Universal Media Server

Universal Media Server

Universal Media Server is a free open source media server that allows you to stream video, audio and images to devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and media players. It supports a wide range of media formats and allows transcoding on the fly.
Universal Media Server image
media-server video-streaming audio-streaming image-streaming transcoding dlna

Universal Media Server: Free Open Source Media Streaming

Universal Media Server is a free open source media server that allows you to stream video, audio and images to devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and media players. It supports a wide range of media formats and allows transcoding on the fly.

What is Universal Media Server?

Universal Media Server is a free, open source DLNA-compliant media server that allows you to stream your media files like videos, music and photos to a variety of media devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices and media players. It supports a wide range of media formats including MKV, MP4, AVI, MOV, OGG, FLAC, WMA, WMV, and JPEG.

Some key features of Universal Media Server include:

  • Automatic transcoding of media files during streaming based on device capabilities
  • Supports a wide variety of devices like Sony PlayStation, Xbox, Google Chromecast, Roku, Smart TVs etc.
  • Available on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X
  • Intuitive web-based interface for management and configuration
  • On-the-fly image resizing
  • Supports DVD and Bluray ISO images
  • Automatic media library organization
  • Subtitle support and streaming subtitles as images
  • Supports audio pass-through for high quality audio like DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD

Overall, Universal Media Server is an excellent free DLNA media server that makes it easy to stream all your personal media across various kinds of devices without much configuration.

Universal Media Server Features

Features

  1. Streams video, audio and images to various devices
  2. Supports a wide range of media formats
  3. Transcodes media on the fly
  4. DLNA/UPnP media server
  5. Web UI for remote control and configuration
  6. Supports subtitles
  7. Live TV streaming
  8. Chromecast support
  9. AirPlay support

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Cross-platform (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Lightweight and easy to set up

Supports many devices and formats

Active development and community support

Cons

Lacks some advanced configuration options

Not all formats work perfectly

No mobile apps

Some stability issues


The Best Universal Media Server Alternatives

Top Video & Movies and Media Servers and other similar apps like Universal Media Server


Plex icon

Plex

Plex is a feature-rich media server application that allows you to bring together your personal media library, organize it beautifully, and stream it to all of your devices. It provides a single interface through which you can easily access and enjoy your personal media, whether you are at home or...
Plex image
Jellyfin icon

Jellyfin

Jellyfin is a free, open-source media server software that allows you to organize, manage, and stream your personal media collections. It was created as a community-driven fork of Emby after Emby transitioned to a proprietary license model.Some key features of Jellyfin include:Stream your videos, music, and photos to different devices...
Jellyfin image
Emby icon

Emby

Emby is an open-source media server designed to help you organize, play, and stream your media collection across devices. It allows you to bring together your personal videos, music, photos, and live TV into one unified platform that is accessible from any device on your network.Some key features of Emby...
Emby image
Stremio icon

Stremio

Stremio is a media center application that serves as a one-stop hub for video entertainment. It aggregates content from different streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube as well as your personal media libraries and presents everything through an intuitive and visually appealing interface.Some key features of Stremio include:Discover...
Stremio image
Infuse icon

Infuse

Infuse is a feature-rich media player application developed by FireCore for iOS and Apple TV devices. It supports playback of a wide variety of video, audio, and photo file formats including MKV, AVI, MP4, MOV, FLAC, AAC, and more. Some key features of Infuse include:Intuitive and user-friendly interface for browsing...
Infuse image
MovieHub icon

MovieHub

MovieHub is a popular on-demand video streaming service that gives users instant access to thousands of movies and TV show titles to watch online. Launched in 2010, MovieHub has quickly become one of the top streaming platforms with over 200 million subscribers worldwide.MovieHub allows subscribers to watch unlimited movies and...
FreeFlix HQ icon

FreeFlix HQ

FreeFlix HQ is a free Android app that allows users to watch and download movies and TV shows without any subscriptions, fees, or logging in. It provides access to a large library of movies, shows, documentaries, anime, and more.Some key features of FreeFlix HQ include:Intuitive and easy-to-use interface to browse,...
FreeFlix HQ image
OSMC icon

