OpenFLIXR Media Server. OpenFLIXR Media Server is a comprehensive media server that automatically downloads and serves media files. Be it any app (Couchpotato, Plex, or SickRage), it brings all your media to display. The best part is, whether it’s a TV, PC, or mobile phone, it streams to any device you can think of. Most of us regularly searching for best media server tools to fulfill our need for multi-device streaming service or DLNA server software to stream high-quality media. That's why we reviewed a big list of media server apps available for Windows, Linux, Mac, etc. And then we shortlisted a few names we find best.
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Media centers are the perfect place to store collections of images, music, and videos that people create on their computers, smartphones, or other devices. Their primary function is to store this media, such as your latest vacation photos or your favorite film. However, you may find your patience being tested if you start searching for a particular file, only to realize that nothing is organized properly.
If you’re looking for a suitable management platform for your media files, you will no doubt come across Plex eventually. Launched as a freeware project in 2007, Plex has an impressive range of features and is undoubtedly one of the best media centers of all time. Thanks to various streaming portals and services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, or Vevo, Plex users can play online content directly through their media center interface. However, Plex does have some formidable alternatives.
What should a good alternative to Plex be able to do?
The primary function of a media center is to organize all media files (audio, video, and image) on the selected computer system in a clearly arranged format. The user interface should make it easy for you to find and play back the content you want.
Plex alternatives (as well as Plex itself) should not just allow playback on the original device, but should also be able to play through external devices. Streaming your own media content on a TV should be a standard feature, which is why most media center interfaces are also designed to be used with smart TVs.
The best Plex alternatives should also be able to stream video and information services. Of course, your personal interests are most important here: Netflix and YouTube are more widely supported than other services because of their popularity. However, if you are not interested in these mainstream platforms, streaming links will be irrelevant to you as a user. It is therefore advisable to check the additional features in advance (often available as optional add-ons) that can be used as a respectable alternative to Plex. It is also important that the selected media management option allows multiple devices to access the library at the same time. If you want to enjoy a film while a roommate or a family member is streaming music, your chosen Plex alternative must always be usable by several people at the same time.
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What are the best alternatives to Plex?
In addition to the range of functions, cost and compatibility play an important role when it comes to choosing the best media center. The latter does not just deal with which systems the media center should be created on, it is also about what platforms you can access the media center from. You should also consider how up to date the Plex alternative is when making your decision: since many media centers are interconnected with web services, timely updates to close security holes are particularly important.
To make finding a suitable Plex alternative easier, here are some interesting examples of the best media centers and a guide to their advantages and disadvantages.
Mezzmo
On December 20th 2007, the Australian-based software company Conceiva released their home entertainment product Mezzmo. The software was initially available as a paid program for Windows, but Conceiva now relies on a freemium model: you can download and use the basic model for free, while the pro edition (which includes a web interface so that you can access using standard browsers) has lots of extra features and requires a subscription fee. There is also a paid Android app which was released in 2014. The app is mainly used as a remote application to retrieve content stored on the local Mezzmo media server on Android devices. Thanks to an integrated digital media server (DMS), you can also stream files stored on the device itself with the app.
Mezzmo is very easy to set up: after installing the program, it automatically searches and organizes all the movies, video clips, music, photos, and stored subtitles saved on the system being used. These files can subsequently be played back on all devices in the network that support UPnP or DNLA, or that have the app installed (Android only) – Mezzmo transcodes the media content in real time to ensure optimal streaming quality. You can access the media collection simultaneously with multiple devices at any time, so that sharing the media center is no problem. If you are having technical problems with Mezzmo, you can contact Conceiva with a ticket or through the user forum.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Multi-user capability | Media center cannot be used on macOS/Linux systems |
Android app with its own media server | Web interface is only available in the paid pro edition |
MediaPortal
In February 2014, Erwin Becker launched the GPL-licensed open source programMediaPortal, which is now managed by the MediaPortal team. A core feature of MediaPortal is that it supports TV cards so that you can watch TV through your media center. Additionally, the free-of-charge Plex alternative combines FM and internet radio with TV stations, information services (weather, news, etc.), and all media files stored on the computer in a single user interface. It’s up to you to decide how content should be categorized: you can sort songs by artist, album, or genre, and video clips and movies by cover, actor, or genre.
MediaPortal is an open source application and therefore benefits enormously from collaborating with the community: plugins developed as a supplement that provide additional functions that can be installed and integrated just as easily as skins to give the user interface a new appearance. This Plex alternative is only available for Windows and there are no separate apps for smartphones, tablets, or smart TVs – but there are extensions that allow remote access to your MediaPortal library from these same devices. All skins and plugins are available at any time from the official download page.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Supports standard TV cards | Media center can only be used with Windows |
Customizable user interface with skins | Complex installation and setup |
Kodi
One Plex alternative, originally designed primarily as a media player solution for the Microsoft console Xbox, is Kodi. Published as ‘Xbox Media Center’ (XBMC) in 2004, the media center kept this name even when it became available for other platforms. In 2014, it decided to rename the open source application, distributed under the GNU-GPL license, to Kodi. This made it clear that it was no longer primarily aimed at consoles. However, the media software is not really an alternative to Plex: the Kodi project – or it’s Linux version, to be more precise – formed the basis for Plex. Strictly speaking, Plex is an XBMC separation code.
