What Is Plex?

Tired of juggling streaming subscriptions? Here’s how Plex turns your personal collection into a private streaming service you can access anywhere.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, we were just getting used to the idea of large entertainment conglomerates combining all of their IP into one streaming app in an attempt to become the next Netflix. If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, the Taylor Sheridan-verse, and The Pitt, that’s three streaming subscriptions right there, not to mention any extra ones you need to watch your sport of choice. Consumers have had to make crafty decisions with their entertainment dollars, often trading subscriptions to stay thoroughly entertained.

One of the more recent trends has seen consumers going back to physical copies of movies and TV, with collectors scouring eBay listings and Goodwill bins for hard copies of their favorite titles. But that comes with its own issues. You have to make sure you have a player for the physical media. And then you have to find a place to store your now-growing physical media library. There has to be an alternative that isn’t straight-up piracy … right?

That’s where Plex comes in.

Plex is a software platform that turns your personal collection of movies, TV shows, music, and photos into your own private streaming service, accessible from anywhere on almost any device. The service has been operating, in some capacity, since 2007, ballooning to 16 million streaming subscribers by 2023—a number that has surely grown in the four years since Plex offered its own ad-supported streaming service. Plex now offers FAST (free ad-supported TV) channels alongside movies and series from some of the biggest production companies in Hollywood. You really should check out what they have to offer. But that’s not what we’re talking about right now.

What else can Plex do?

Tech-savvy users have flocked to Plex over the years primarily because of the Plex Media Server, which, in simple terms, can turn your computer into your own personal streaming service. If you’re someone who already has a library of DVDs and/or Blu-rays and a computer that’s connected to the internet, you’re off to a great start.

Plex’s Media Server does a number of things very well. First off, it’s a great way to organize your digital library of shows and movies. Through Plex, your external hard drive or personal server of MP4s is neatly filed, giving you the ability to read episode synopses, watch movie trailers, and even read critics’ reviews, all within the app. If your library is large enough, you can even search for movies and shows in your library based on actor or director names, and Plex is smart enough to group all of your Fast & Furious films under one playlist. Plex even lets you organize your personal photos and music library.

Plex doesn’t just make your content look pretty, though—that’s just the start.

That’s right, Plex takes the words “Media Server” seriously. Through its Plex Pass service, users have the ability to connect with other users on Plex, share Media Servers, and stream content from the comfort of wherever they can access Plex, which is available on the web, Apple TV, and through the Plex app on PlayStation 5 or Xbox One. It’s very easy to access your growing personal collection of TV shows and movies without having to walk to your movie shelves, open up a DVD case, and throw it into the DVD player, hoping there isn’t a scratch or some dust on the disc.

What does that mean for you?

Well, if you’re someone with a large enough collection of movies and shows, you should be able to connect the dots here. We’re living in a world where a show you were watching on Netflix last week could get canceled this week and totally removed from its servers before you even got to watch the cliffhanger at the end of the now-canceled show, and if that show never got a Blu-ray release, it’s gone forever. It’s hard for many to justify paying monthly subscriptions for that exact reason.

Plex may not be for everyone. Turning your Blu-rays into your own private Netflix can be difficult if you don’t own a disc drive or can’t troubleshoot running a media server out of the comfort of your home office. Plex lets you take some of that power back from Hollywood studios that are seemingly content with letting their streaming services fill to the brim with certified mid. The only limits on your personal Media Server are how much you’re willing to spend to stay thoroughly entertained.