OSMC

OSMC (Open Source Media Center) is a free and open source media center distribution based on Kodi. It provides an easy way to convert a Raspberry Pi, Vero 4K +, Apple TV, or PC into a dedicated media center and Kodi box.Some key features of OSMC include:Based on Debian Linux...
OSMC image
TTVreborn icon

TTVreborn

TTVreborn is an open-source, community-driven streaming site that serves as an alternative to major paid streaming platforms like Twitch, Hulu, or YouTube TV. It allows users to watch movies, TV shows, sports, anime, and more in high-definition quality without any subscription fees or account registration.The site works by aggregating content...
TTVreborn image
MiniDLNA icon

MiniDLNA

MiniDLNA is a lightweight, easy-to-use media server software that is designed to stream audio, video, and image files from a computer to devices on a home network. It works by scanning media files stored locally on a computer, indexing the metadata, and making the files discoverable and streamable to certified...
MiniDLNA image
Serviio icon

Serviio

Serviio is a free, open source media server that enables you to stream your media files like videos, music and photos to devices on your home network. It works by organizing and indexing your media library and then transcoding files on-the-fly as needed during streaming.Some key features of Serviio include:Streaming...
Serviio image
Windows Media Center icon

Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center is a media player application developed by Microsoft for Windows XP Media Center Edition and later Windows client operating systems. It was first introduced in 2002.Media Center provides an integrated entertainment experience on the PC by combining TV viewing, video recording, DVD playback, photo viewing and music...
Windows Media Center image
Sofaplay icon

Sofaplay

Sofaplay is an open source media server platform that allows you to organize, manage, and stream your personal media library to various devices. It supports automatic media indexing and rich metadata fetching to easily browse your libraries by movie, TV show, actor, genre, etc. Some key features include:Streaming video, audio,...
Sofaplay image
MediaTomb icon

MediaTomb

MediaTomb is an open source UPnP media server for Linux. It allows you to stream your digital media files like music, photos, and videos to playback devices like smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, gaming consoles, and more on your home network. It supports a wide range of media formats, playlists, artwork,...
IMediaShare icon

IMediaShare

iMediaShare is a digital media server software designed to help you easily manage and stream your video, audio, and photo libraries to various devices around your home. It allows you to set up your own personal media server to enjoy your content on your terms.Some key features of iMediaShare include:Streaming...
IMediaShare image
Mizuu icon

Mizuu

Mizuu is a free, open-source media center application for Windows designed to help users organize and view their local movie, TV show, and anime collections. Developed as an alternative to paid media center apps like Plex, Mizuu aims to provide core media management features without cost or account requirements.At its...
Freeonlinemovies.tv icon

Freeonlinemovies.tv

Freeonlinemovies.tv is a free movie streaming website that offers a large collection of movies to watch online without downloading. The site has movies across genres like action, adventure, animation, biography, comedy, crime, documentary, drama, family, fantasy, history, horror, musical, mystery, romance, sci-fi, sport, thriller, war, and western.The website has a...
IStream icon

IStream

iStream is a popular video streaming service launched in 2015 that gives users access to a vast library of movies, TV shows, sports, and other on-demand content. It works across a wide range of devices including smart TVs, media streaming devices, game consoles, smartphones, and tablets.Some key features of iStream...
IStream image
PS3 Media Server icon

PS3 Media Server

PS3 Media Server is a free open source cross-platform media streaming application developed by the PS3 Media Server team. It was originally called PS3 Media Server since its main function was to stream media files to a Playstation 3. But it now has support for streaming to many other devices...
PS3 Media Server image
Veso icon

Veso

Veso is a virtual assistant software designed to help individuals and teams manage their schedules, tasks, and communications more efficiently. At its core, Veso acts as an intelligent assistant that can understand natural language requests and help automate common administrative work.Some of the key features Veso provides include:Calendar management -...
Veso image
ZeroNet: Play icon

ZeroNet: Play

ZeroNet: Play is a platform built on top of the ZeroNet peer-to-peer network that makes it easy for anyone to create and host decentralized websites and applications. Using ZeroNet's built-in encryption, site addresses are site owner anonymous and contents are encrypted end-to-end. Some key features of ZeroNet: Play include:Easy site...
ZeroNet: Play image
Plex Cloud icon

