Survey suggests users are slowly ditching Plex for its big rivals

Plex is undeniably a giant in the personal media streaming world, especially for those who prefer to own their content rather than rely on traditional channels. It easily transforms almost any device into a comprehensive media hub that’s self-organized and enjoyable to use.

From its humble beginnings, Plex has undergone significant expansion. It has evolved into a full-fledged streaming solution, but more restrictions and paywalls are gradually becoming part of the experience.

My colleague, Karandeep Singh, wrote about his deteriorating relationship with Plex, recalling that it was once the first thing he installed on his home server. Recently, he’s been searching for an alternative.

Is Plex losing users to its rivals?

It’s a great time to do just that, too. There are numerous Plex alternatives available, including the excellent enthusiast tool Jellyfin and the attractive Emby. But if you’re a long-time Plex user, have you felt the need to switch to one of these products? We recently conducted a reader survey to gather your views.

Of the 7,500+ votes received in the poll, more than 30% of users have already left Plex for one of its rivals. Around 46% are considering their options, while 22.9% are sticking with Plex through thick and thin. These results highlight some of the service’s recent challenges, a complete turnaround from years prior.

We ran a similar poll in June 2022, asking users if they had considered switching away from Plex. Approximately 46.6% of the ~5,500 respondents were “happy with Plex,” while 22.5% were using either Emby or Jellyfin as their media server of choice.

While I cannot directly compare the results of the two polls, it’s interesting to note the smaller share of voters committed to Plex in the latest survey.

Plex’s hold on the home streaming market may be regressing. However, reader comments highlighted both sides: those who stand by Plex and those who’ve left the service.

Several users lament the commercialization of Plex.

“Plex reminds me of just about EVERY other developer of [a] product, that when it gains user traction, begins to implement restrictions,” wrote reader 5320567.

Reader ShotFromGuns echoed this sentiment:

I just wish Plex hadn’t gone chasing VC money, because now they’re locked into ads, their own streaming offerings, and social media features nobody asked for. I would have no problem with them charging money for features on the self-hosting side of things if that were what they actually focused on. But instead it seems like our money is just going towards making the service we paid for worse.

Reader themorisonclan added: “Yeah, Plex is a dead duck, had a Plex Pass for life that I bought in 2015. But to be honest, Emby knocks the life out of Plex.”

This view is by no means universal, though.

Many who’ve invested in the Plex Pass see no reason to consider anything else. Per jrrusso16:

[I’m] also an early Plex user. I bought the Plex lifetime pass. I set my menus to open up for my library, and most of the friction this user article talked about really isn’t an issue.

Commenter pjbeal reinforced this:

But if you already have lifetime Plex Pass you may aswell stick with it. As let’s face it, Jellyfin is nice and free but it is leaps and bounds behind Plex.

And, speaking of Jellyfin, redphyve highlighted a key reason why some users may not be on board with switching services:

I am afraid my migration to Jellyfin was a complete disaster. I have 4 hard drives with my films and series. It genuinely took close to 4hrs to catalogue my drives. It incorrectly named films and downloaded the wrong posters and film information. It was as complete a cluster fuck as it could ever have been. Even the app wasn’t available on two of my televisions.

I just deleted it, reinstalled Plex and carried on with my day. Plex found everything, I got my film posters and info back with no issues.

Plex is by no means an ailing service. It still enjoys strong community support with a committed core user base. It remains easy to use, packed with features, and for those with a lifetime Plex Pass, it is the obvious choice for their media streaming needs. However, based on our findings, it’s clear that the company is facing significant competition from alternatives. Is that a negative? Not at all, at least not for consumers who’ve invested in their personal media streaming setups.

What are your thoughts regarding the current state of Plex? Do you believe that it’s worth shopping around for alternatives? Let’s continue the debate below.