Emby vs Jellyfin
Pros and cons
Each app's own strengths and weaknesses, plus the specs where Emby and Jellyfin differ.
Emby
Pros
- Apps for most TVs
- Per-user parental controls
- Video, music and photo libraries
Cons
- Full app access needs Premiere
- DVR and offline downloads paid
- Hardware transcoding needs Premiere
Jellyfin
Pros
- Every feature included
- Fast hardware transcoding
- Playback without an account
- Completely free
- Open-source licence
Cons
- Remote access is DIY
- Clients vary in polish
- Setup needs homelab know-how
Emby vs Jellyfin: specs side by side
Every spec for both apps in one table. Values in bold are where one app has the edge, and amber ones are worth a second look before you install.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free + Paid | Advantage: Free |
| Licence | Proprietary | Advantage: GPL-2.0 |
| Install options | Docker + Linux · macOS · Windows | Docker + Linux · macOS · Windows |
| Clients | iOS · Android · macOS · Windows · Linux | iOS · Android · macOS · Windows · Linux |
| Web UI | Yes | Yes |
| Architecture | x86 + ARM | x86 + ARM |
| Containers | 1The app alone | 1The app alone |
| Database | SQLite | SQLite |
| Runtime | .NET | .NET |
Updated