Free, open-source alternatives to Emby
Media server with a paid Premiere tier. 3 apps you can run yourself instead of Emby, sorted by how well they replace it. Each one is open source, so your data stays with you.
JellyfinBest match
Media server for audio, video, books, comics, and photos with a sleek interface and robust transcoding capabilities. Almost all modern platforms have clients, including Roku, Android TV, iOS, and Kodi.
Kyoo
Innovative media browser designed for seamless streaming of anime, series and movies, offering advanced features like dynamic transcoding, auto watch history and intelligent metadata retrieval.
Kodi
Multimedia/Entertainment center, formerly known as XBMC. Runs on Android, BSD, Linux, macOS, iOS and Windows.
Side by side
Why replace Emby?
Emby works, but your data lives in someone else's account, the price can change at any time, and features can disappear. An open-source app you run yourself is yours: you choose where it runs, who can see the data, and when to update.
Questions
What is the best free alternative to Emby?
Jellyfin is the closest open-source replacement for Emby in our list. Kyoo and Kodi are worth a look too, depending on what you need.
Can I self-host an alternative to Emby?
Yes. All 3 apps on this page are open source and can run on your own server, usually with Docker, or on a managed host that installs them for you.