When I first set up my NAS, I seriously thought that Plex and Jellyfin alone would be enough to give me a complete Netflix-like experience. And they sure did when I was new to the whole thing. But as I learned more and came to realize over time that the sky is the limit with my NAS, I started digging deeper and unearthed a whole world of plugins and add-ons. These are the ones that make these apps smart, and now I wonder why I didn’t start using them earlier.

Here are the ones that make my NAS feel like a personal streaming service.

Tautulli

Data is everything

Streaming services thrive on your streaming data, and Tautulli brings the same magic to Plex. It gives you deep insights based on your watch history — the time you have spent binging, what’s trending in your library, or the things you abandoned halfway.

Plus, it helps create a recommendation loop. If you notice you are binging a lot of sci-fi stuff, it will suggest what to add next to your list. It even notifies me when something lands in the library. On my NAS, it runs via Docker, so it stays out of the way after I set it up.

Trakt.tv

Something I’d go mad without

Media servers like Plex and Jellyfin already have a built-in continue-watching feature that lets you pick up right where you left off without missing a beat. However, they only work within their own services. For me, I dabble with a variety of services and devices for work, and it’s hard to keep track of what I've started and where I've left off. That’s where Trakt.tv comes into play.

This handy little tool not only makes my watchlist portable to any server, but it also syncs my watch history across apps. So I can start a show on Plex and finish it on Jellyfin — it honestly feels magical when you first use it.

OpenSubtitles

Saving you last-minute trouble

It has happened to me so many times that I started playing a movie in a language I don’t understand only to end up searching for the right subtitle file for several minutes. It kills the mood, makes my snacks go cold, and my drinks warm. With the OpenSubtitles plugin installed for both my streaming services, Plex and Jellyfin, I now avoid that last-minute rush.

OpenSubtitles downloads subtitles in a bunch of languages, and I just need to scroll through the language I want to see them in, exactly like Netflix. And they are ready to go the moment I fire up a movie.

TheMovieDB and Fanart.tv

For that extra polish

The primary function of Plex and Jellyfin is to give me a Netflix-like look and feel, which they do deliver, but only to a degree. For that extra polish, some high-quality assets, and support for new and indie titles, I turned to TMDB and Fanart.tv, and I’m not looking back.

They help supply everything from high-res posters to backdrops, trailers, and cast information. Since TMDB is more community-driven, it covers a lot more titles, especially things like that indie film doing the rounds in the circuit. If Plex’s native tool can’t find it, you’re sure to find what you want here.

Ombi

My family gets a say

I have created a collection of movies and TV shows that I like — it has some old sitcoms from the 80s, some boys' films, some high-octane, gory thrillers — but my family doesn’t share the same taste. Since my library is shared with them, they can send requests to me using Ombi, and it’s done.

I used to do it manually when I had enough requests clubbed together, but I have now automated the task with a couple of services (more on that below). It made my setup much more inclusive and accessible to my family, which was a big part of convincing them to use the home NAS.

Radarr and Sonarr

The automation duo

The two share names because they are indeed siblings — a pair that takes away a major pain point of setting up a media server: fetching files. Where Ombi works as the wishlist, Radarr and Sonarr are the delivery team. They work in the background to keep my media library up to date with automation, so I don’t need to lift a finger.

Radarr handles the movies, and Sonarr takes care of TV shows, including handling weekly episodes. Together, they make sure your NAS is always up to date and quietly fetching and organizing new content in the background.

Jellyfin’s Intro Skipper

Skip that intro

Nothing is more awkward than skipping intros of your favorite sitcom that you’ve listened to death in a binge session. Netflix knew this and made our lives easier, but you can replicate this with Jellyfin’s Intro Skipper on your personal server.

It made my binge-watching sessions a lot easier and just as seamless as any of the online streaming services. Since the plugin is part of the Jellyfin catalog, the installation is super easy, and it runs quietly in the background.

Your personal Netflix

Setting up your own media streaming server is a liberating experience and one of the smartest ways to make the most of your NAS. No matter what team you’re on — Plex or Jellyfin — you can make the setup your own with tons of customizations and plugins that work for you. While this list works for me, there are so many more custom add-ons for you to explore and use.