Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Emby VS Jellyfin

Compare Emby VS Jellyfin and see what are their differences

Emby logo Emby

media server for personal streaming movies tv music photos in mobile app or browser for all devices android iOS windows phone appletv androidtv smarttv and dlna.

Jellyfin logo Jellyfin

Jellyfin is a personal media server.
  • Emby Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-22
  • Jellyfin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-21

Emby features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    Emby is available on a wide variety of platforms including Windows, Linux, macOS, and several NAS devices, allowing users to access their media library from nearly any device.
  • Live TV and DVR
    Emby supports live TV and DVR functionality, enabling users to watch and record live television directly through the platform.
  • Customizability
    Emby offers a highly customizable interface and a range of plugins, enabling users to tailor the experience to their specific needs.
  • User Management
    The platform provides robust user management features, allowing the account holder to create multiple user profiles with distinct access permissions.
  • Mobile Sync
    Emby includes a Mobile Sync feature that allows users to download media to their mobile devices for offline viewing.
  • Rich Metadata
    Emby automatically fetches metadata for your media, including cover art, descriptions, and more, providing a polished media library experience.
  • Active Development
    The Emby platform is actively developed and frequently updated, ensuring that users benefit from ongoing improvements and new features.

Possible disadvantages of Emby

  • Cost
    While Emby offers a free tier, some advanced features require a premium subscription known as Emby Premiere, which may be a downside for budget-conscious users.
  • Complex Setup
    The initial setup and configuration of Emby can be somewhat complex and time-consuming, especially for users who are not technically inclined.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running an Emby server can be resource-intensive, requiring sufficient CPU and memory. This may be a limitation for users with lower-end hardware.
  • Limited Native App Support
    While Emby supports many platforms, some devices have limited native app support, potentially necessitating the use of third-party apps or solutions.
  • Occasional Stability Issues
    Users have occasionally reported stability issues and bugs, which can affect the overall user experience.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Some users have raised privacy concerns related to the data collected by Emby, especially when compared to some of its open-source competitors.

Jellyfin features and specs

  • Open Source
    Jellyfin is completely open-source, meaning its source code is freely available for anyone to inspect, modify, or improve. This leads to greater transparency and potentially quicker fixes and feature additions.
  • Cost
    Jellyfin is free to use, unlike other media server software that may require a subscription or one-time purchase.
  • Privacy
    Since Jellyfin is self-hosted, all media files and user data remain on your server, giving you full control over your privacy.
  • Customization
    Users can customize Jellyfin extensively, from the user interface to backend functionalities, fitting it to their specific needs.
  • Platform Support
    Jellyfin supports a wide range of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, and various NAS devices, allowing flexibility in deployment.
  • No DRM Restrictions
    Jellyfin doesn't impose Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions, providing an unconstrained media experience.

Possible disadvantages of Jellyfin

  • Complex Setup
    Setting up Jellyfin can be more complicated than proprietary alternatives, requiring a good understanding of server management and networking.
  • Community Support
    Being a community-driven project, the support relies mainly on forums and community contributions, which may not be as immediate or comprehensive as professional support services.
  • Updates and Stability
    Since it is managed by volunteers, updates and new features may not be as frequent or stable as those offered by commercial software.
  • Lack of Certain Features
    Some advanced features found in premium media server solutions may be missing or less polished in Jellyfin.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running Jellyfin can be resource-intensive, particularly for transcoding processes, requiring relatively powerful hardware for optimal performance.
  • Compatibility Issues
    There could be compatibility issues with certain devices or media formats, leading to a less seamless experience compared to more mature, commercial solutions.

Emby videos

Emby Media Server Complete 2019 Setup!! Is this better than Plex?

More videos:

  • Review - Emby Media Server Overview
  • Review - Plex vs Emby Media Server | Which one is the best for 2020?

Jellyfin videos

This FOSS app has TAKEN OVER my server! - Jellyfin Review

More videos:

  • Review - Jellyfin a fully open source alternative to Plex, Emby, and other media centers. Self-hosted & Free
  • Review - Jellyfin Media Server Setup for Openmediavault
  • Tutorial - Bob

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Emby and Jellyfin)
Video
61 61%
39% 39
Media And Entertainment
0 0%
100% 100
Media Player
50 50%
50% 50
Media Players And Streaming Platforms

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Emby and Jellyfin

Emby Reviews

10 Best Kodi Alternatives You Should Use (2023)
Emby is another Kodi alternative that comes with parental control. If you are searching for a Kodi alternative for your children or younger ones, Emby is a good option. It also follows the server-client model as in Plex. With an elegant and easy interface, Emby a be a good choice.
Source: techdator.net
7 Best Home Media Server Software Choices (2022)
While this basic feature set may be enough for beginners, advanced users will certainly want to invest in Emby Premiere, which adds a laundry list of extra features. Emby Premier costs either $5 a month or $119 for a lifetime pass. The most important feature of Emby Premiere is the ability to remotely access your media library, and from a larger selection of devices as well....
Source: heavy.com
15 Best Plex Alternatives [2022] – FREE and BETTER Options
Emby competes with Plex but does not rival Plex in terms of popularity. Plex is definitely the chosen winner among end users above Emby or Jellyfin. While Emby does support plugins, it only supports the plugins provided by Emby developers. If you do not mind paying for premium service then Plex Pass offers more than Emby Premier does.
Top 10 Best Linux Media Server Software
You can get started for free, but to unlock all the features, including full support for Android, PS4, Xbox One, you need to purchase licenses for all your devices. There are also numerous functionalities like backup/restore and folder sync that you get with an Emby Premiere subscription.
Source: itsfoss.com
Top 10 Alternatives to Plex Media Server
Emby is a platform that takes the fuss out of organizing your media making you spend more time enjoying and less time struggling. Emby manages your media into rich elegant displays, by downloading metadata and artwork from reliable sources such as TheMovieDb.org, TheTvdb.com, and others. Emby automatically notifies you of server activity based on events and movements that...
Source: www.easefab.com

