For me, the value add of Plex is their maintenance and support of the apps on various platforms and the authentication and connection management. I do have my server port forwarded, so there’s no reason for them to handle my media streams. Being able to tell a new user that all they need to do is download an app from a trusted app repository and create a free account so I can invite them to my libraries is a super simple experience for most skill levels and well worth the $60 or so I spent on a lifetime Plex pass over a decade ago.
I get that there are use cases where it makes more sense to go with a completely free solution like JellyFin, but many critics of Plex act like ALL they are doing is serving user-supplied media on a web server, and that’s a gross misrepresentation of their offering.
I don’t love the IPTV stuff that they do, but it’s not that difficult to tweak the current app so that only my libraries are shown. Compared to an experience like my smart TV which is shoving ads down my throat and adding steps to get to the apps I want, it’s an experience I can live with if it keeps Plex in the black.
For me, the value add of Plex is their maintenance and support of the apps on various platforms and the authentication and connection management. I do have my server port forwarded, so there’s no reason for them to handle my media streams. Being able to tell a new user that all they need to do is download an app from a trusted app repository and create a free account so I can invite them to my libraries is a super simple experience for most skill levels and well worth the $60 or so I spent on a lifetime Plex pass over a decade ago.
I get that there are use cases where it makes more sense to go with a completely free solution like JellyFin, but many critics of Plex act like ALL they are doing is serving user-supplied media on a web server, and that’s a gross misrepresentation of their offering.
I don’t love the IPTV stuff that they do, but it’s not that difficult to tweak the current app so that only my libraries are shown. Compared to an experience like my smart TV which is shoving ads down my throat and adding steps to get to the apps I want, it’s an experience I can live with if it keeps Plex in the black.