Plex media server: streaming your own content will be subject to a fee in future

Users of the Plex media server who want to use their home media library while traveling now have to take out a paid subscription. With the new "Remote Watch Pass" for two euros a month, movie and series lovers can buy the right to stream content from their home NAS to their hotel room or mobile devices. If you don't want this, you have to switch to alternative clients or change the media server.

Plex as a streaming intermediary

The streaming pass makes it possible to access your own Plex server from the Internet without VPN, tailscale or other methods, allowing you to continue watching your favorite series and movies on the go. Sharing your own media with friends and family is also possible – subject to the copyright issues that arise in such cases –, provided they also have an account with Plex and have paid for the "Remote Watch Pass". This costs €1.99 per month or €19.99 per year. From June 1, 2026, this price will increase to €2.99 or €29.99. However, there will no longer be an activation fee for the iOS and Android app for pass holders. Previously, users had to pay this as an in-app purchase if they wanted to stream for longer than one minute via the mobile apps.

Anyone using one of the official Plex apps will therefore have to purchase a subscription. The only way out is via a web browser: If you don't use the manufacturer's own apps and only use browser access, you can continue to do so. Provided there is a VPN or tailscale tunnel to the local network.

The move comes as no surprise: Plex announced the changes back in March and the "Remote Watch Pass" has been available since April 30, 2025. Those who want more convenience and less tinkering may even opt for the "Plex Pass" for six euros per month, which offers all kinds of streaming simplifications, such as the option to skip the opening credits of series episodes, which is familiar from commercial streaming services.

Alternatives exist

However, other media servers are also catching up with this range of functions. Jellyfin and Emby, both frequently mentioned as alternatives to Plex, offer similar convenience, but do not build a streaming platform themselves. In addition to the classic functions of a media server, Plex now offers its own web TV channels and films via video on demand. These are ad-financed, meaning that they are constantly interrupted by commercials.

The Plex media server itself remains free of charge. It is available for FreeBSD, Linux, MacOS and Windows. There are also customized Plex versions for a long list of NAS operating systems, such as Qnap, Synology, Unraid and FreeNAS. Competitor Emby also adapts its server packages to these operating systems, and all three can also be installed via Docker.

(cku)