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Plex Media Server vs Universal Media Server: catalog facts
Plex Media Server	Universal Media Server
Freemium Adding media and streaming it on your home network is free. Streaming your library from…	Free The open-source software is available without a license fee. Hosting, hardware and…
Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted, Web, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
Automatic matching of films, shows and music with artwork and metadata Client apps on more devices than any comparable server, including most smart TVs	Transcodes on the fly for devices that cannot play a format natively Speaks DLNA, so old TVs and consoles work without an app
Streaming from outside the home needs a paid Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass Closed source, and sign-in goes through a Plex account on the company’s servers	Transcoding is CPU-heavy on modest hardware DLNA browsing is clumsier than a dedicated client app
Self-hosted, Downloadable app, Hosted service	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
Account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Needs internet	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.