Plex begins enforcing new restrictions on remote streaming this week

Plex is no longer allowing users to remotely access personal media servers without enrolling into its Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass subscription plans.

Ars Technica reports that under the previous rules, Plex users on the free plan can allow connections from outside the home network, enabling other people to access their media library. Now, Plex Pass is required to turn on this feature for their media server. Those seeking to connect to an existing library have the option to subscribe to either Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass.

As of November 26, 2025, Plex Pass costs approximately $7 per month, while Remote Watch Pass starts at $2 per month.

The company has enacted this change back in April 29, but has just started enforcing this rule. Roku users will be the first platform impacted by the new restrictions. A developer on the official Plex community forum elaborates on the timeline of the impacted devices and client applications:

This requirement change for remote streaming will come to all other Plex TV apps (Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, etc) and any third party clients using the API to offer remote streaming in 2026.

This change does not affect the ability to stream from a media server within the home network. Understandably, current Plex users may still want to find alternatives for remote access because of the subscription requirement. One notable example is Jellyfin, which is a free and open source media server client that allow secure remote connections through a service like Tailscale. Advanced users also have the option of self-hosting a Wireguard VPN or utilizing a reverse proxy to access the server.

There are other reasons for switching as well. Although Plex claims in their Privacy Policy to not collect or process data from personal media libraries, the company has a track record of data breaches and exploited vulnerabilities. Last September, the company experienced an incident that exposed customer email address, usernames, and hashed passwords. Although the extent of the breach was limited, you may want to think twice before trusting a self-hosted service that requires account registration.

Regardless of whether you use Jellyfin or Plex, self‑hosting a media server raises several security concerns. Misconfiguring your remote connection method can unintentionally expose it to hackers. Additionally, most popular media server clients lack proper application sandboxing, which contributed to a major data breach at LastPass when an engineer’s outdated Plex server was compromised.

When you share your media library with friends or family, treat it like managing a server and remember to follow basic security practices like any System Administrator would do.