Kodi delivers all the central features of a good media center: you can organize all your media content easily and play it back through the user interface, which supports a variety ofaudio, video, and image formats. Implementing new formats and technologies (like video acceleration) is handled by the Kodi team in real time. The Plex alternative automatically retrieves metadata from the web to provide additional information about archived content. Kodi’s greatest strength, however, is that the software is platform independent. There are not only installation packages for Windows, Linux, and macOS, but also for Android, iOS, and Raspberry-Pi. Remote control apps for iOS and Android complete the range of options.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Platform independent | Complicated multi-user setup (focused on one device by default) |
Can also be used with alternative hardware like the Raspberry Pi | |
Experienced developer team |
Stremio
The Bulgarian startup Stremio launched an exciting alternative to Plex in 2015 with their application of the same name, which was quickly met with enthusiasm from film and TV fans. The open source media center, which is easy to use, focuses entirely on organizing video content, and integrates video-on-demand services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. in an interesting way: add-ons allow content from different providers to be combined with the Stremio interface. Video clips, shows and movies on your own device are also taken into account when creating the library. Thanks to the integrated calendar function, you can also always keep track of new episode releases or highly anticipated films.
By integrating various streaming providers, Stremio not only provides an excellent overview of when and where content is available, but also offers a good price comparison. In terms of compatibility, the open source platform is just as well set up as Kodi: desktop versions for Windows, macOS, and Linux are available, as well as free apps for Android and iOS. Additionally, the developer plans to release a web application for the Plex alternative, which will then allow them to manage and access their own library as well as the existing clients for desktop PCs and mobile devices.
Third-party add-ons that allow free streaming of paid video content are illegal and should not be used or installed.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Very easy to set up and use | How to edit resume on macbook air. No function for organizing music and image files available |
Calendar features help to keep track of new movie releases, series, or episodes | Number of official developer add-ons is very manageable |
Universal Media Server
The Universal Media Server is also an example of an open source program, written in Java. The spin-off program from PS3 Media Server was developed in May 2012 by the developer SubJunk, who had previously played a decisive role in the media server for Sony’s game console. As an alternative to Plex, the software is particularly impressive because of its broad device compatibility: both DNLA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and UPnP (Universal Plug & Play) are supported, so that music, videos, and images can be streamed easily on all devices that work to these standards (this includes PS4, Xbox 360, iPhone, Android devices, and various smart TVs). Universal Media Server runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS, thanks to its multiple versions.
The media center is regularly updated by the developer team. Recent updates are often available as a beta version for download – however, users must expect that the software may not always work properly in these pre-releases. The Plex alternative has an optional web browser interface and is expandable with plugins. This can be used, for example, to integrate a link to SoundCloud. Further information on the development status and useful links to interesting Universal Media Server websites can be found in the official directory for the project on Github Github.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Platform independent thanks to broad device support and an optional web interface | No separate client applications/apps for accessing the media server |
Time consuming, uncomfortable to start with, and not easy to connect devices |
Emby
If you’re looking for a good alternative to Plex, you will no doubt come across the Emby. The largely royalty-free application (GNU-GPL), which has been maintained by Emby LLC since 2015, provides all the features you might need for the multi-device organization of your media files, starting with a free-of-charge media server available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as NAS and docker platforms. Configuration for the Emby server takes place independently of the chosen system through the very complex web interface. The server is automatically recognized by all DNLA-capable devices – but the developers also offer various proprietary (and partly chargeable) apps for mobile devices (iOS, Android, Windows) as well as for smart TVs and consoles (Samsung, LG, PS4, Xbox One).
If you start the Emby server after installation, the web dashboard will automatically open, allowing you to configure all the necessary settings for your personal media server. This is not just about filling the library, but also about finding the perfect setup for transcoding the content. It is also possible to create different user profiles, including access authorizations. This way you can ensure that adult content is not accessible to children, for example. If you subscribe to the monthly Emby Premiere package, you can use numerous additional features like cloud and folder synchronization, a cover configurator, and a backup function. In addition, you can stream videos and music to individual devices, as well as save them when you take out a subscription so that they can be played without a network connection.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Excellent user account management | Limited extensions available |
Apps for various platforms/devices available | Some features are only available in the paid premiere subscription |
TVersity
TVersity is a proprietary Plex alternative from TVersity Inc. Their paid media server package uses DNLA/UPnP technology to enable users to stream content from their own PCs to a wide variety of devices (content can also be accessed through standard web browsers). If the format/codec on the target devices is not supported, the TVersity server will transcode the corresponding files in real time. Indexing photos, songs, and videos happens automatically in the background, ensuring that your collection is always up to date. When it comes to server operation, unfortunately this Plex alternative only runs on Windows.