Plex Cloud

Plex Cloud is a media streaming solution offered by Plex that enables you to store and access your personal media library from popular cloud storage services. It eliminates the need to run your media server on a local network-attached storage device or home server.Here are some key details about Plex...
Plex Cloud image
Squire icon

Squire

Squire is a free and open source WYSIWYG web editor designed for efficiently drafting and editing long-form articles and other rich content. Its minimal interface foregrounds the text itself while still providing key tools for formatting, linking, finding & replacing, and more.Squire aims to balance simplicity and utility for web...
Rygel icon

Rygel

Rygel is a free and open source media server designed for Linux systems. It allows users to share audio, video, and image files with other devices on their local network or over the internet.Some key features of Rygel include:Media serving over UPnP and DLNA - Enables compatible devices like smart...
Rygel image
Compare Movies icon

Compare Movies

Compare Movies is an online platform designed to help viewers make informed decisions when choosing which movies to watch. The website allows users to select two or more movies to compare various key details side-by-side.Once the desired movies are selected, Compare Movies displays important information about each one, including budgets,...
Compare Movies image
SRS icon

SRS

SRS (Spaced Repetition Software) is a type of software designed specifically for implementing spaced repetition, an evidence-based memorization technique where flashcards are reviewed at gradually increasing intervals of time. This technique takes advantage of the spacing effect and temporal decay of memory to dramatically improve knowledge retention over traditional memorization...
SRS image
Mezzmo icon

Mezzmo

Mezzmo is a versatile media streaming application for Windows and Mac that makes it easy to stream videos, music, photos, and other media files from your computer to DLNA compatible devices, smart TVs, media streamers like Roku, gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation, Chromecast, mobile devices, and more.With an intuitive...
Genialist Media Server icon

Genialist Media Server

Genialist Media Server is an open-source media server application that is designed to help users manage and access their personal media libraries. It allows you to aggregate audio, video, and photo files stored across devices and services into one unified interface that can then be streamed to various client devices...
Genialist Media Server image
FireStream icon

FireStream

FireStream is a software designed specifically for video content creators to stream live video broadcasts over the internet. It comes with a suite of tools to enhance the streaming experience for both streamers and viewers.Some key features of FireStream include:Multi-bitrate encoding - FireStream can output multiple quality versions of the...
FireStream image
TerrariumTV icon

TerrariumTV

TerrariumTV is a free Android application that allows users to stream and download movies and TV shows to their device. It provides access to a large catalog of video content aggregated from various online sources including file hosting sites, streaming sites, and torrents.Some key features of TerrariumTV include:Intuitive and easy-to-navigate...
TerrariumTV image
Macast icon

Macast

Macast is an open-source podcasting application developed specifically for Mac OS. It provides an intuitive and streamlined workflow to record, edit, publish and manage podcasts episodes right from your Mac computer.Some key features of Macast include:Simple yet powerful audio recording with effects like noise removal, compression, etc.Multi-track editing so you...
Macast image
VLC Streamer icon

VLC Streamer

VLC Streamer is a free, open source, cross-platform multimedia player, framework, and streaming server developed by the VideoLAN project. VLC can play a wide variety of audio, video, and streaming media files and protocols including MP3, AVI, MKV, WebM, H.264, MPEG-DASH among many others.Some key features of VLC Streamer include:Plays...
VLC Streamer image
TVersity icon

TVersity

TVersity is a digital living network alliance (DLNA) media server software for Windows. It allows users to stream digital media content stored on their Windows computer such as videos, music, and photos to other devices on their local home network that support DLNA or UPnP standards.Some of the key features...
TVersity image
Tvmobili icon

Tvmobili

Tvmobili is a free, ad-supported live TV streaming platform that offers over 100 live channels spanning a variety of genres like news, sports, movies, cartoons, music, and more. It works on a wide range of devices including smart TVs, media streaming devices like Roku and Fire TV, computers, iOS and...
Tvmobili image
Exodus Live TV icon

Exodus Live TV

Exodus Live TV is a free, community-driven live TV add-on for the open-source Kodi media center software. It works as an add-on within Kodi, providing users access to a wide range of live TV channels from countries around the world including the US, UK, Canada, Spain, Germany, and more.With easy...
Exodus Live TV image
Flipps icon

