Plex is clamping down on free remote streaming
Plex has, over the years, earned itself a dedicated legion of fans looking for free or cheap ways to stream music, movies and more. The software has simplified the process of setting up and working with a remote media server, and there is now a significant change on the way.
For some time, it has been possible to remotely access a Plex media server for free – great for anyone travelling who wants to stream contents from their home server. But this will soon be a paid-for feature, meaning that anyone looking to remotely access media will need to take out a Plex subscription.
The announcement is not completely out of the blue – it is something that Plex has talked about previously. But now the time has come, with the requirement to have a subscription kicking in from next week. In a post in the Plex support forums, the company says:
Earlier this year we announced several big changes to Plex Pass and introduced the Remote Watch Pass. Since then, this was rolled out alongside the new experience on mobile devices first before coming to other devices.
Starting next week, we will begin requiring a Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass in order to stream remotely to our Roku app. This update will also bring the improved changes to the navigation that was released to the preview build of the Roku app a few weeks ago.
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.
There are a couple of routes users who want to be able to use remote streaming can go down.
Option 1: Remote playback with a Plex Pass
Upgrading to any Plex Pass subscription is a great option for server owners, as it ensures all users accessing the Plex Media Server can stream remotely, without an additional charge. Even if you don’t run your own Plex Media Server, a Plex Pass subscription will not only allow you to stream remotely from any server to which you have access, but also lets you make use of other Plex Pass functionality like Skip Intro and Skip Credits.
Option 2: Remote playback with a Remote Watch Pass subscription (New!)
Our brand-new subscription offering, Remote Watch Pass, allows individual users to remotely stream media from any personal media server to which they have access. This is a great option for users who don’t run their own server and are looking to stream from a server belonging to a friend or family member who does not have a Plex Pass. It’s also a good alternative for server owners who may not need the full feature offering of a Plex Pass, but are looking for a more cost-effective option to access their media remotely. Beginning April 29, 2025, Remote Watch Pass will be available for an introductory price of $1.99/month or $19.99/year.
It is perhaps worth noting that the announcement coincides with Black Friday sales, and Plex points this out, saying:
If you don’t have a Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass yet, you can purchase one during our Black Friday sale ahead of this change taking effect. At the moment, there is a 40% off any Plex Pass plan (including Lifetime passes) running through December 1, 2025.
If you are a Plex user, share your thoughts about how you feel about this. If you are not yet a subscriber, will this make you think about taking one out? Or will this announcement serve as a reason to start looking for alternative solutions?