When comparing Plex vs Emby, the Slant community recommends Plex for most people. In the question“What is the best home media server?” Plex is ranked 2nd while Emby is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose Plex is:
It's pretty hard to find a NAS or STB that doesn't support Plex.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Supported on many devices
It's pretty hard to find a NAS or STB that doesn't support Plex.
Pro Accessible via web browser
A modern web browser is enough to get everything Plex has to offer.
Pro Added lots of media databases
Metadata for media files will automatically be updated by using media databases. This provides posters, movie trailers, descriptions, information about actors, etc.
Pro Easy to use and configure
But with tons of advanced configuration options available for those that want them.
Pro Awesome support
Active and lively support forums where the developers and other users engage to quickly resolve any issues you may experience, which will be few and far between anyway.
Pro Live TV and DVR functionality
Add the Premiere option for around $5.00 per month and you get a full featured DVR that will play and record Live OTA TV, IPTV, Cable or Satellite signal and a great EPG (Electronic Program Guide)
Cons
Con Needs registration
You need a PLEX account even if you use it on your local LAN.
Con Proprietary software
Unfree software.
Con No gapless audio-playback
Plex still does not support gapless playback of audio files such as mp3 or FLAC.
Con Playback error: This server is not powerful enough to convert video
More hardware requirements on Plex due to a useless/non-intuitive transcoder. When using lower spec hardware (eg SBC) Plex will not transcode or play HD+ videos. When compared to other packages (eg Jellyfin which transcodes nicely using FFMeg), Plex falls short on video playback and transcode settings to get videos to play (fastest/lightest option still fails).
