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Pluto TV vs Scarlet

Professional comparison and analysis to help you choose the right software solution for your needs.

Pluto TV icon
Pluto TV
Scarlet icon
Scarlet

Pluto TV vs Scarlet: The Verdict

⚡ Summary:

Pluto TV: Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported streaming television service with over 250 live channels and thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows. It offers a wide variety of content including news, sports, movies, TV shows, viral videos, cartoons, and more. Pluto TV can be accessed through their website or apps on various devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and more.

Scarlet: Scarlet is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Spotify for streaming music. It allows you to host your own streaming music server to access your music collection from any device.

Both tools serve their respective audiences. Compare the features, pricing, and user ratings above to determine which best fits your needs.

Last updated: May 2026 · Comparison by Sugggest Editorial Team

Feature Pluto TV Scarlet
Sugggest Score — —
Category Video & Movies Audio & Music
Pricing Free Open Source

Product Overview

Pluto TV
Pluto TV

Description: Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported streaming television service with over 250 live channels and thousands of on-demand movies and TV shows. It offers a wide variety of content including news, sports, movies, TV shows, viral videos, cartoons, and more. Pluto TV can be accessed through their website or apps on various devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and more.

Type: software

Pricing: Free

Scarlet
Scarlet

Description: Scarlet is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Spotify for streaming music. It allows you to host your own streaming music server to access your music collection from any device.

Type: software

Pricing: Open Source

Key Features Comparison

Pluto TV
Pluto TV Features
  • Over 250 live TV channels
  • Thousands of on-demand movies & TV shows
  • News, sports, movies, TV shows, viral videos, cartoons and more
  • Free access - no subscription required
  • Ad-supported
  • Accessible on website and apps (Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, etc)
Scarlet
Scarlet Features
  • Self-hosted music streaming server
  • Web-based client for streaming music
  • Mobile apps for Android and iOS
  • Support for popular audio formats like MP3, FLAC, etc
  • Audio transcoding on the fly
  • Support for gapless playback
  • User management and access control
  • Song ratings and favorites
  • Custom playlists and smart playlists
  • Caching for reduced bandwidth usage
  • Last.fm scrobbling support

Pros & Cons Analysis

Pluto TV
Pluto TV

Pros

  • Completely free
  • Huge on-demand library
  • Wide variety of live TV channels
  • Easy to use interface
  • Available on many platforms

Cons

  • Limited DVR functionality
  • Must watch ads
  • Less content than paid services
  • Some reliability/streaming issues
  • Lacks newer or original content
Scarlet
Scarlet

Pros

  • Self-hosted so you own your data
  • Open source and free
  • Works with your existing music library
  • Available on multiple platforms
  • Customizable and extensible

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires technical expertise
  • Lacks some features of commercial services
  • Mobile apps lack polish
  • Metadata and album art needs manual editing
  • Limited 3rd party integration

Pricing Comparison

Pluto TV
Pluto TV
  • Free
Scarlet
Scarlet
  • Open Source

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Learn More About Each Product

Pluto TV
Pluto TV
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →
Scarlet
Scarlet
Reviews, pricing & alternatives →

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