this post was submitted on 01 May 2025

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That's all folks, Plex is starting to charge for sharing (poptalk.scrubbles.tech)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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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.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

In case people aren't clear on what's happening, here is a graphic that illustrates what's happening.

[–] WhyJiffie 6 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I have never used plex, and never will because I like my privacy, but that 20 usd a year does not sound much. thats less than 2 usd a month

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago

People are angry because everyone's spent too much time on social media and are used to assuming the worst and flying off the handle.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

the people giving their bandwidth away for free now want money to pay their bills?

To clarify, I disagree with needing an account (sharing my email) with Plex in the first place, and personally would not purchase what is essentially a CDN or VPN depending on how plex distributes your content to your end users. However, from these comments it seems like this was a free service they offered and now want money for it, because it is not profitable. Enshittification? Sure, but not unexpected. Apparently this doesn’t affect you if you stream locally either.

This does complicate things though since now users have to consider paying a subscription for network security or begin distributing OpenVPN configurations to people. In some cases it won’t be possible, like on your TV.

I’ll share my secret: configure your VPN so only select traffic is sent down it and if you’re on iOS, AirPlay it to the television if it supports it. Or you can connect a raspberry pi up to it.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 12 hours ago

That's essentially my point of view. Plex enshittified. I was angry at how they handled the enshittification, throwing my users into a flurry, but I'm also not surprised that they're doing it.

[–] gravitas_deficiency 13 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

jellyfin noises intensify

[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago (5 children)

Ok, how do you access Jellyfin remotely?

Well you have to setup wireguard or a vpn tunnel to trick your device to thinking it's on the same local network as your server.

Ok, how do you think you can avoid paying Plex's remote streaming if you really really don't want to just buy a lifetime Plex pass?

[–] WhyJiffie 8 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

its not tricking your device, that's how you maintain a connection to your home network. you don't even need to send all traffic through the tunnel, most wireguard apps can do split tunneling per app.

setting up wireguard is really not that hard, and you don't even need to update it because it's in the kernel.

Ok, how do you think you can avoid paying Plex's remote streaming if you really really don't want to just buy a lifetime Plex pass?

with wireguard.

or open up 80 and 443 and let the fun begin if you are adventurous.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

I think you're missing my point. What will Plex see your streaming as if it's behind wireguard: local, or remote?

[–] WhyJiffie 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I put my bets on local

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago

So then OPs complaints about charging for remote streaming are irrelevant...

[–] piccolo 6 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (2 children)

The vpn is only needed for if

A. Your behind a CGNat

B. On a dynamnic ip and dont want to setup a dyndns.

C. isolating your network from the outside for security reasons.

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[–] ohshit604 5 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

Ok, how do you access Jellyfin remotely?

WireGuard. VPN’s are more than just hiding your IP behind another country, they allow you to access resources that are not available to the world-wide-web.

Linking a relevant comment I made

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (2 children)

Yes, now keep going with that train of thought and imagine what would happen if you put Plex behind the same wireguard setup. Specifically whether or not Plex would consider that local or remote streaming.

[–] WhyJiffie 4 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

plex should consider that local, because now your traffic goes through that network, and reaches computers and services on that network. except if it relies on broadcasts, because wireguard does not forward broadcasts, but even with jellyfin that only affects automatic server discovery and DLNA, if you type in the URL it will work

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Yes, so then OPs issue with Plex charging for remote streaming are irrelevant.

By nature of setting up Wireguard for Jellyfin, you've eliminated the entire purpose of switching to Jellyfin in the first place.

[–] WhyJiffie 4 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

you've eliminated the entire purpose of switching to Jellyfin in the first place.

if we are only looking at this issue, then yes

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Outside of ideological reasons or fears of further enshittification, is there anything Jellyfin does better? (Honest question)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I'd say hw enc/dec, flexibility on the UI, and plugins still being an options are the big ones.

Along with not having to disable online media sources. Also not having to deal with cert pinning is a major benefit too. No external outage breaks your use.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Doesn't Plex now have hw encoding / decoding?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago

They do, but JF has been more broadly supporting of GPUs than Plex in my experience.

[–] ohshit604 1 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Apologies I neglected to the read your entire comment, all in all I suspect it’ll be a logistical nightmare for Plex.

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[–] gravitas_deficiency 4 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I’ve got a lifetime plex pass I picked up on a deal ages ago; at this point it’s more that I don’t like the direction that plex is taking the platform, and policies like this fall under that dislike.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago) (1 children)

why can’t you expose it like Plex? You can do it… I don’t get your comment

Just open the right ports or config a reverse proxy 🤔. No need for a VPN

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

https://github.com/jellyfin/jellyfin/issues/5415

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago

Understandable, then I guess you can still try to reverse proxy it with an unknown route like myserver.com/ld5S7fR1Z4D7ZlR/ which isn't ideal but might still be a way. Not sure if that's really secure though, but at least it should prevent scraping

IP whitelisting might also be a thing, but it's a pain to setup and the VPN solution might be easier 👀

Let's hope they address those issues.

[–] [email protected] 61 points 1 day ago (8 children)

I have a Plex Pass and my users are still getting this.

To be crystal clear to anyone getting this email: if the server admin has a Plex Pass, users need to do nothing to continue as normal. The streaming pass is only for users who aren’t connecting to a server that has a Plex Pass.

What I find shitty about this is that it’s being indiscriminately sent to every Plex account. There’s bound to be lots of people who don’t understand what this means who will be tricked into buying a streaming pass they don’t need at all. I’ve been getting messages from my users all day asking wtf is going on, and I’m getting tired of trying to convince them to just ignore the email.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Who do you think it should be sent to? Only server owners?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 hours ago

Given Plex’s users, I think it’s appropriate to notify everyone with a Plex account for changes like that. No issue there.

What I take issue with is that email. It’s at best lazy and at worst manipulative. It’s worded like “if you stream media you need to buy this new pass”. Ok, clear. This free app I use now costs money.

But then they slap on “alternatively, if you connect to a server with a Plex Pass don’t worry about it”. But that’s not something the majority of consume-only users are going to understand. I have about 15 regular users and the only one who knew what that meant was the one who runs their own Plex server.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago

I asked around a bit, but so far none of my users have recieved an email. Other people with their own server (and a plex pass) also haven't gotten any complains. But I pretty much only have two types of users, own server + plex pass or no pass but almost certainly only connected to my server (mostly family).

It seems the e-mails were quite selectivly send out only to people that were actually affected by the change.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 22 hours ago

Yeah if I didn't buy lifetime pass for like $50 years and years ago I'd be done with Plex probably.

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