Emby vs Plex
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Emby
Personal media server for your movies and shows
VS
Plex
Polished media server with apps on every device
| Feature | Emby | Plex |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | Proprietary | Proprietary |
| Language | C# | Go Template |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,945 | ★ 4,010 |
| First released | 2015 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Plex, Netflix | Netflix, Emby |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Emby or Plex better?
Neither is universally better. Emby has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Emby and Plex free and open-source?
Yes. Emby is licensed under Proprietary and Plex under Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Emby and Plex with Docker?
Emby: yes. Plex: yes.