Best Free Media Servers 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free Media Servers compared: Jellyfin, Plex, Emby, Kodi and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 22, 2026.
•3 min read•Screen Recording & Streaming
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jellyfin | Free (Server and official clients are free with no subscription or paid tier) | Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker | Fully free, no account needed | Docs only |
| Plex | Free (Plex Media Server streams to devices on your home network at no cost; remote streaming needs Plex Pass, Remote Watch Pass or a Plex Pass on the server admin account); paid from $2.99 per month (Remote Watch Pass, from June 1, 2026; $29.99 a year) | Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker, NAS devices | Wide device support and easy setup | Docs only |
| Emby | Free (Emby Server runs without Premiere; Premiere adds features such as hardware transcoding, DVR and offline media); paid from $4.99 per month (Emby Premiere; $54 a year or $119 lifetime) | Windows, macOS, Linux, NAS devices | Users who may pay later for DVR | Docs only |
| Kodi | Free (Free open-source media center; it plays and organizes media rather than acting as a Plex-style remote streaming server) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, tvOS | A single-device home theatre | Docs only |
| Universal Media Server | Free (GPL-2.0 DLNA/UPnP media server; the repository lists no price) | Windows, Linux, macOS | Older smart TVs and consoles | Docs only |
| Navidrome | Free (Free under the GPL v3; music (and audiobook) libraries only) | Self-hosted, Web browser | Self-hosted music streaming | Docs only |
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Good fit if
- You want no subscription and no account (Jellyfin is the pick)
- You want the easiest setup and the most TV apps (Plex is the pick)
- Your TV only supports DLNA (Universal Media Server is the pick)
- Your library is mostly music (Navidrome is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
A media server turns a folder of films, shows or music into a library you can stream to a TV, phone or browser. The main decision is how much you want to depend on a company. Jellyfin is fully free and open source with no accounts and no paid tier, but you set it up yourself and its client apps are less polished on some TVs. Plex has the best client coverage and an easy setup, and streaming on your home network is free, but watching away from home needs a paid pass. Emby sits between them, with a free server and a Premiere subscription for features such as hardware transcoding and DVR. Kodi is a media centre rather than a server, so it plays a local library on one device and shares through other means. Universal Media Server is a DLNA server for older TVs and consoles that cannot run a modern app. Navidrome serves music only. Check your hardware first: transcoding to different devices is the heavy part, and an old NAS will struggle with 4K files whichever program you choose. Start with the client on your TV, since that decides which server works for you.
Jellyfin
GPL-2.0 server and official clients, free with no subscription or paid tier. You run it yourself on Linux, Windows, macOS or Docker; TV client polish varies by device.
Price: Free (Server and official clients are free with no subscription or paid tier) (Jellyfin pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker. GPL-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 58.7k GitHub stars · latest release v12.4 (Oct 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Fully free, no account needed.
Plex
Server is free for streaming at home; remote streaming needs a Plex Pass, Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass on the admin account. Remote Watch Pass is $2.99 a month from June 1, 2026.
Price: Free (Plex Media Server streams to devices on your home network at no cost; remote streaming needs Plex Pass, Remote Watch Pass or a Plex Pass on the server admin account); paid from $2.99 per month (Remote Watch Pass, from June 1, 2026; $29.99 a year) (Plex pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker, NAS devices. Proprietary.
Best for: Wide device support and easy setup.
Compare: Plex alternatives
Emby
The server runs without Premiere; Premiere adds hardware transcoding, DVR and offline media, from $4.99 a month. Check the site for any user cap on the free server.
Price: Free (Emby Server runs without Premiere; Premiere adds features such as hardware transcoding, DVR and offline media); paid from $4.99 per month (Emby Premiere; $54 a year or $119 lifetime) (Emby pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, NAS devices. Proprietary.
Best for: Users who may pay later for DVR.
Kodi
GPL-2.0 media centre for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS and tvOS. It plays and organises media on the device itself rather than acting as a Plex-style remote server.
Price: Free (Free open-source media center; it plays and organizes media rather than acting as a Plex-style remote streaming server) (Kodi pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, tvOS. GPL-2.0 (open source).
Best for: A single-device home theatre.
Universal Media Server
GPL-2.0 DLNA/UPnP server that shares media over the network to TVs and consoles. Choose it when your TV has no Plex or Jellyfin app but supports DLNA.
Price: Free (GPL-2.0 DLNA/UPnP media server; the repository lists no price) (Universal Media Server pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, macOS. GPL-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 2.7k GitHub stars · latest release 15.8.2 (Sep 9, 2026) · last commit Oct 28, 2026
Best for: Older smart TVs and consoles.
Worth knowing: Shares media over DLNA, UPnP and HTTP(S) to devices on the network.
Navidrome
GPL-3.0 server for music and audiobook libraries only, using third-party mobile apps. Not a video server, but a good fit if audio is half your library.
Price: Free (Free under the GPL v3; music (and audiobook) libraries only) (Navidrome pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted, Web browser. GPL-3.0 (open source).
Project activity: 24.4k GitHub stars · latest release v0.64.2 (Sep 24, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Self-hosted music streaming.
Which one to pick
- You want no subscription and no account: Jellyfin
- You want the easiest setup and the most TV apps: Plex
- Your TV only supports DLNA: Universal Media Server
- Your library is mostly music: Navidrome
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Jellyfin, Plex, Emby, Kodi, Universal Media Server, Navidrome: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked 2026-10-22: Jellyfin, Plex, Emby, Kodi, Universal Media Server, Navidrome. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.