But Plex has a relatively wider choice than Emby. Device Compatibility (Client/Server)īoth Plex and Emby are cross-platform available and can be installed on computers running all the major operating systems as well as a quantity of NAS devices. With media server software like Emby and Plex, one can have a much more colorful audiovisual experience.Īfter acquiring the basic knowledge of Plex and Emby, let's delve deeper into their differences in the following Emby vs. It's a bit like DIY your own version of Netflix. And you own them forever with free access to the content anytime, anywhere. That means you can curate any content you like, say, rare old songs, 4K movies, family photos, and anything you cannot get from the online streaming services, to your media database.

Well, put emphasis on the word “personal”. You might argue what's the point of creating a media library when the likes of Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Hulu, Disney + are available for convenient media streaming. The two software is now commonly used to build one's personal media library. Plex and Emby, on the other hand, are client-server media players to stream videos, music, photos to your client devices both locally and remotely (the Internet is required). BTW, Emby was developed from Plex when Plex decided to go closed-source. Kodi is a media player to play your local media files primarily (the Internet is not needed). Yet, in effect, they serve quite different purposes.

Many people tend to consider Plex and Emby as Kodi alternatives for the software shares some similar functions like media streaming.

Plex media server vs plex media player