5 Features That Convince Users to Switch to Jellyfin

Many people have never used a media server, as they always found it quite complicated to set up. However, they have recently discovered Jellyfin and its rich features and plugins have convinced many to switch.

 

5. Free remote streaming

Years ago, people used Plex . And while they found it really useful, they didn't really stick with it. By 2025, Plex doesn't seem to be the same anymore. The biggest change that made many people decide to leave Plex for Jellyfin was the removal of the free remote streaming feature. Free is always better than paying.

 

You want to have access to your media at all times, especially when you travel. Many people pay for streaming services to do this, but having to pay to access your own content is annoying. Luckily, Jellyfin doesn't have that problem. Sure, you have to set it up yourself, and you'll probably need a tutorial, but the savings are worth it. Plus, many people aren't happy with Plex suddenly introducing this additional cost to its customer base without warning.

4. Self-hosting

The concept of self-hosting is something that many people have not really understood until recently. However, a few studies have shown how well Jellyfin fits into the actual concept of self-hosting. Many people just want control over their own media and want to know that it will exist in the future. Sure, the device may still break, but that's for obvious reasons.

 

Leaving the hosting of media to corporations is a risky business anyway. For example, digital gaming is convenient, but it also gives game companies control over archiving old games. Physical media that you can digitally back up on your own servers is always preferable (and there are plenty of ways to expand your library cheaply!). The open source nature of Jellyfin makes this easy.

3. Plugin

Yes, other media apps have a lot of great plugins, and Jellyfin is not the only one. But combined with everything else this app does so well, it's a huge convenience. One of my favorite features for personal media is subtitle extraction. The ability to extract them so they run smoother in the player is a huge plus for many people.

Another big discovery you'll make on your journey is the Jellyfin theme manager, which makes using different themes and skins a lot easier. But that's just a small part of what Jellyfin has to offer. This feature alone has many kicking themselves for not trying it out sooner.

2. Cinema Mode

Yes, this is a pretty small feature, but the little nostalgic hearts of many still had to add it as a separate category. Do you miss the old-school movie theater experience, with trailers from the era before the movie came out? Cinema Mode is made for you. You can't even begin to tell yourself how much time you wasted just setting up era-appropriate trailers for the movies you wanted to watch.

 

It takes a little bit of fiddling to get it set up the way you want, but once you do, you're ready for a fun movie night. It's best used in a group setting with friends or family, but even if it's just you, the extra time spent setting it up is worth it. You can also randomize the trailer, so even you won't know exactly what's going to play first.

1. Custom screen

Many people are used to streaming services that give them short previews before watching a movie or show. If you're like that, you'll appreciate Jellyfin's built-in background music and video features. You can even use your own files for this, or find a third-party plugin to pull in metadata. This is just one way to really customize your viewing options.

You can also decide which shows and movies appear to watch next, how many shows and movies are displayed per page, and whether to only show unwatched episodes. For something that isn't a plugin, these customization options are pretty extensive. Again, this isn't something you won't find in other media apps, but taken together, it's a very convenient way to store your media.

Jellyfin has been a great choice so far, and many people don't see themselves going back to any other service. Of course, if you're still using services like Plex, that's perfectly acceptable.