Flipps

Flipps is a cross-platform streaming application and service that consolidates many popular streaming services into one easy-to-use interface. It enables users to access, discover and stream content from services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon, and more from a single app on phones, tablets, computers, smart TVs and streaming devices.Some key...
Flipps image
Gerbera icon

Gerbera

Gerbera is an open source UPnP media server that enables you to stream your personal digital media collection across your home network. It is the open source version of the software previously known as MediaTomb.Some key features of Gerbera include:Automatic discovery of media files stored on your local drives and...
Gerbera image
FUPPES icon

FUPPES

FUPPES (Free UPnP Entertainment Service) is an open source media server application for the Windows operating system. It utilizes the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol and DLNA standards to stream digital media content like music, videos, and photos from your personal computer to other compatible devices on your local...
FUPPES image
Wondershare DreamStream icon

Wondershare DreamStream

Wondershare DreamStream is a video streaming software designed to stream media from your computer to devices on your local network. With DreamStream, you can stream videos, music, photos, and even gameplay from your computer to smart TVs, media players, gaming consoles, and mobile devices around your house.DreamStream works by creating...
Wondershare DreamStream image
SimpleX icon

SimpleX

SimpleX is a free, open-source text and code editor for Windows. It is designed to provide a simple, easy-to-use interface for basic text editing and writing needs.Some key features of SimpleX include:Clean and intuitive graphical user interfaceSyntax highlighting for many programming languages and file typesLine numbersMultiple tabs and split window...
Maraschino icon

Maraschino

Maraschino is an open source application for Windows, Linux, and macOS that functions as a home media server. It allows users to easily organize and access their personal media library, including movies, TV shows, music, and photos, and stream content from the computer running Maraschino to other devices on the...
EyeConnect icon

EyeConnect

EyeConnect is a video conferencing and online meeting software solution that allows teams to connect via HD video and audio conferencing, share screens and applications, chat in real-time, record sessions, and integrate with popular business apps.Some of the key features of EyeConnect include:HD video calling with up to 100 participantsScreen...
EyeConnect image
Flinger.co icon

Flinger.co

Flinger.co is a website aimed at helping people find alternative software options to popular applications and services. The site has a database of many well-known apps and services across categories like productivity, creative tools, communication platforms, cloud storage, and more.When you search for a particular application on Flinger.co, it provides...
ArkMS icon

ArkMS

ArkMS is an open source MapleStory private server software that allows players to host their own MapleStory servers separate from the official Nexon servers. It provides the framework and backend architecture to emulate a MapleStory game server, including character stats, maps, mobs, quests, drops, and other gameplay mechanics.Some key features...
ArkMS image
Forked-daapd icon

Forked-daapd

forked-daapd is an open source networked audio player software designed to play audio files stored locally or streamed from other sources. It was originally forked from the Firefly Media Project's mt-daapd codebase and aims to be a modern replacement that adds support for more services and protocols.As a daemon, forked-daapd...
Forked-daapd image
Semper Media Center icon

Semper Media Center

Semper Media Center is an open-source, cross-platform media center software application designed primarily for home theater PCs. It allows users to play and view most videos, music, podcasts, and other digital media stored on local hard drives, optical drives, and network locations.Some key features of Semper Media Center include:Intuitive and...
Semper Media Center image
Movieo App icon

Movieo App

Movieo is a mobile video editing app available for both iOS and Android devices. It provides users with a wide range of video editing tools to enhance and customize their videos right from their phones.Some key features of Movieo include:Adding video filters like black & white, vintage, drama, and moreInserting...
TVble icon

TVble

TVble is a free and open source DVR (digital video recorder) and live TV software for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. It allows users to watch, pause, rewind, and record live over-the-air TV on their computer using a TV tuner card or tuner device.Some key features of TVble include:Watch, pause,...
TVble image
Majestic Media Server icon

Majestic Media Server

Majestic Media Server is an open source, self-hosted media server application that allows you to store, manage, and stream your personal digital media library from any device. It organizes your media files into a searchable database with accompanying metadata like descriptions, posters, genres, ratings etc. and makes it available over...