Plex reviews from Reddit

"Running the official image in kubernetes and 100% everything works perfectly."

"I too am using a Mac Mini for Plex and related services. Works great for my needs."

"I've been running mine on a 2014 Mac Mini for over 10 years now, with no issues."

"Plex Pass get it now before the price hike. All your remote streaming users will thank you."

"Just get plex pass and all your current problems will be solved and most likely will have fewer future problems vs juggling around with remote watch pass"

"Plex Pass as the server owner will be benefit everyone that uses it. Remote watch pass will benefit you and others will have to buy their own."

"I have plex running in an Ubuntu LXC on my proxmox host. I pass through the iGPU from my i7 10700k for hardware transcoding with no issue."

"I’m using plex since Mediaportal, windows Home Server, Windows 7, Windows 10 and now since years unraid. It is so easy to use dockers and it’s so stable. I like it on unraid."

"An LXC (native Linux container) is the most efficient way to run Plex in terms of resources. It is also very flexible."

"I run Linux(proxmox) with ton of containers(plex,VPN,Minecraft,zomboid,backup,IRC,zabbix,homeassistant,nextcloud) on Lenovo Tiny with proxmox backup and its a blast."

"If it’s purely for a Plex server then I’d recommend a Mac Mini rather than laptop variant. I have a Mini M4 16GB and it purrs."

"It runs great on my Apple Silicon Mac mini - only uses 36W of power."

"AppleTV has been my best experience. We have multiple in our house because it's just so seamless"

"AppleTV or Nvidia Shield are the top 2. I have gradually pushed everyone I share my server with to use AppleTV as it is the most reliable to use especially since my media is all just 1080p."

"Apple TV works like a charm for me"

"A cheap M1 base model Mac Mini works fantastic if you go the Jellyfin route for media."

"I moved Jellyfin off my 920+ and onto a M1 Mac Mini. Good lord it’s night and day."

"Apple TV. That ticks all your boxes."

"Best plug-and-play solution"

"Mac Minis are cheap in context of everything else. Doesn't even need to be a new one. Bet you can get a used or refurbished one for a decent price"

"I use the Shield Pro for reading: ultra-smooth navigation, total compatibility, it reads absolutely everything."

"Nvidia shield pro all the way! Bought and tried both, ended up giving my brother in law the Apple TV 4K and replaced it with a shield. Audio and video (especially audio), there’s just no comparison or remotely on par with it."

"I made all my users buy a shield. Works great"

"Nvidia shield is still the best. I use that in my main theater."

"The Shield is the only one I would recommend if you want a consistently working, hassle free, and easy to manage client app."

"In my opinion, the nvidia shield still holds the crown."

"The Shield is the best, but it also comes at a cost ($200). If your not going to be using the shield for DV, or the audio pass through, I highly recommend the Onn 4k pro for $49"

"Bingo!! My shield is amazing"

"Shield TV Pro and don't look back"

"While not the cheapest, the Shield will give you the best experience, overall, especially for Dolby Vision or audio passthrough support."

"I use a 1520+ and I love it."

"Yup, new 423+ owner here and it's perfect for Plex (definitely consider snapping up the lifetime license). I used Seagate IromWolf NAS drives."

"If you need transcoding, then the 423+ is the way to go with hardware transcoding unlocked via Plex Pass."

"If you need transcoding then ds423+"

"DS423+"

"Buy 423+. We should not increase the sales on products with no HW transcoding to show Synology we are unhappy with this choice."

"I sprung for DS923+ and like it. Upgrading the RAM makes huge difference."

"I do run Plex off my NAS (a 1621+). It runs fine, but I also only stream direct while I’m at home over Ethernet, no transcoding."

"If you need transcoding; if your devices don't support playback of the format and need transcoding, or if you use certain subtitles/close-captions that re"

"I run a DS918+ with Plex installed and direct streaming a 4K remux (rip) is fine."

"Ugoos runs everything. It's a regular android box. Watching Plex on it now."

"You didn't install the right plex app then, ugos is faster and snapper and the PleX app on it is not like kodi at all."

"The Ugoos am6b+ device, loaded with coreelec."

"My firestick 4k max will lag after a while when playing huge 4k remux. I upgraded to the am6b+ and it's flawless since."

"Ugoos AM6B+ with CoreELEC"

"The Ugoos works perfect for YouTube and other apps as well, I dual boot it for IPTV and SmartTube, no problems whatsoever."

"The ugoos is currently the best for local files."

"Totally different experience with the Ugoos. Install the Plex app and I find it to be the most responsive easy to use Plex box I’ve ever owned."

"I have a Ugoos AM6B+ with coreelec for just Plex and then Apple tv for YouTube and anything else. The ugoos takes a bit of setup, but once it is dialed in it works great."

