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So glad I stopped using Plex, it worked fine but was so bloated with useless garbage and I did not feel like I could trust it with my data. I need a plex.com a

by phito 2y ago

So glad I stopped using Plex, it worked fine but was so bloated with useless garbage and I did not feel like I could trust it with my data. I need a plex.com account to use my own self hosted instance? Uninstalled.

lofties 2y ago
The garbage is exactly why I stopped using Plex. Yeah, Jellyfin isn't perfect. But at least it isn't bombarding me with crap I don't need.
- Retr0id 2y ago
  I stopped using Plex almost immediately after installing it. I couldn't figure out how to proceed without creating a centralized account with them, which is the last thing I want or expect from a "self hosted" software package.
  - close04 2y ago
    I think this is the worst part of Plex, it's self hosted but not really. Still depends on the company's continued existence. If the company goes bust my solution will probably just stop working. It took some time to set it up properly so the bloat is thoroughly swept under the rug, never in sight. This gives me a more than decent experience and the interface/UX is spot on for me. The best of Jellyfin is that it's truly self hosted. But no matter how much set up I do, the experience is still never too good. I don't really like the UI/UX but I could get used to it. My biggest issue is how it handles the folder structure and metadata for series. They will always have to be neatly organized in folders to be properly picked up. You can't throw an episode file here, an episode in a folder there, the rest of the season in another folder and so on. They're just seen as independent material, no metadata. This makes the watching experience very stunted.
  - Tempat 2y ago
    When I used it a few years ago it was still possible to use without an account if you knew the exact extremely-hidden-behind-dark-patterns steps, much like making a local account in Windows these days. But from the other comments in this thread I get the impression that even that tricky process is no longer an option.
karolist 2y ago
This goes against my experience. I too have a Plex lifetime pass and it has been rock solid, my library lives in network mounted NAS drive, formatted with filebot. I've unpinned the default views that it comes with when you install the client and pinned just my libraries. It just works on all devices, absolutely no issues, no memory leaks, the UI is beautiful and Netflix like, which is important for my family. The central account is what makes claiming the server and sharing the library with others and the overall remote login experience very easy, this is what enables plex.tv/link functionality. Yes it is not perfect and they made mistakes along the way but comments as such just tend to ride on the sentiment that vilifies all non OSS products as if it's something inherently bad, the "us vs them" attitude is something I see time and time again here.
- jhugo 2y ago
  > The central account is what makes claiming the server and sharing the library with others and the overall remote login experience very easy, this is what enables plex.tv/link functionality. The fact that this is all it enables just reinforces the idea that it should be optional. All of the core functionality is possible to implement without requiring an account.
  - joshstrange 2y ago
    > this is what enables plex.tv/link functionality. > The fact that this is all it enables Not sure where you got the idea that linking is the /only/ thing an account gives you. One feature I quite enjoy is syncing watch status between servers. So if one has multiple servers they use (multiple they control or friend’s servers) their watch status can be synced. In my case I have a travel/portable Plex server and my main Plex server so it’s nice to have my watch state kept in sync. And there are more features from having a central account, this is just one of them to disprove that linking is the only reason you need an account or that it’s the only feature of having an account.
- arsome 2y ago
  I used to feel the same way about Plex til they started flooding my less savvy family with ads for their own content and useless features unrelated to what they want to do. Really not impressed by that one. I realized how bad it was when I got a call about a broken movie I didn't even have. Plex still seems slicker than Jellyfin in some ways but after that experience I'd certainly consider a switch. Offline is the only reason I still use plex, but their offline setup is pretty buggy too.
outime 2y ago
I have never used Plex even though I've heard it's superior but I just didn't bother when I saw exactly what you said. Creating an account somewhere to use my own instance? Even though I could just block all outbound traffic and hope it'll still work - no thanks. Jellyfin turned out very fine.
perryizgr8 2y ago
> I need a plex.com account to use my own self hosted instance? And anybody could log into their plex account on my instance! The way they handle accounts for self-hosted instances is either deliberately convoluted or ineptly designed.
apexalpha 2y ago
>I need a plex.com account to use my own self hosted instance? Uninstalled. Wasn't this the case from the beginning?
- sipior 2y ago
  No, I think they added that "feature" about a year after I purchased my lifetime Plex pass. My usual timing.
  - venson 2y ago
    Jellyfin also offers lifetime premium deluxe passes. Just hop into the chat and ask for one.
    - sipior 2y ago
      No need to take the piss, venson.
c-hendricks 2y ago
> I need a plex.com account to use my own self hosted instance? https://support.plex.tv/articles/200430283-network/#:~:text=List%20of%20IP%20addresses%20and%20networks%20that%20are%20allowed%20without%20auth https://support.plex.tv/articles/200430283-network/#:~:text=...

by phito 2y ago

lofties 2y ago

The garbage is exactly why I stopped using Plex. Yeah, Jellyfin isn't perfect. But at least it isn't bombarding me with crap I don't need.

