Forget Winamp -- the ass-kicking Plexamp music player from Plex is now free

For those of a nostalgic bent, the recent revival of Winamp caused flutters of excitement. But for anyone who is uninterested in whippin' that llama' ass, Plex has just announced that its own music player, Plexamp, is now available free of charge.

Previously only available to paying Plex subscribers, the Winamp-inspired Plexamp was the fruit of Plex Labs -- the company's experimental playground for its developers. The standalone music player app has now been unshackled, and is free for all Plex users on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and even Linux.

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But while Plexamp and its impressive visualizations is now free, it will probably come as little surprise to learn that some of the features remain exclusive to paying Plex Pass  subscribers. The company says of its beloved music player: "Over the years Plexamp has evolved from a small, highly opinionated music player, to being the flagship place for music in Plex. As a standalone application, it provides a (highly customizable) focused experience for music, with features found nowhere else".

It adds:

We want every music user on Plex to have the best possible experience. Rock solid streaming and high quality audio, in a streamlined application which is a treat for the eyes. This is why we've decided to release a new version of Plexamp which allows everyone to use it, absolutely free.

In terms of what's available for everyone, paying or not, Plex shares the following list:

• Stream On - Unlimited streaming of your entire music library, at home and on the go.
• Musico Paradiso - High-end audio features like Sweet Fades, gapless playback, pre-caching, and loudness leveling.
• Find Your Fix - Smart playlists and stations for the mood you’re in, or want to be in.
• Music to Your Eyes - UltraBlur backgrounds, sexy visualizations, and multiple themes to pick and play with.
• On da Couch or on da Road - The free version supports CarPlay, Android Auto, Siri, AirPlay, and Chromecast. Wherever you are, the music never stops.

For those who pay for Plex Pass, the following additional features are unlocked:

Downloads

Bring all your favorite personal music wherever you roam, no internet required. Download playlists, albums, stations, and more to keep you jamming outside the home. Remember to call shotgun!

Mix Builders

Use our fun interactive builders to choose related artists and albums for a fabulous, fun mix. Get all the applause while Plexamp does all the work.

Sonic Adventure

With a sonic-enabled server, build a playlist which travels between tracks like magic.

Sonic Sage

Create unique playlists by simply describing what you want to hear. Enter anything from "Sounds like Nick Drake's Pink Moon" to "Songs to listen to while sitting on the dock of the bay". (This feature requires an OpenAI API key.)

Guest DJ

Turn over your play queue to one of our talented DJs who will keep the music playing in a variety of ways. Some DJs require a sonic-enabled server.

Aural Fixations

Wanna know more about yourself? Explore your own personal music charts, go back in time, and explore your favorites.

Pro Audio

Bit-perfect playback on iOS, macOS, and Linux with automatic sample rate matching.

Home Audio Perfection

The ability to run Plexamp on a Raspberry Pi or similar. Jack it into a receiver for the highest quality music solution with all of the incredible features of Plexamp, and control it from your phone or desktop.

Lyrics

See timed lyrics to your favorite songs when available, so you can karaoke (or lip sync) like a pro.

Auto Play

Keep the music playing, select from different modes which ensure you're never stuck in silence.

Full Home Screen Customization

Organize the home screen exactly how you like it, including adding custom areas. For those days when you play Plexamp, staring endlessly out the window and wondering "if only I had complete control over how my home screen looks."

Equalizer

Use this powerful 10-band equalizer with thousands of headphone presets. You can even use a different equalizer curve for each output device.

Related Tracks

Build the best mixes with our related track suggestions, right in the player.

Server Features

With a Plex Pass, a server gains the ability to perform Sonic Analysis as well as many other video features like Hardware Transcoding, Skip Intro, Skip Credits, Multiple Movie Editions, and much more.

More information, including full details of what's available to paying and non-paying users, is available here.