I’ve never been one for media servers, as I always found the setup to be confusing at best. However, I recently discovered Jellyfin, and its extensive features and plugins convinced me to make the switch.
5
Free remote streaming
Years ago, I used Plex. And while I found it really useful, I didn’t really stick with it. Fast-forward to 2025, and Plex doesn’t seem like the same place it once was. The biggest change that turned me away—and eventually led me to Jellyfin—was the elimination of free remote streaming. Maybe I’m cheap, but free will always beat paying money.
I like to have access to my media at all times, especially when I’m traveling (which is often). I already pay for streaming services to let me do this, but something about paying a fee to access my own content rubbed me the wrong way. Luckily, Jellyfin has no such issues. You have to do the setup work yourself, of course, and you’ll probably need a tutorial, but it’s more than worth saving money. Additionally, I didn’t appreciate how Plex suddenly introduced this added price to its consumer base without much warning.
4
Self-hosting
I’ll admit that the concept of self-hosting is not something I truly understood until recently. With some research, though, it became clear just how well Jellyfin was attuned to the actual concept of self-hosting. I just want to be in control of my own media, and I want to know that it will be there in the future. Sure, my own equipment could still fail, but that would be on me.
Leaving media hosting in the hands of corporations is something of a slippery slope anyway. For example, digital games are great for convenience, but it has allowed gaming companies to control the preservation (or lack thereof) of older games. Physical media that I can back up digitally on my own server will always be preferable (and there are ways to expand your library for cheap!). Jellyfin’s open-source nature makes this easy.
3
Plugins
Yes, other media apps have a lot of neat plugins, and Jellyfins are by no means unique. But combined with everything else that the app does so well, it’s convenient to have them. One of my favorites to use for my own personal media is subtitle extraction. I’m big on subtitles, and having the capacity to extract them so they run more smoothly in the player is huge for me.
Another big discovery I’ve found in my journey is the Jellyfin skin manager, which makes using themes and different skins so much simpler. But that’s barely even scratching the surface of what Jellyfin has to offer. It’s this feature alone that has had me kicking myself that I didn’t try this manager out much sooner, but I’m forever stubborn and stuck in my ways.
2
Cinema mode
Yes, this is a relatively small feature, but my little nostalgic heart had to include it as its own entry anyway. Do you miss the old-school theatrical experience, with trailers from that time period playing before your feature? Well, cinema mode was made for you. I can’t even begin to tell you how much time I have wasted just setting up era-appropriate trailers for movies I’ve wanted to watch.
It does require a little trickery to get it working the way you want, but once you do, you’re ready for a fun-filled movie night. I’ve found that this is most fun when used in a group setting with friends or family who are equally nostalgic for the old days, but even if it’s just you, it can be worth the extra set-up time. Oh, and you can also randomize the trailer, so even you won’t know exactly what will play beforehand.
1
Customizable display
I’m not sure about you, but I’ve grown accustomed to streaming services using short previews before I watch a movie or show. If you’re like me, then you’ll appreciate Jellyfin’s built-in theme songs and videos feature. You can even use your own personal files for this or find third-party plugins for metadata. This is just one way you can really customize your display options.
You can also decide which shows and movies appear for you to watch next, how many shows and movies are displayed per page, and whether only unwatched episodes should be shown. For things that aren’t plugins, these customization options are surprisingly deep. Again, it’s nothing you wouldn’t find on other media applications, but combined, it’s a very convenient way to store your media.
For me, Jellyfin has been a blessing so far, and I don’t think I will ever go back to anything else. Of course, if you’re still using services like Plex, that’s perfectly acceptable. Maybe you’re interested in the top Plex live TV channels around? Well, we’ve got the answers for you.