Retr0id 2y ago
I stopped using Plex almost immediately after installing it. I couldn't figure out how to proceed without creating a centralized account with them, which is the last thing I want or expect from a "self hosted" software package.
- close04 2y ago
  I think this is the worst part of Plex, it's self hosted but not really. Still depends on the company's continued existence. If the company goes bust my solution will probably just stop working. It took some time to set it up properly so the bloat is thoroughly swept under the rug, never in sight. This gives me a more than decent experience and the interface/UX is spot on for me. The best of Jellyfin is that it's truly self hosted. But no matter how much set up I do, the experience is still never too good. I don't really like the UI/UX but I could get used to it. My biggest issue is how it handles the folder structure and metadata for series. They will always have to be neatly organized in folders to be properly picked up. You can't throw an episode file here, an episode in a folder there, the rest of the season in another folder and so on. They're just seen as independent material, no metadata. This makes the watching experience very stunted.
- Tempat 2y ago
  When I used it a few years ago it was still possible to use without an account if you knew the exact extremely-hidden-behind-dark-patterns steps, much like making a local account in Windows these days. But from the other comments in this thread I get the impression that even that tricky process is no longer an option.

karolist 2y ago

This goes against my experience. I too have a Plex lifetime pass and it has been rock solid, my library lives in network mounted NAS drive, formatted with filebot. I've unpinned the default views that it comes with when you install the client and pinned just my libraries. It just works on all devices, absolutely no issues, no memory leaks, the UI is beautiful and Netflix like, which is important for my family. The central account is what makes claiming the server and sharing the library with others and the overall remote login experience very easy, this is what enables plex.tv/link functionality. Yes it is not perfect and they made mistakes along the way but comments as such just tend to ride on the sentiment that vilifies all non OSS products as if it's something inherently bad, the "us vs them" attitude is something I see time and time again here.

jhugo 2y ago
> The central account is what makes claiming the server and sharing the library with others and the overall remote login experience very easy, this is what enables plex.tv/link functionality. The fact that this is all it enables just reinforces the idea that it should be optional. All of the core functionality is possible to implement without requiring an account.
- joshstrange 2y ago
  > this is what enables plex.tv/link functionality. > The fact that this is all it enables Not sure where you got the idea that linking is the /only/ thing an account gives you. One feature I quite enjoy is syncing watch status between servers. So if one has multiple servers they use (multiple they control or friend’s servers) their watch status can be synced. In my case I have a travel/portable Plex server and my main Plex server so it’s nice to have my watch state kept in sync. And there are more features from having a central account, this is just one of them to disprove that linking is the only reason you need an account or that it’s the only feature of having an account.
arsome 2y ago
I used to feel the same way about Plex til they started flooding my less savvy family with ads for their own content and useless features unrelated to what they want to do. Really not impressed by that one. I realized how bad it was when I got a call about a broken movie I didn't even have. Plex still seems slicker than Jellyfin in some ways but after that experience I'd certainly consider a switch. Offline is the only reason I still use plex, but their offline setup is pretty buggy too.

outime 2y ago

I have never used Plex even though I've heard it's superior but I just didn't bother when I saw exactly what you said. Creating an account somewhere to use my own instance? Even though I could just block all outbound traffic and hope it'll still work - no thanks. Jellyfin turned out very fine.

perryizgr8 2y ago

> I need a plex.com account to use my own self hosted instance? And anybody could log into their plex account on my instance! The way they handle accounts for self-hosted instances is either deliberately convoluted or ineptly designed.

apexalpha 2y ago

>I need a plex.com account to use my own self hosted instance? Uninstalled. Wasn't this the case from the beginning?

sipior 2y ago
No, I think they added that "feature" about a year after I purchased my lifetime Plex pass. My usual timing.
- venson 2y ago
  Jellyfin also offers lifetime premium deluxe passes. Just hop into the chat and ask for one.
  - sipior 2y ago
    No need to take the piss, venson.

c-hendricks 2y ago

> I need a plex.com account to use my own self hosted instance? https://support.plex.tv/articles/200430283-network/#:~:text=List%20of%20IP%20addresses%20and%20networks%20that%20are%20allowed%20without%20auth https://support.plex.tv/articles/200430283-network/#:~:text=...