"Hands down, widest support the ugoos AM6B+ with the PM4K app running coreelec, not exactly off the self but the best media support"

"Non-audiophile/cinephile user here, I have and love the onn 4k pro. 50 bucks, and runs like a top."

"I use an ONN 4k Pro for trips."

"ONN 4K Streaming box you won’t be disappointed great device and only $20."

"I just picked up a standard and pro. For $25 & $50 I’m amazed how good they are."

"Apple TV and the Shield are both great, but the ONN is excellent as well and much cheaper."

"Thee $20 Onn 4K from Walmart is a great device and what I recommend my friends get."

"Start with Walmart's ONN 4k Pro ($50) or the $20 version. If that doesn't meet your needs, just return it."

"$49 onn 4k Pro from Walmart, if on the cheap; get the previous 2023 onn 4k for $20"

"$20 ONN Android TV box"

"I decided to separate storage and compute as well and bought an *Beelink MINI S12 N100* to run PMS and mount the media on the NAS."

"The Beelink EQ14 w/ N150, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD for $200 was a slam dunk."

"I got a Beelink S12 pro for about $159US, which would be about 120 for you - works great, very low power usage"

"Just scooped a eq12 i3 1220p. Wanted a bit of a step up from the n100 or n150"

"On AliExpress both the *Beelink S12 N100* and the *Beelink S13 N150* (16Gb + 500Gb) both go for just below €200 at the moment."

"The S12 will work good to remote server and transcode 4K streams."

"Beelink S12 with the N100 for mini PC. I here that Terramaster and Yottamaster are good DAS devices."

"I was looking to get a 423+ or 224+ as a media server + backup. Would you say an N150 would be better for this usecase?"

"Most would recommend a n100 based mini pc like the beelink mini s12."

"I use a Fire TV 4K with a wireguard vpn back to my server at home so we dont need to sign into anything and access plex etc remotely."

"A new Amazon Firestick - and whether you choose a 4k one or the standard one is up to you"

"Fire Stick 4k, and get yourself a Samsung and LG universal remote."

"Keep a fire stick 4k in my backpack for everyday and travel, never know when it’s time to watch Plex or TV."

"Fairly cheap and will wipe the floor with those…."

"Fire TV Stick"

"I bring a fire stick and have a small $40 projector that is pocket sized for when I can’t get access to the back of a tv or change the input."

"Give people most of what they need for around $50"

"Intel QuickSync is your friend. Anything 7th gen and above will have you covered for a while for transcoding."

"One with an Intel CPU to used quick sync for transcoding. AMD cpus suck at transcoding."

"Intel N100 is more than capable of running Plex, and even hardware transcoding several 1080p streams at once."

"Yeah, the A310 seems to be a great choice for transcoding."

"If I ever change out my 1080Ti I’m going to throw in an Intel Arc gpu. From what I’ve seen here they do perform really well."

"If you need gpu transcode, intel usually has better support."

"Buy something used. Maybe look into used Intel NUC 12 on ebay. Should be roughly this price range."

"Unraid as well here 😁."

"I pulled the plug on my windows machine and I’m now 2 weeks into my unraid trial and will be buying it. It’s been up for 14 days with zero hiccups. It may placebo but I feel like everything works faster on both server and client end."

"+1 for unraid"

"Unraid for the win!"

"+1 for Unraid after trying Windows and Linux (only if you want to run it on a dedicated machine)."

"I’m using Unraid, which might not be needed since you have a hypervisor handling your storage needs/expansion, but even without the storage benefits I find it makes handling containers extremely easy."

"We exclusively use Roku settop boxes (Ultra model) on all our TVs and they work fantastic and are fairly inexpensive."

"It works great on all of my Roku devices."

"The native tv programs on the samsung and lg tv's in my house eventually stop working. Used a ps4 for a bit. Then I discovered Roku Ultra's. I like that I can hard wire them to ethernet. Wifi available too. They just, work. All the time."

"We have 5 Roku. They are just dead simple, work and any non IT savvy person can pick up the remote and use it."

"I travel with a Roku Stick and GLiNet router. Works perfect for me."

"I've used Roku for ten years. The ultra has been the best. Passthrough is excellent and no trouble with my 7.1 surround and 4k TV setup. However, Roku is now playing ads when turned on before you can even get to the apps."

"I second this. Love Jellyfin."

"Just moved from Plex to Jellyfin. Much better experience and free."

"I use Infuse Pro on my Apple TV and Jellyfin on my DS218+ NAS. I also have Plex with a lifetime pass, but have switched to Jellyfin because i didn't like the commercial direction in which Plex was going."

"Jellyfin, Emby, or Channels."

"I wish Jellyfin was better than it is. Now it's the best option we have."

"Jellyfin, as for clients try streamyfin on mobile"

"The benefit of Emby is it has fulltime developers not just labor of love open source developers. I have none of the UI concerns that people who use PleX have been complaining about, nor do they try to push commercial services on you"

"Emby works 99% of the time. Jellyfin I believe is a fork of Emby from before Emby went closed source."

