I was just forwarded this someone in my household who watches our server. That's it folks. I've been a hold out for a long time, but this is honestly it.
They want me to pay to stream content that I bought from my hardware transcoded also on my hardware.
I'll say it. As of today, I say Plex is dead. Luckily I've been setting up Jellyfin, I guess it's time to make it production ready.
Edit I have a Plex Pass. More comments saying "Just buy a plex pass" are seriously not getting it. I have a Plex Pass and my users are still getting this.
They can just adjust their pricing like that without a warning before hand? Who do they think they are?
Sad to see Plex becoming another target of enshittification.
why would someone enjoy paying for what was free?!
Right? Absolutely ludicrous. I can't get over how they can be so arrogant to think they deserve money for that. It's core functionality that existed before they forked off of emby. They didn't even write that code. Then they have no infrastructure for it, because it transcodes and streams from my server over my network. Any infrastructure they have in that process is nothing I wanted (looking at the auth that for some reason needs to phone home).
No, this is too far, I'm officially leaving Plex.
And Jellyfin shall welcome you with open sourcey arms.
add some wireguard leases so that you can share access to it with your friends, and presto :)
What do you mean for wireguard? Can't they just access it directly?
I mean if you want to open up your network to the outside, sure. but a VPN would be a bit more safer, right?
Ah okay, yes I have another thread open elsewhere talking about that exact thing.
Guess how you would get around Plex's remote streaming fees. Guess what service would be appropriate for tricking two devices into thinking they're on the same local network.
Incorrect.
They are not charging for local streaming on your network. They are just charging for remote streaming, something that wasn't part of emby, does use their servers and network bandwidth, and chews up a huge amount of development time.
For comparison, do let us all know which media server youre jumping to that supports secure and seamless remote streaming across a wide variety of devices and ecosystems
Just buy a lifetime Plex Pass and pay for the software you use. If you had years ago this wouldn't be a problem and you literally would not notice that money being gone at this point.
$150 to perpetually operate a media server with free software updates is a ridiculous deal.
Define remote streaming, because they all support it unless there's some term I don't know about. Jellyfin allows me to remote stream out of the box - just like Plex used to.
The only thing I can think of that you're referring to is the proxied streaming thing, which I don't care about anyway. Jellyfin connects directly to my new server
Streaming outside your local network. And no jellyfin does not.
It most definitely does.
Jellyfin doesnt give a shit about where the server is in the slightest.
Alright then stop bitching about Plex and go use jellyfin if it's so easy.
I do.
And I wasn't bitching about Plex. This was my first comment in this thread.
That said, I'm also a lifetime Plex Pass subscriber, since waaaayyyyy back. And I'll add that this is clearly a shitty money grab, and Plex deserves the complaints.
You realize that if you're using Wireguard or a vpn tunnel to connect to Jellyfin remotely, then that would also entirely get around Plex's paid for remote streaming, right?
I'm not, but also as I pointed out thats already irrelevant to me. I have a lifetime subscription, and have for a loooonnggg time.
That doesnt make it any less of a shitty cash grab just because it doesnt impact me at all.
It's not a cash grab. It a change to their pricing model. They've added this fee while removing the unlock fees for their Android and iOS apps. Basically just shifting their structure of recouping development costs from all android and iOS users, to just server owners without a Plex pass.
The drastic changes in limits are a cash grab.
There is now a subscription requirement for the server owners or the users. This is not a Plex Pass only approach, there is a Watch subscription as well.
It is a cash grab. Its also not their first, and won't be their last.
Its why I use JF despite being a lifetime Plex pass subscriber.
No. This is completely factually wrong.
A) there is no watch subscription required at all if the server owner has a Plex pass.
B) it is still entirely free to stream on your local network, regardless of whether or not you have a Plex pass.
So like I said, if you use Jellyfin with wireguard you can use Plex exactly the same way with exactly the same fees (none), if you pay for a Plex pass, then your fees just went down as users no longer have to pay to unlock the android and iOS apps.
You should probably re-read what I said, you seem to be missing the italicized or in there.
Anyway, enjoy your day. You have zero chance of convincing me that this is anything other than the latest cash grab. Its why they've been going downhill for years - features no one asked for that exclusively provide them profit options, usually breaking something else.
Goodbye.
Yeah, you should probably reread what I pointed out, which is that previously every single iOS and Android user had to pay to use those apps, regardless of whether or not the server owner was paying for a Plex pass.
Pro tip: if you're going to be a blind, stick your head in the sand ostrich, and not listen to people or consider what they have to say, then say so up front, or here's a trick: don't waste people's time coming into a discussion forum at all.
