The impending tripling of Plex's Lifetime Plex Pass cost to $750 is a big change. I've been using Plex for a long time, and in that time I've had to pay for the mobile app, then not pay but have features missing without Plex Pass, and watch the UI get more crowded.

Those are all valid issues, and anyone looking for alternatives because of them is justified in doing so. I'd be doing the same thing if I was the only one using Plex at home, but I'm not, and that changes the calculus. My family uses my Plex server as well, and they're unlikely to change to a new streaming client, let alone deal with the necessities of setting up remote access to my media server.

I don't want the added burden of more devices and client apps to manage, and the eventual tech support requests. Why would I, when Plex has done the job for over a decade now? I can disagree with its business decisions and still use the core product; not everything needs to be a zero-sum game.

Plex handles remote access for me

(And more importantly, my family)

I'm a home lab and networking enthusiast, and I don't even want the hassle of setting up remote access to Jellyfin or any other media server. It's a pain for my own devices, to say nothing of the plethora of phones, tablets, and laptops used by my family members.

Plex might need Plex Pass for remote access, but that access is handled smoothly and securely by logging into your Plex account. There's no need to install a second VPN app, or configure it to get into my home network, no IP addresses to expose to friends that I grant access to.

It's simple, and the best part is that I'm not the one responsible for making it all work. It just does. No matter whether that device is a phone streaming on the way to school, a laptop streaming from a hotel room, or one of the Apple TV 4K units at home. I have enough networking headaches in my home lab, I don't want them when I'm trying to kick back and relax.

There's already an app in every App Store

Never underestimate how little friction it needs to lose a user

Plex has server downloads for almost any platform you could name, but that's my problem, not my family's. Their only concern is where to get the client app to watch media with, and that's where Plex shines. Native clients for almost any platform and app store you can think of, including consoles, streaming boxes, Android, iOS, and places you wouldn't think of, like Sonos and Alexa.

Yes, Jellyfin has apps in most of those places too. But it also has many third-party clients, with a mix of paid and free options. That's good for those who want options, bad for my family. Seriously, you try walking someone through installing the correct app over the phone. Not going to happen.

Plex has one third-party client that I could find, Plezy, which is paid on Google Play and Apple App Store, and free to download and install on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The official Plex client is everywhere and easy to find when searching, without the added confusion of paid, free, and similarly named options.

If that works for you, great! No, really, I'm glad you've found the media watching method that works for you and the people you have to share it with. It just doesn't work for us, and that's my point.

We're already grandfathered in

The cost was paid a decade ago

I picked up my Lifetime Plex Pass during the days when it was temporarily $150, but I didn't pay that much because it was on sale yearly, and it was around half that cost. That was a decade ago, and I've been using it daily ever since. I've had a Plex server running for even longer than that, running off my wife's laptop fifteen years ago after we'd just gotten married.

In some ways, Plex is part of the family. We buy the media we loved from our childhoods, add them to the server, and then watch those shows together. It's been there through good times, bad times, and the times in-between. On small displays, large displays, pocketable displays, and now via a projector.

To say we've gotten our money's worth is underselling it. I can't say whether I would start afresh now, with the upcoming price jump to $750, or at the $250 price it's currently at? In a heartbeat.

I could move to Jellyfin. My family is another story

If it were only me or the devices I control, I could easily switch to another self-hosted streaming option. I've got Jellyfin installed already, pointed at the same folders Plex watches, and I've used a half dozen different client apps to test it out. That's part of the problem, actually. With so many options for watching, there's no single best option, making things difficult for my family members.

And as the de facto tech support person, I don't want the hassle of finding a suitable option, installing it (or paying for it, depending on the platform), and managing that many slightly different UI choices. That's before the added burden of handling safe, secure remote access at a bandwidth high enough to stream on. Until those things change, there are too many issues to move from something I've already paid for and have used for nearly 15 years.