Jellyfin Alternatives (2026): 7 Media Servers and Players

Jellyfin describes itself as a volunteer-built media solution that puts you in control: you collect, manage and stream your films, shows and music from a server you run yourself. If you're searching for something else, you're probably a self-hoster who's hit a snag, or someone setting up a media server for the first time and wondering what else is out there before you pour hours into a library.

Either way, start by naming what you'd like to change. A server, a player and a music app are three different things, and this page groups the options by which of those jobs they do.

Your app and your server don't have to match

Ampache, which serves one catalogue over several protocols, lists a Jellyfin-compatible backend among them. In plain English, the app on your phone and the server in your cupboard don't have to come as a matched pair.

That matters if the thing you like is the client app on your TV or phone, but the thing that's annoying you is the server. You may be able to swap the back end and keep the front end you're used to. Test it before you count on it, because compatibility claims don't always cover every feature.

The other point worth knowing: Jellyfin states that it doesn't run servers for users. Whatever you choose, the machine in the cupboard stays yours to look after, so factor in the time that takes.

Seven options at a glance

Name	Group	Kind
Ampache	Multi-protocol	Open source
Emby	Commercial server	Commercial
Gerbera	Home network	Free
Kodi	Media centre	Open source
Navidrome	Music	Open source
Plex Media Server	Commercial server	Commercial
Universal Media Server	Home network	Open source

Use the group column to jump to the section that fits. Nobody needs all seven; most people need one server and one way of watching. If you're unsure which group you belong in, start with the question of who'll be watching, on what screen, and from where.

Server, player or music app?

Most confusion in this corner comes from mixing up three jobs. A server holds your files, reads their details and hands them out. A player is what you sit in front of with a remote or a phone. A music app is a player built only for songs, albums and playlists. Some products do one job, some do two, and a few try to do all three.

Work out which job is letting you down. If your TV app is clunky, look at players. If the library keeps getting muddled, look at servers. If you mostly listen rather than watch, a music-first setup may feel lighter than anything built for films.

Commercial servers with extra features

If you'd like a more packaged experience from a commercial company, these two are the obvious comparisons. We've a full write-up in our Jellyfin and Plex comparison if that's the pair you're weighing.

Emby

Emby Premiere adds bonus features on top of Emby Server, such as mobile downloads and hardware accelerated transcoding, so check whether the extra you're missing is on that list.

Plex Media Server

Its page says the server scans and organises your files and sorts your media for you. That's the pitch to weigh if tidying a messy library by hand is what's wearing you down.

An open media centre for the living room

Sometimes the real wish is a better experience on the TV, not a better server. A media centre is software you sit in front of with a remote, rather than something running quietly in another room.

Kodi

Free and open source software, according to its own repository. It's the one option here built around the screen rather than the storage, so pair it with a server if your files live elsewhere.

Music collections and multi-protocol servers

If your library is mostly songs, a music-first app may suit it better than a full video server. Of these two, one is aimed squarely at music, and the other is broader, serving a single catalogue to several kinds of player.

Ampache

Besides that compatible backend, it serves its catalogue over its own native API and a Subsonic and OpenSubsonic backend. If you already use a Subsonic-style app on your phone, that's the route to test first.

Navidrome

Open source and aimed at music collections rather than films. It's a good fit to trial if your music lives in neat album folders and you rarely watch video on the server at all.

Simple servers for the home network

Not everyone wants accounts, apps and artwork. If you just want files on a drive to show up on the TV or the games console, a plain network media server may be all you need.

Gerbera

A free media server that streams to devices on your home network. Test it with your own TV before you plan around it.

Universal Media Server

Its page lists TVs, smartphones, gaming consoles, computers and audio receivers as targets. If a games console is the main screen in your house, that's the list to check your model against.

Think about watching away from home

A lot of the pain with home media servers starts when you leave the house. Watching on the train, at a relative's or on holiday means your server has to be reachable from outside, and that brings in router settings, security and upload speed. Before you choose, decide whether that matters to you. If it doesn't, the simple home-network options look far more attractive. If it does, read each project's own guidance on remote access closely, and test it from a phone on mobile data, not from the sofa on your own wifi.

Keeping the household on side

A media server is rarely a solo project. Someone in the house will notice when their favourite show vanishes or the TV app looks different. Tell people before you change anything, keep the old setup running while they try the new one, and ask what bothered them after a week. The best server on paper is no use if the family quietly goes back to whatever was there before.

Run them side by side before you choose

Media servers are friendly to side-by-side testing, as long as you protect the files. Check whether each one can read your folders without renaming anything, then work through this list.

1. Copy a small sample of films, shows and albums into a test folder.
2. Point the newcomer at that folder, read-only if you can, so nothing gets renamed.
3. Check how it handles your trickiest titles: box sets, live albums, foreign-language films.
4. Try it on every screen you use: phone, TV, tablet and laptop.
5. Stream from outside the house too, if that's something you rely on.
6. Only point it at the full library once you're happy, and keep the old server until you're sure.

The thing to protect is your library. Metadata, artwork and watch history can be rebuilt; a folder of files that's been renamed by the wrong tool is far more painful. Keep a backup before any server touches it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a NAS to run one of these?

Not for Emby: its page says Emby Server runs on a computer or a NAS on your home network. For the others, check each project's own requirements before you buy hardware.

Can Ampache share music with DAAP or DLNA players?

Yes. DAAP and UPnP/DLNA are both on its list of protocols, so players that speak either one can reach the same catalogue.

Can Navidrome shrink tracks for streaming?

Its page says it converts and reduces your music files as you play them. Try it on mobile data to hear how the smaller stream sounds to you.

Is Kodi a server or a player?

Its own repository calls it home theatre and media centre software. Think of it as the screen-side piece rather than the library server.

Can two media servers share one library?

You can try, as long as only one of them is allowed to rename or move files. Point the second one at your folders read-only while you test.

Will my watch history move across?

Don't assume it will. Check each server's import options, and note where you're up to in any series before you switch.