Jellyfin isn’t arguably better, especially for some of tne main things people use Plex for - remote streaming and library sharing. Jellyfin pretty much doesn’t support them.
Remote access is the single area where Plex is better. Even then, it’s not that you can’t do it with Jellyfin; it’s just harder to set up.
Everything about Jellyfin is free. This includes hardware transcoding, which is subscription based on Plex.
The Jellyfin apps are also much better than they used to be. I’d say easily on par with Plex now (the native Jellyfin client and the music app, finamp).
To me, it seems like a really hard sell when Jellyfin effectively does everything that the paid service does for free.
I do think it’s weird that Plex decided to put hardware transcoding behind a paid membership, so that’s obviously a negative, but it sounds like the argument for jellyfin is that it’s free but you get less. That’s ok, I’m not dragging jellyfin through the mud on this, but you have to admit many people think their Plex purchase is worth it compared to jellyfin.
Remote access is the single area where Plex is better.
Saying things like this is laughable. JellyFin is basically temu plex, better at pretty much nothing other than being open source. At best it matches it in some ways, at worst it is significantly worse and lacking features.
Everything about Jellyfin is free. This includes hardware transcoding, which is subscription based on Plex.
If the server owner has a lifetime pass, theres no subscription fee needed by anyone. Hardware transcoding on Plex is also significantly better than on JellyFin.
The Jellyfin apps are also much better than they used to be.
But still trash compared to plex.
To me, it seems like a really hard sell when Jellyfin effectively does everything that the paid service does for free.
Again, apart from easy and secure remote streaming.
No, the argument for plex is that it’s easy and widely supported. It has an app on every device in existence, and a new user can be streaming from a friends server remotely within minutes of asking for access, with no VPN or IP whitelisting or any other workaround required. Secure, fast, easy.
no VPN or IP whitelisting or any other workaround required
But what about this? I can spin up a Docker image of Plex, log in, and it just works. My tech illiterate family members and friends can access it and I don’t have to deal with setting all of these other items up. Plex will just use UPnP out of the box whereas I’d need to set up DLNA or some other means to get remote Jellyfin access working.
Maybe I am wrong but this is why myself and others opt to just use Plex for family and friends and Jellyfin locally. 🙂
Sure but that’s not the scenario I was describing. Internally on my LAN is fine but I share Plex with friends and family throughout the world. Plex setup just works whereas Jellyfin requires more.
While I could go through doing that, I personally do not want to have it be my public IP address and that port. I would want to set up a reverse proxy with HTTPS and a domain or something if that sort.
Jellyfin isn’t arguably better, especially for some of tne main things people use Plex for - remote streaming and library sharing. Jellyfin pretty much doesn’t support them.
That’s the arguably part. The argument.
So…
What is the argument for jellyfin? It’s basically the exact same thing without the relay servers or no-setup remote streaming and sharing.
Remote access is the single area where Plex is better. Even then, it’s not that you can’t do it with Jellyfin; it’s just harder to set up.
Everything about Jellyfin is free. This includes hardware transcoding, which is subscription based on Plex.
The Jellyfin apps are also much better than they used to be. I’d say easily on par with Plex now (the native Jellyfin client and the music app, finamp).
To me, it seems like a really hard sell when Jellyfin effectively does everything that the paid service does for free.
I do think it’s weird that Plex decided to put hardware transcoding behind a paid membership, so that’s obviously a negative, but it sounds like the argument for jellyfin is that it’s free but you get less. That’s ok, I’m not dragging jellyfin through the mud on this, but you have to admit many people think their Plex purchase is worth it compared to jellyfin.
As I said, I don’t think it’s worth it. And that’s OK – we can disagree.
Saying things like this is laughable. JellyFin is basically temu plex, better at pretty much nothing other than being open source. At best it matches it in some ways, at worst it is significantly worse and lacking features.
If the server owner has a lifetime pass, theres no subscription fee needed by anyone. Hardware transcoding on Plex is also significantly better than on JellyFin.
But still trash compared to plex.
Again, apart from easy and secure remote streaming.
How?
The argument for Plex is their catalogue.
No, the argument for plex is that it’s easy and widely supported. It has an app on every device in existence, and a new user can be streaming from a friends server remotely within minutes of asking for access, with no VPN or IP whitelisting or any other workaround required. Secure, fast, easy.
What platform doesn’t support Jellyfin?
The rest of that applies to Jellyfin as well, I just give you the url and the account details then you’re good to go.
But what about this? I can spin up a Docker image of Plex, log in, and it just works. My tech illiterate family members and friends can access it and I don’t have to deal with setting all of these other items up. Plex will just use UPnP out of the box whereas I’d need to set up DLNA or some other means to get remote Jellyfin access working.
Maybe I am wrong but this is why myself and others opt to just use Plex for family and friends and Jellyfin locally. 🙂
If it’s in your own LAN then there’s no setup. Just point to the internal IP after spinning up the docker image.
Sure but that’s not the scenario I was describing. Internally on my LAN is fine but I share Plex with friends and family throughout the world. Plex setup just works whereas Jellyfin requires more.
More work to port forward?
While I could go through doing that, I personally do not want to have it be my public IP address and that port. I would want to set up a reverse proxy with HTTPS and a domain or something if that sort.
90% of the TVs out there. Not everyone has an android tv.
What url are you giving me for jellyfin? You’ve exposed jellyfin to the open internet? You know how stupid that is?
You think 90% of TVs don’t use Roku, webOS, Android, or Apple?
No different than exposing any other port service, like Plex for example. However it’s my reverse proxy.
No, they don’t.
Very different to that, actually. Someone with this poor knowledge of networking absolutely should not be exposing their server to the open internet.