The other option is to buy a Plex Pass, which is like a subscription service that removes the limitations for as long as you are subscribed. If you only need a single app, you may wish to just activate that single app. The Plex mobile apps for Android and iOS (including iPadOS) require a one-time activation fee of $4.99 to remove the one-minute streaming limit that exists for video and music content. Most of the client apps have always been free. Plex Media Server still works on older hardware but it will automatically disable transcoding if the hardware is insufficient, and playback will suffer. The more users you expect to watch at once, the better hardware you want.

In addition to always being on, you'll want the server computer to have a decent amount of processing power to handle the aforementioned transcoding. There's no point in having a comprehensive streaming solution for all your personal media needs if the content is offline. Regardless of your chosen platform, ensure it's a computer that's always turned on. You can install Plex on Windows, Linux, macOS, and even on dedicated server software like FreeNAS and on NAS hardware like the Synology system (you can see all their supported platforms for the Media Server app here). Home Is Where The Server Isįirst, you need to nominate a device as a server to house all of your files and run Plex Media Server. Before you begin, you'll need to decide which device to use as a server and whether there are Plex apps available for your chosen clients (fortunately, Plex also functions as a DLNA server for unsupported devices). Plex is simple to manage and easy to use once you have set it up.

Plex Media Server 1.32.5.7328 free