Private and open-source alternatives to Plex
6 media servers rated against the same public privacy criteria as Plex, with our picks first.
Why look for an alternative?
- Open source: no. Closed source.
- No trackers or telemetry: no. The privacy policy lists analytics providers, advertising IDs and optional playback data sent by default, and the Android app contains FullStory and Sentry per Exodus Privacy.
- No ads or data sales: no. The free streaming service shows ads, and the privacy policy describes selling and sharing personal data for targeted advertising.
- Independent audit: no. No independent audit is published.
The alternatives
Audiobookshelf Grade B
Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server with a web player and mobile apps, supporting multiple users, progress sync across devices, podcast downloads and offline listening.
Audiobookshelf scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the media servers criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Jellyfin Grade B
Self-hosted media server for movies, TV, music, books and live TV, with client apps for web, mobile and TV devices. All features are free, with no account on a central server.
Jellyfin scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the media servers criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Komga Grade B
Self-hosted media server for comics, manga, magazines and eBooks, with a web reader, OPDS and Kobo sync support, multiple users and a REST API used by third-party reader apps.
Komga scores 80 out of 100 (grade B) on the media servers criteria. It meets 3 of 4 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.
Kavita Grade D
Self-hosted reading server for manga, comics and books, with web readers for comics, EPUB and PDF, OPDS support and multiple users. An optional paid Kavita+ subscription adds metadata and scrobbling features.
Kavita scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the media servers criteria. It meets 2 of 4 criteria: open source and no ads or data sales.
Navidrome Grade D
Self-hosted music server and streamer with a web player, compatible with Subsonic and OpenSubsonic client apps, supporting multiple users, smart playlists and scrobbling.
Navidrome scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the media servers criteria. It meets 2 of 4 criteria: open source and no ads or data sales.
Emby Grade F
Media server that organizes personal movies, TV, music and photos and streams them to Emby apps on phones, TVs and browsers. Core features are free and some, such as offline sync and DVR, need a paid Emby Premiere subscription.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Emby scores 35 out of 100 (grade F) on the media servers criteria. It meets 1 of 4 criteria: no ads or data sales.