Open Source Emby Alternatives

Jellyfin is a volunteer-built, self-hosted media server that gives you full control over your personal media library. It runs on your own hardware and streams to virtually any device, with no subscription fees, no tracking, and no company deciding what you can watch or how.

The core use case is organizing and streaming media you already own. Movies are presented with artwork and metadata, TV shows are sorted by season automatically, and music is organized by artist and playlist. Beyond video and audio, Jellyfin also handles books, comics, magazines, and photos, making it a single place to manage most personal media types.

Live TV and DVR support lets you watch broadcast television and schedule automatic recordings directly through Jellyfin, which expands what the server can do beyond a static library. SyncPlay allows multiple users to watch the same content in sync, useful for remote movie nights with friends or family.

Clients are available across a wide range of platforms through both official and third-party apps, so your library travels with you. The web interface is the primary access point, but dedicated apps extend playback to phones, TVs, and other devices.

Jellyfin is licensed under the GNU GPL, meaning the source is open and any modifications must remain open under the same terms. No paid tiers. No hidden costs. No central servers collecting usage data. The project is funded entirely by user donations and run by volunteers.

It's a direct alternative to services like Plex or Emby, both of which have moved toward subscription models or proprietary features. Jellyfin's entire feature set is available without paying anything, to anyone, including commercial use. If you want a dedicated music server alongside it, Navidrome pairs well for audio-only streaming.

Kodi is a full media center built to run on your TV, turning any compatible device into an entertainment hub. It handles virtually every media type you own: movies, TV shows, music, photos, and even games. The interface is designed for big screens and remote controls, not mice, making it a natural fit for living room setups.

At its core, Kodi is a local media organizer. Point it at your collection and it pulls in artwork, cast info, genres, and episode details automatically. Your movie shelf becomes a browsable library. TV shows stay organized by season and episode. Music gets proper album art and playlist support, including party shuffle modes.

Beyond stored media, Kodi supports live TV and PVR recording through popular backends like Jellyfin, MythTV, Tvheadend, NextPVR, and MediaPortal. You can watch and record live broadcasts without leaving the interface.

Key capabilities include:

• Music playback with broad format support, playlists, and party mix modes
• Movie and TV libraries with automatic metadata, artwork, and cast info
• Photo slideshows displayed on your main screen
• Live TV and PVR recording via multiple backend integrations
• Game emulation with support for a wide range of emulators and game controllers
• Add-on ecosystem built and maintained by the community

Kodi sits in a different category from media server tools like Emby or Plex. Those are built around streaming to clients; Kodi is the client itself, running directly on the playback device. It can, however, connect to various backends and network sources.

It's entirely community-built and free, with no subscription tiers or feature paywalls. Everything it does is available out of the box.