P lex is a great way to organize and stream your own media library, and Plex Pass gives you access to features like hardware transcoding, downloads, and remote streaming. Now is the best time of the year to upgrade to Plex Pass, as Plex's annual Black Friday discounts are finally live.

It always stinks when a company puts up a paywall around a feature that was previously free. Plex needs to make money to keep things running, which is fair enough. But turning free features into paid ones is hardly a consumer-friendly approach, especially when there are open-source alternatives like Jellyfin around.

In January 2024, TechCrunch reported that Plex was nearing profitability and raised $40 million in funding (Plex raised a $50 million growth equity round in 2021 ). Theoretically, the new remote access rules can also increase subscription revenue and help Plex’s backers see returns on their investments.

Building a server powered by Plex has become a very popular alternative to streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max, but this year, users have been hit by an unpleasant price increase for the Plex Pass subscription. But now, they're getting even more unwelcome news, as Plex is expanding its changes to remote streaming to Roku TV.

Plex is updating its Roku app to require a paid pass for remote streaming. The change hits other TV platforms, including Android TV, in 2026.

The Plex personal media server had long allowed remote streaming for free users. The company announced back in March

We knew this day was coming. Starting this week, Plex says it’ll require a Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass in order to stream remotely to its Roku app. In 2026, enforcement will come to “all other Plex TV apps (Fire TV,

Media server Plex announced in March that it would put an end to free remote streaming, but hasn't yet put the new changes into effect. That changes this week as Plex plans to pull the plug on free remote streaming from the Roku app first, with the rest of its supported platforms coming in early 2026.

It finally happened. My streaming services are all gone. I pay for YouTube Premium still — who would argue with ad-free videos and music streaming for $14 a month — but every other streaming platform has bit the dust, and that’s because I spent $90 ...