Jellyfin
Free, open-source, self-hosted media server for video, music, and photos, with no account required and no telemetry.
Reviewed by Marcus Holmberg
Replace today: Plex Netflix
The Best Private Media Servers in 2026
Private alternatives to Plex, Netflix, vetted against our public criteria.
Showing 3 of 3
Navidrome
Open-source, self-hosted music server compatible with the Subsonic API, giving any Subsonic client access to your personal library.
Kavita
Open-source, self-hosted reading server for manga, comics, and ebooks, with a built-in browser reader.
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How they compare
Streaming services rent you a library that can vanish when a license lapses, and even Plex now routes account features and some playback data through its cloud. A media server runs on your own hardware and streams your own video and music libraries to any device, books included, with no subscription and no account watching what you play. You supply the storage, and in return the library answers only to you.
Why you can’t just turn off tracking in Plex
A streaming subscription is a license, not ownership, so the catalog shifts under you and the app reports what you watch back to the company, with no setting to opt out of either. Plex sits in between: self-hosted for the files, but increasingly tied to its own cloud account and analytics, and some features now route through its servers whether you want that or not. You cannot configure your way out of a product whose business is moving toward the cloud. A server you fully control keeps working with no subscription, and it never keeps score of your viewing, which is what every pick here is built to do.
What to look for in a media server
The core is simple: software you host that indexes your files and streams them to apps on your TV and phone. Look for a fully open-source server like Jellyfin with no mandatory account and no phone-home. Beyond that, broad client support matters so the household will actually use it, as does hardware transcoding if you want to reach weaker devices. Music and books have their own strong specialists, Navidrome for audio and Kavita for reading, which is why people often run more than one. The thing that matters most is that the server reports nothing about what you play.
How we pick these servers
Every server here is measured against our public listing criteria: a fully open-source codebase you or anyone else can inspect, with no mandatory account or usage telemetry. We also require active maintenance and real client apps across the devices a household actually uses. We weigh how self-contained a server is, because the whole point is a library that does not depend on someone else’s cloud staying online. We only list software we would run on our own hardware at home, and we note where a server is strong on video but leaner on music or books.
What you get and what you give up
The honest trade is effort for control. You supply an always-on computer and the storage, and you handle the backups and the occasional update, none of which a paid subscription asks of you. What you get back is a library that no licensing deal can quietly delete, that costs nothing per month and reports nothing about your viewing to anyone. For people who already own the films and music they watch, that trade usually favors the server, since the catalog stops being something a company can change under you.
How to switch
Point a server at the media you already have, install the matching app on your TV and phone, and you have your own private streaming service. Start with one media type, video is the usual first, and add music or books later with a second server. The trade is that you supply the storage and the upkeep, in exchange for a library that no licensing deal can quietly delete. If you are leaving Plex specifically, our Plex alternatives page walks through the move.
Frequently asked
- How is this different from Plex?
- Plex is self-hosted for the files, but it increasingly routes account features and some discovery through its own cloud and collects usage data. The servers here are fully open source with no mandatory account, so the library answers only to you and nothing reports what you play.
- What do I need to run one?
- Any always-on computer works, from an old laptop to a NAS or a small home server, plus the media files you already own. You install the server software and point it at your files, then use a companion app on your TV or phone. Hardware transcoding helps if you stream to weaker devices.
- Can I watch outside my home network?
- Yes. These servers can stream to you when you are away, either through a built-in remote-access option or by connecting over your own VPN back home. Streaming over your own connection keeps the traffic between your devices rather than routing it through a company's cloud.
- Is running my own server hard to maintain?
- There is real setup the first time, and you are responsible for backups and the occasional update. After that, a media server mostly runs quietly in the background. The trade is upkeep in exchange for a library no licensing deal can quietly delete, which many people find well worth it.
- Will it work on my TV and phone?
- Generally, yes. The open servers here have companion apps for common TVs, streaming sticks, phones, and web browsers, so the whole household can use them. Client support varies by server, so it is worth checking that your specific devices are covered before you commit to one.
- Can one server handle video as well as music and books?
- Some try to cover everything, while others focus on one type and do it really well. A common setup is one server for video and a second for music or books, each pointed at the matching folder. They run side by side on the same machine, so you are not forced to pick just one.