Jellyfin Reviews

The Best 5 Kodi Alternatives You Can Try
Jellyfin is another alternative to Kodi. According to Wikipedia, it’s a suite of multimedia applications used for the organization, management, and sharing digital media files to network devices. With this freeware, you can collect, organize, and enjoy your movies, TV shows, and music, and it also enables you to watch Live TV and set automatic recordings.
15 Best Plex Alternatives [2022] – FREE and BETTER Options
Jellyfin or one of the others listed on this page. Plex offers a premium subscription and live channels, but Jellyfin allows you to add more features using plugins. Jellyfin is better than Plex and Emby if you are a tinkerer. In either case, we believe Jellyfin is the best free media server.
Top 10 Best Linux Media Server Software
An open-source media server software with several features. Jellyfin is actually a fork of the Emby media server. It may be one of the best out there, available for ‘free’.
Source: itsfoss.com
16 Best Jellyfin Alternatives - Features, pros & cons, pricing | Remote Tools
Watch the latest episodes from major networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, History, A&E, and many more Pricing When to use SelectTV Relevance to remote workers SelectTV allows remote workers to watch latest episode of their favorite show or a fun movie for the whole family and it's all just a click away See Alternatives to SelectTV See SelectTV's Competitors Jellyfin Alternative...
Best Kodi Alternatives for Free Streaming
Jellyfin is open source software that requires two devices. One acts as a server (it can be a PC, laptop, or NAS) and houses your media collection. Jellyfin’s additional feature stack includes support for DLNA, Live TV and DVR, and QuickConnect. The latter allows users to easily log in to new devices through previously authenticated devices.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Jellyfin should be more popular than Emby. It has been mentiond 252 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Emby mentions (58)

  • Program for sorting DOWNLOADED movies/games?
    I used to use Plex until I found Emby. I find Emby easier to use and it does the same thing. Just putting this here as a fourth option for OP. :). Source: about 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: What is your streaming setup like?
    I use https://emby.media along with private trackers and Usenet. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Just checking: Plex is still the best option right?
    You can find it here! I have both installed, but I generally keep EMBY turned off until I want to play around with it. You can have both running at once and both accessing the same folders. You can check it out for free. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirates life for me!! Recent streaming services, prices and shows getting butchered, finally decided its time. Here's how a basic self-hosted 'Netflix' would look like. Fully automated once its setup. Using only a makeshift homelab server from second hand parts.
    Emby: Offers premium features with some behind a membership. Source: over 1 year ago
  • media server, bring old days and share with friends
    I went with Emby, personally. Plex, Jellyfin, etc are all good choices too! :). Source: over 1 year ago
View more

Jellyfin mentions (252)

  • How I built my own SeedBox with K8S
    Indeed, it would be really cool to set up a Jellyfin server now and connect it to the network volume to enjoy the content from the couch ;). - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Netflix: Piracy Is Difficult to Compete Against and Growing Rapidly
    At least for the last point I can recommend jellyfin. It has a web interface, a android tv app and an iphone app. I use it on my phone, tv and in the browser. https://jellyfin.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Nolan Says Buy Oppenheimer on Blu-ray So No Evil Streaming Service Can Steal It
    It's a pain to get set up initially, but the Automatic Ripping Machine[1] plus Jellyfin/Plex/etc[2] makes for a great combination. [1] https://github.com/automatic-ripping-machine/automatic-ripping-machine. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • .NET 8 Standalone 50% Smaller On Linux
    I serve videos from my home Linux server using Jellyfin[0][1] and previously ran Emby[2] (from which Jellyfin was forked). Jellyfin is written in C# and runs on .Net 7.0. [0] https://jellyfin.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • The Tailscale Universal Docker Mod
    Wireguard + GUI: https://github.com/wg-easy/wg-easy Backups of mail accounts: https://www.offlineimap.org Cloud storage for phones: http://nextcloud.com Mirroring podcasts locally: https://github.com/akhilrex/podgrab My own matrix instance: https://matrix-org.github.io/dendrite/ Backups: https://restic.net Media Management: https://jellyfin.org Relay only tor help: https://www.torproject.org S3 compatible storage:... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Emby and Jellyfin, you can also consider the following products

Kodi - Kodi is an award winning free and open source media player that got its start on the Xbox console.

NZBGet.com - Fast, reliable, and feature-packed NZB downloader.

Universal Media Server - Universal Media Server allows you to host your entire library of video, music, and pictures, and broadcast them conveniently to a wide variety of different devices.

SABnzbd - SABnzbd is a free/open-source cross-platform binary newsreader written in Python.

Stremio - Watch videos, movies, TV series and TV channels instantly.

NZBGet - The most efficient usenet downloader.