Is Plex 100% free?

Is Windows good for Plex?

What's better, Plex Media Server or Media Server?

By
David Brunt., September 03, 2025. Whether you're building a new PC or using the same rig for years on end, it's pretty important that the machine that holds your movies and TV is dependable. That's why it's important to know the best operating system for Plex.

The main operating system for Windows can actually be Windows 8 or later, although you probably already knew that, so we'll focus on Windows 7 and 10 for now. It's easy enough to run Plex Media Server on Linux or Mac OS X, but it can also run well on Windows.

If you need answer to this question from someone who's actually used both for their own PCs, then you've come to the right place. I've used Windows 7 for years as my primary OS and now use a combination of Windows 10 and the Apple operating system. You'll find information on both for your Plex system.

Why Windows? I'm not about to tell you to use Windows if you want the most performance or stability. Instead, let me point out a few reasons why it's the best overall operating system for Plex.

One reason that the choice for operating system in one project may not transfer well to another is the variety of ways that users interact with content in Plex. Since so many devices can use Plex, it's important to be flexible in which operating system you're using. Windows offers some tools that are less flexible than some alternatives like OSX and Linux. The other way that things can change between platforms is the way that Plex handles its own content. Windows has several different ways to display content that aren't necessarily the best for Plex. For example, Windows supports media types like ASF or MP4 that aren't supported by Plex.

One of the best things about Plex is that it doesn't require any changes to get Plex to work on Windows. While some software installs don't make sense for older Windows OSs, Plex doesn't have that problem. To use Plex on Windows, you just install the software and a USB drive with drivers on it. There's no need to buy new hardware for Plex Media Server to work on Windows. That makes it easy to move between computers if you're using Plex for various content.

Is Plex 100% free?

I was on the Plex website trying to find out, but they won't tell you.

Here's what the page says (under "Payment and Subscription options":) . You are not required to pay a monthly or yearly subscription fee. This is the most important feature of Plex as it makes your movies accessible from almost any place you can plug in a device with a USB connection (Windows Media Player, iPhone, iPod touch and Xbox 360).

Plex does not require a monthly subscription for free. This is the most important feature of Plex as it makes your movies accessible from almost any place you can plug in a device with a USB connection (Windows Media Player, iPhone, iPod touch and Xbox 360).

Well, if you want to use Plex to play movies from Windows Media Player, iPhone, iPod touch and Xbox360, I think you'll need to pay to unlock the extra features that require paying a monthly or yearly subscription. If you want to watch from any device that has a USB connection then you don't have to pay anything else. As far as I'm concerned, I think Plex really should be described as a "free" program and not a "free" service. If they would have called it a "free" program, it would have been easier to understand. Of course, I can see their reason for not doing this. They want to use the word "free" because "free" is more interesting than "open source."

Now, as for me, I use Plex because I like its UI and because I use it to transfer my iTunes music library from my Mac to my PC. But I wouldn't have purchased it if they didn't charge me. I would have purchased it from its developer. If there was no option to buy it and I wasn't paying for it, I would be really pissed.

If Plex had put out a product for free and not charged me, I would be using it as a torrent client. Instead, I use it as a movie player. It does what I want it to do.

Why is Plex not illegal?

I have a friend who has a collection of music, movies, and other media that she would like to share with her friends.

She has no problem sharing the files, but when she tries to do it over the internet, there are problems. She has been told Plex Media Server is illegal (as it's a bit like Napster) and that any attempt to share files over the internet is illegal.

I don't understand how Plex can be illegal, when it only enables us to easily share and play our media, which we are already doing. It seems so ridiculous.

What can we do to convince them otherwise? And how can I do it without getting into trouble? The answer is that you can't. The courts have ruled that there is no such thing as an illegal file, there is only a prohibited or restricted use, ie the use of the file for any reason other than what the creator intended when they wrote the file. And, in my experience, most judges will agree that sharing files online for personal use is not prohibited or restricted, and is certainly not against copyright.

The best thing to do is file your friend's collection in a format that is easy to copy, say FLAC or MP3. Then you can copy it to an iPod, phone, etc. And use it just as you do now, except that it is now legal because you're only using it to yourself.

The only way to make something illegal is to create a way to copy it (or distribute it) and then intentionally make it illegal. But if you are sharing things for the personal use that the creator intended, that's fine.

The second is to put some kind of copy protection on your files. For instance, if the music is on your computer, you can copy it off your computer, put it on a CD, and distribute that CD. That's distributing your own property, but not distributing anyone else's, so it doesn't count. But it's not sharing - you're not giving it to anyone else, you're just giving them a copy.