Good, enjoy living in a naiive fantasy world where software gets ridden by magical angels who don't need money for food and rent.
Goodbye permanently.
Lmfao, blocking someone for disagreeing with you about whether or not a Plex pricing change was a rip off.
And people wonder how the internet ended up as a collection of filter bubbles where you only hear what you want to hear. Try growing a skin.
Just an outside perspective here - its probably more about how you comment than what's in it.
If you replied to me like that I'd block you too.
Yeah, I replied saltily after they shut down and said 'nuh uh I'm not listening'.
Before that I was literally just having a discussion about Plex's pricing model. Probably shouldn't have so boldly said 'factually incorrect' but is that really what you'd block someone over?
Going through your comments, it was way more than just that one. You're pretty salty all over this thread, and you're not really reading what people are saying, just repeating a lot.
So probably I would too, yeah.
Uh it absolutely does. Bare minimum to do it is the exact same effort as plex. Forward a port.
Lol, if you expose a Jellyfin server to the open internet you deserve what happens to your devices.
OP HAS a plex pass
No they don't. If they did their users wouldn't get this message.
So you're calling OP a liar?
Yeah, or that they misconfigured something or didn't sign into their account, or that it's a random bug.
Because if you have a Plex pass your users don't have to pay anything for remote streaming. And OP is apparently unaware of the well publicized change so I'm thinking they're the unreliable narrator.
I have a lifetime pass. Shared user got this message. It seems like a generic alert to people without a pass.
@potpotato @masterspace oml, that's completely bollocks. I guess I might not bother getting it running again - bought a lifetime pass ages ago, and have run multiple servers on and off. But if sharing to my family isn't free anymore, there's no point in running it.
Jesus, please read the other comments.
If you have a pass, it’s free to share for you and your guests.
Plex may no longer be a value, but this doesn’t really change anything for passholders. To OP’s point, even if they change the terms in the future, they’ve pulled enough value for the cost and are therefore happy with the service.
Then its a bug, go read their website. If you buy a Plex Pass as a server owner your users do not need to pay.
I'm sorry, what? How does me hosting my content on my server connected to the Internet with a connection I pay for, to a remote client that I own and also connected to the Internet that I pay for, "use their servers and network bandwidth"? How is basic remote streaming functionality that existed for the entire time I've used it "chew up a huge amount of development time"?
Their development time - the things they're bleeding self-hosted users to fund through this change - is entirely focused on their AVOD-hosting, SVOD-hub garbage that every other streaming startup is doing.
If youre using something like a VPN to connect to your local network you wouldn't need to pay. What you're basically paying to support is the ability to connect to your server from anywhere in the world in a secure manner.
This means they're managing the routing and security elements (on their hardware), which isn't offered by any open source software. The only software I know comes close would be syncthing where people host routing servers.
You know what's a bigger deal? Zero bucks (but please donate to jellyfin as it's only fair) when you already have your server from which Plex streams your content from and add Wireguard for remote access.
Lmao.
Yeah the difference is voluntary. If i can choose to donate $50 to help development on an open source project, or be forced to pay $150 to support some fucking corporate enshittification, youre damn sure id rather donate. But the point is no one has to if they don't want to or can't afford it.
I paid $150 like 8 years ago for rock solid media server software with continual updates and client applications continuously updated for virtually every platform available.
You have to be insanely entitled and whiny to think that's corporate enshittification or a bad value. Get some perspective.
Yeah my perspective is that an open source app that never charges you is better than one than literally fits the definitikn of enshittification by charging more money while decreasing functionality.
First of all, no, that is not the literal definition of enshittification. If you want to be literal about it, enshittification specifically refers to the nature of two sided platforms and how they tend towards shit, not that every pricing change from every company / product in general is always shitty.
Second of all, this is the first change to their pricing structure in a decade of continuous development. Like kindly fuck off and wait for a second data point before screaming that they're greedy devils trying to fuck you.
Thirdly, this is an incredibly minor change to their pricing structure, and one that makes sense. Previously you had to pay for the Android and iOS client applications no matter what, even if you were paying for a Plex pass. Now the Android and iOS apps no longer have an unlocking fee so users pay nothing, just the server owner, and again, it's all entirely free for over a decade of great server software, if you just pay $150 once. It's an insanely reasonable deal.
Fourthly, if you want to use Jellyfin remotely, guess what you need to do? Set up wireguard or a private vpn tunnel to make it appear like your client devices are on the same local network as your server. Now, guess how you can get around Plex charging for remote streaming....
They announced this ahead of time. I got the email. They gave everyone a heads up with enough time to buy a lifetime Plex pass at the previous rate.
I see, thanks for clarifying.
This was announced weeks ago.