata scraping | ||||||
| Music support | ||||||
| Photos support | ||||||
| Plugin ecosystem | ||||||
| Client apps (TV platforms) | ||||||
| Fully offline / no account |
Every fact and feature listed for Emby is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-11
$4.99/month
https://emby.media/premiere -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-11
No, if you check out our recent announcement, we now have additions that are costing us money. We cannot open source that.
https://emby.media/community/topic/66294-emby-now-closed-source/ -
Starts at $4.99/mo (or $119 lifetime) verified 2026-07-11
Lifetime: $119 one-time payment
https://emby.media/premiere -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux verified 2026-07-11
Windows
https://emby.media/download.html -
Status active verified 2026-07-11
v4.10.0.18 (2026/07/10)
https://emby.media/community/topic/21348-emby-latest-versions/ -
Transcoding (hardware) Yes verified 2026-07-11
Take advantage of your server GPU. Emby has the most advanced and fastest hardware accelleration in the industry.
https://emby.media/premiere -
Live TV & DVR Yes verified 2026-07-11
The Emby DVR allows you to quickly schedule and manage recordings using a simple and elegant interface.
https://emby.media/emby-for-fire-tv.html -
Mobile sync/downloads Yes verified 2026-07-11
Download your media to your smart phones and tablets for easy offline playback. Supported on Android, iOS and Windows.
https://emby.media/premiere -
Multi-user profiles Yes verified 2026-07-11
Most operations within Emby are based around users. Users can have their own personalized media libraries, user data, recommendations, security settings, and more.
https://emby.media/support/articles/Users.html -
Metadata scraping Yes verified 2026-07-11
Emby Server can automatically download images to improve the presentation of media in each client.
https://emby.media/support/articles/Metadata-manager.html -
Music support Yes verified 2026-07-11
Emby brings together your personal videos, music, photos, and live television.
https://emby.media/about.html -
Photos support Yes verified 2026-07-11
Emby brings together your personal videos, music, photos, and live television.
https://emby.media/about.html -
Plugin ecosystem Yes verified 2026-07-11
Plugins extend the functionality of Emby by providing additional features and services.
https://emby.media/support/articles/Plugins.html -
Client apps (TV platforms) Yes verified 2026-07-11
Designed more like the web client and fantastic Windows 8.1 and Win Phone apps, the Emby for Android TV app continues our commitment to make Emby the absolute best solution for your personal media col
https://emby.media/emby-for-fire-tv.html -
Fully offline / no account Partial verified 2026-07-11
Emby Connect is a free optional service that allows a person to use one set of username/password credentials
https://emby.media/support/articles/Emby-Connect.html
FAQ
Yes. Jellyfin, Kodi and Navidrome have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
Jellyfin, Kodi and Navidrome — every license claim links its source.