The best media servers, according to hackers
5 media servers were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended media servers with the badge. Each figure is 25 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Easy setup on almost any hardware
A free, self-hosted media server that keeps improving without paywalls, with broad client apps, transcoding and easy setup; critics cite database glitches, remote-access hassle and rougher polish than Plex.
Solid, praised as excellent
Free, self-hosted server for audiobooks and podcasts, praised as solid and easy to run, with a native Android app. Critics mention inconsistent progress saving and a weak ebook page-turning UI.
All 5 media servers, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jellyfin | 385 | 133 | 74% | 13 | 1 yr28 owners | Approved |
| 2 | Plex | 219 | 218 | 50% | 13 | 10 yrs42 owners | — |
| 3 | Emby | 20 | 15 | 57% | 9 | — | — |
| 4 | Audiobookshelf | 17 | 1 | 94% | 9 | — | Approved |
| 5 | Plex Media Server | 15 | 13 | 54% | 8 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same media server in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to media servers that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.