Self-hosting is an increasingly popular alternative for those looking to escape the convoluted (and expensive) content-streaming landscape and return to a more traditional personal ownership approach to their media collection. Once you’ve bought your fancy new Network Attached Storage (NAS) and filled it with your favorite movies, the next step is to figure out what software to run on it.
There are at least two solid options for serving up your media collection; it’s a choice of Jellyfin vs Plex. Plex is the big name in town, but installing it didn’t cross my mind after recently rebuilding my DIY NAS. I’ve never been keen on Plex’s increasing insistence on serving up third-party content, and the all too real risk of compromised user data (as the recent data leak showed) doesn’t gel with the true self-hosted ethos. I’m not alone in looking for a solid Plex alternative.