AppBreakup
Submit an app
Emby logo

Emby

Personal media server with official apps everywhere and an optional Premiere licence.

Free plan + paidSelf-hostableMedia servers
Visit EmbySee 4 alternatives
Verified facts
5 of 5
Alternatives ranked
4
Approved reviews
0
Visits sent from here
0

About Emby

Emby is a personal media server that organises your videos, music, photos and live TV and streams them to apps on TVs, phones, consoles and the web. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Docker and a long list of NAS systems, and it offers user management with parental controls, live TV and DVR with tuners, and automatic conversion of files into streaming-friendly formats. The basic server is free. Emby Premiere, a paid licence sold monthly, yearly or as a one-time lifetime purchase, unlocks hardware-accelerated transcoding, mobile downloads, DVR, cinema intros, CarPlay and Android Auto, and free use of several Emby apps; it is tied to the server and covers a household's devices up to a limit. Emby used to be open source, which is why Jellyfin exists as a fork. Compared with Plex it has no ad-supported content push, but its community and third-party ecosystem are smaller.

Best for: People who want Plex-like polish with a one-time lifetime licence option.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Lifetime Premiere licence available
  • Runs on a very wide range of NAS systems
  • No push towards ad-supported streaming content

Why people leave

  • Hardware transcoding and downloads need Premiere
  • No longer open source
  • Smaller community than Plex or Jellyfin

Top Emby alternatives

See all 4
  1. 1Jellyfin logo
    Jellyfin

    The open-source fork of Emby, with every feature free.

    66.5
  2. 2Plex logo
    Plex

    More device apps and a larger community, with a similar paid-pass model.

    62.6
  3. 3Kodi logo
    Kodi

    A free local media centre, also usable as an Emby client.

    59.6
  4. 4Channels DVR logo
    Channels DVR

    A dedicated live TV and DVR server with excellent Apple TV apps.

    57.2

Why people left Emby

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Emby, review the app you switched to and tell us why.

Reviews

No approved reviews yet. How we verify reviewers

Write a review of Emby
Your rating of Emby

Never shown publicly. A work email helps us verify you.

What did you use it for, and what was good or bad? At least 40 characters.

A GitHub username, your company domain, or say you can send a screenshot. Verified reviews count more.

By submitting, you confirm you're at least 16 and agree to our terms. Your name, rating, review and the date are published; your email isn't. See our privacy policy.

Emby: common questions

Is Emby free?

Emby has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Emby open source?

No, Emby is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Jellyfin and Kodi.

What platforms does Emby run on?

Emby is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted, Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Emby?

The highest-ranked Emby alternatives right now are Jellyfin, Plex and Kodi. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Emby alternatives