There is a free version of TVersity, but it only supports a small portion of the formats and codecs. In addition, there is no real-time transcoding in the free output, which then limits streaming capabilities considerably.
TVersity combines your personal media collection with useful web content like free video streams, RSS feeds, or podcasts that can be retrieved from the client on the chosen device. If you’re looking for a specific file, you’ll benefit from the media center’s outstanding performance, which is sure to impress even large libraries with more than 100.000 entries. A large part of their fast, uncomplicated file retrieval system is the powerful search mask and integrated cache function, which caches transcoded content. The Plex alternative has a REST API that allows you to integrate the media center into other tools easily.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
Platform independent web app available | Server application is only available for Windows |
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A tabular comparison of the best Plex alternatives
Media center | Release year | Developer | License | Media library platform | Payment model |
Emby | 2015 | Emby LLC | GNU GPL, proprietary (Apps) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, NAS | Freemium |
MediaPortal | 2014 | Team MediaPortal | GNU GPL | Windows | Free |
Mezzmo | 2007 | Conceiva | GNU GPL, LGPL | Windows, Android | Freemium |
Kodi | 2004 | Kodi Team | GNU GPL | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi | Free |
Stremio | 2015 | Stremio | GNU GPL | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Free |
TVersity | 2005 | TVersity Inc. | Bookmacster 2 9 15 x 9. proprietary | Windows | Paid Pro edition, free basic edition |
Universal Media Server | 2012 | SubJunk and others | GNU GPL | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free |
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Plex is one of the most popular applications for organizing your own multimedia collection on PCs, smartphones, and other devices, but there are a number of good alternatives that don’t have to hide behind the mainstream media centers when it comes to functionality and streaming quality. This article explains exactly what characterizes software that manages and plays back audio, video, and image files, and what Plex alternatives are available.
Windows 10 is one of the most used operating systems and we can easily convert that into a Media server for free of cost to manage our media files such as music, videos and images.
Yes, indeed we can use the inbuilt Windows 10 Mediastreaming option to stream media files over the network but it has limitations and doesn’t offer Graphical web management interface as some open source and free Media servers programs are providing such as Plex and Kodi.
However, before installing anything to stream media files, you should first ask yourself what your software should be able to do. Do you only want to stream your stored content to mobile devices or should the application also manage your data, supplement it with information and at the same time offer access to live TV, media libraries and the like?
List of Windows 10 Media server software
List of Windows 10 Media server software
So, in this article, we are going to discuss some free including open-source media server software platformsto install and use on Windows 10 or older operating system of Microsoft such as Windows 8 and Windows 7. All the listed below software don’t come with any pre-stored content or content providing services, all these are Personal Media Server platforms to manage and play users own media content or third party content using add-ons.
Plex Media Server for Windows
I know you already would be familiar with it and also we are not discussing it the first time in any article. Plex Media Server is free software that we can use to stream videos, music or photos in common formats such as MP4, AVI, MOV, AAC, MP3, WAV and JPEG via your home network or WLAN.
Plex Media Server for Windows 10
One of the main reason, of Plex popularity is its client apps availability for almost every available mainstream platforms. Furthermore, the Server part of Plex can be installed on Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, NAS and more.
After setting up the Plex, we can stream our media files from PC to mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad or Android tablets. Plex free app as an alternative to its web management interface can be used to play media files using a local or remote network on Android and iOS; even Smart TV can also receive the server content.
The media manager of Plex is quite intuitive and helps to manage videos and songs and automatically loads the appropriate metadata and covers from the Internet. You can access portals such as Vimeo or TV streams such as MTV and BBC via free plugins.
Best Media Server Software
Furthermore, the installation of Plex on Windows 10 is easy as any other software, just double click on the downloaded setup file of it, follow the wizard in browser to set it up and start using…
Additionally, the user can activate the Plex pass function which is a subscription service to integrate additional features such as downloading selected content to iPhone, iPad for offline access, streaming from clouds such as Dropbox and Google Drive, using Gracenote for track recognition and more… Know more about Plex Pass.
Tip: Install Plex on Windows 10 with just one command…
KODI
Kodi is another cross-platform streaming software for your home network just like the Plex media server. Earlier it is known as XBMC and comes under free and open source (GPL) software, the server is available for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, iOS and other.
Another reason which makes Kodi best media server for Windows 10 is its huge repository of add-ons that helps the user to expand the features of KODI.