"Emby."

"Thanks! Checking out Emby."

"I tried Plex once but love Emby. I bought a lifetime premiere after week of trying it out. I have 3 libraries and 6 users one of which is remote."

"I run mine on a docker container on Ubuntu server and have had no issues at all so far"

"I run Plex Media Server bare metal on Ubuntu 24.04 desktop. Media on Synology NAS accessed via NFS. Solid as a rock."

"Docker on linux and it's not even close."

"Works great on linux. docker also a solid option. GPU HW transcoding works fine in both."

"The DAS works flawlessly with Plex, I also dropped a 10gb nic card in the server and basically turned the DAS into a NAS for the home"

"I picked up a Terramaster D6-320 and have had nothing but good experiences with it."

"Just got a 9th gen HP Elite Mini for £100 on eBay."

"I've been using HP EliteDesk 800 G3 Mini i5-6500T 16GB RAM that I bought for $63 and it's been working great as DNS server, Plex server, and Minecraft server."

"7th gen or later Intel CPU with Quick Sync graphics (no F model CPUs), Nvidia 1050 Ti or later with any Intel or AMD CPU for 4K HDR video transcoding."

"Team blue (cpu and gpu) and team green (gpu) are the for sure option when it comes to plex."

"I picked up a lenovo office pc used on Facebook marketplace with an ssd, 16gb ram and an i5 10400 for £100 last year. It's pretty much perfect for this!"

"I got myself a used Lenovo ideacentre mini 5i with an i3-10100 for just over 100. Been going well so far."

"I use a Chromecast 4k, works great and has NordVPN app if needed."

"I use Google TV chromecast dongles without issue."

"Fairly cheap and will wipe the floor with those…."

"Give people most of what they need for around $50"

"I now have an Intel NUC for compute, with a nice big (non Intel) NAS for pure storage."

"I was using an intel NUC (10th gen i3 iirc) for plex and it died after 3 years, I was really disappointed."

"Used mini office PCs like the Dell OptiPlex Micro, HP Elitedesk, or Lenovo Tiny series with an Intel chip that has Quick Sync are perfect for Plex."

"Buy a Zidoo z9x 8k media player and link it to whatever NAS you like."

"I have a TS-873A (64GB Ram) with an Nvidia Quadro T400 with 4GB ram and it works great for me."

"I have a DS1522+ with 4 Western Digital "Red Plus" drives. I run Plex using the app built into the Synology software and have had no problems with it so far."

"The pc was 200 and the arc 100, it idles at like something below 20w and the GPU is beautiful, 4k to 4k HEVC with a 80mbps file not a problem."

"Since many people recommend the Ugoos I will highly recommend the Minix NEO A3 remote. It's the best for any android box like the Ugoos."

"There are some great N100 and N150-based mini PCs from BeeLink, MinisForum, and GMKtec that are fantastic little boxes."

"I have this and it’s awesome. GPU transcodes. It’s an N100."

"I got the Box R 4K Plus the other week and it's basically replaced my Shield at this point. Does everything the Shield did, and does more."

"I run mine on an intel based Geekom mini (geekompc.com). Runs superbly, transcodes with no issues and just works."

"Docker container on my OMV VM, works great for me, never any issues. Supereasy updates by just repulling the image."

"Also LXC via Proxmox works great. Gives you the additional benefit of being able to run other complementary Plex applications on the same host (e.g. arr stack)"

"I run Plex on my TrueNAS Scale server.. plus UniFi Controller and some SMB shares. I'm just using an AM5 desktop setup 7600 ASRock B650E PG Riptide Sparkle ELF A380 6GB for transcoding 2x32gb GSkill Ripjaws 6000 CAS 30 stuff HBA card flashed to IT mode 4x14TB SATA HDDs Rosewill PMG 850wtt 80+ Gold Darkrock Classico Storage Master case 1500va UPS About 40 friends and family I shar"

"Either debian or ubuntu as OS, and bare metal or through docker have been rock solid for me. The advantage to me using docker is easier to rollback a version and an “file based way” of installing/running things."

"Plexamp is amazing and I would for sure keep that for music streaming at the very least."

"Minisform ms-01 is also good."

"Docker on truenas scale server"

"I literally just switched mine off Windows. I was able to backup my data and restore it, point my libraries to the new paths and bam. All is well. I use mine to also host dedicated servers for games so I went with cachyos. Your flavor doesn't matter, but Linux is way more stable for things like Plex."

"I have mine on osmc , and run plex and the arr stack on docker, that way i can plug the hdmi into my tv and take advantage of the CEC support as well"

"I was eyeing the AOOSTAR WTR PRO but they only ship to the US and their US warehouse is empty right now. I'd be curious to know how the Zettlab D4 does and if I should seriously consider that one instead."

"There‘s no hw transcoding on AMD afaik"