KODI media server
It can play videos, music, DVDs, unencrypted Blu-ray discs and audio CDs or shows slideshows of your photos. Even 3D films can be played without any problems. The freeware supports all important formats and codecs such as MP4, ISO, WEBM, H.264, DivX, XviD, JPEG, animated GIFs as well as MP3, OGG, WMA or M4A and AAC.
You can stream songs and films via WLAN to other computers, game consoles, smart TVs, iPads, Android tablets and smartphones.
Furthermore, we can customize its interface, get information about the weather or display lyrics and subtitles with the help of add-ons.
The ARD and ZDF media libraries or video streams from Eurosport, DAZN and Zattoo are just as easy to access after a few clicks as films on YouTube, Vimeo, DailyMotion and Facebook.
Emby Media Server
Next open-source platform that can be used to convert Windows 10 into a Media server is Emby. Just like above mentioned two servers for streaming medias this one is also available for multiple platforms to install such as Windows, Linux, macOS, NAS devices, Docker, FreeBSD and Shield Android TV along with a wide range of supported devices for the client app.
The installation of available plugins for Emby server is quite easy, we just need to visit its Web-based Management System to install plugins, edit metadata and subtitles, Sync and more… There is a wide range of add-ons available to extend “Emby Server” features, for example, access to the cloud services Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive or to platforms such as Vimeo, Last.fm and SoundCloud.
With the help of Emby apps, we can make it work with Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, Kodi and Samsung Smart TVs for streaming.
If you want to have an alternative to Kodi and Plex media servers, then try the EMBY, although it is not popular as the rest of the two, enough interesting because of functionality. One can easily use it on Windows 10 to stream films, series, photos, books and music from its installed PC to the other PC using browser, TV or smartphones.
Emby Server can play different media formats such as MP3s, AACs, WAVs, MP4, MOV, MPEG and WMV formats as well as ISO images or tracks down photos and eBooks.The media centre pulls the information from the databases such as TheMovieDb, TheTVDB and The Open Movie Database.
Furthermore, apart from the browser to play the content from Emby server, we use external players such as KODI or its own “Emby Theater” media player software. Whereas for Android and iOS Emby mobile app is available in the respective app store.
“Emby Server” also easily recognizes common DLNA-capable hardware and automatically adjusts the media data to the target device when streaming.
Just like Plex Pass, Emby also offers Premium features available at the cost of $4.99/per month, $54/1 Year and $119/One-time.
Under this premium plan, the users will have features such as Emby DVR (Schedule individual recordings, series recordings, and more); Offline Media ( download media on smartphones or tablets for offline playback); Fully feature unlocked Emby Apps; Cloud Sync; Cinema Mode; Cover Art plugin; Automatically Convert Content; Emby Theater; Backup and Restore; Podcasts; Use your Amazon Echo or Google Home device to control your Emby apps by voice…
Universal media server
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Universal Media Server is another free and open source software in the list that can also be installed easily on Windows 10 just like any other executable file to stream music, photos and videos with the standards DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) devices. If you want a straight forward, simple media server software for Windows 10 then try this.
Supported hardware includes Panasonic, Samsung, LG, Sharp, Sony and Philips TVs, Xbox One and Xbox 360 from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 and 4, Blu-ray players from Sony and devices with Google Chromecast and Roku 3.
We can stream media files from Universal Media server installed on Windows on smartphone devices such as iPad, iPhone, Android tablets and Windows phones, that are DLNA or UPnP-capable; even popular player “VLC Media Player”, and any browser can be used to access this media server and play the content. Apart from Windows, it is also available for Linux and macOS.
Universal Media Server web interface
OpenFLIXR Media Server
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This opensource Windows 10 media server is for those don’t want to install it on physical Windows machine. Yes, it OpenFLIXR is a virtualized media server, that we install and use on Windows 10 or any other operating using VirtualBox, VMWARE, Parallels Desktop, KVM / unRAID or even the Windows inbuilt virtualization platform Hyper-V. Thus, if you already have Plex, Kodi or any other media server installed on your Windows 10 or server and want to use any other then simply install it on VM. The best thing you don’t require any guest VM operating system to setup OpenFLIXR like others mentioned above.
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OpenFLIXR is an automated downloading and serving media server. It comes with tools like CouchPotato, SickChill, Headphones, Mopidy, Ubooquity, HTPC Manager and SABnzbd to download and can integrate Plex Media Server to bring everything to your screens. It can fetch subtitles automatically from AutoSub, Sub-Zero, Sickrage and CouchPotato.
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Furthermore, Web-Based Container Management with Automatic Updating; Network-wide ad and metrics blocking, Let’s Encrypt support; Home-Assistant devices support such Alexa and Google Assitant to automate home theatreRecommended virtual hardware specifications are 2vCPU, 3GB RAM and a 100GB disk.