PLEX is free software that makes it really easy to manage a collection of movies, TV shows, music, personal videos, and photos. I first started playing around with my own PLEX server back in 2013 running it on my own personal desktop. Since then the content managed on PLEX and the number of users has grown quite a bit. I’ve spent countless hours converting hundreds of movies from DVD and Blu-ray 📀 to a digital format 🖥️. As the library grew so did the costs to upgrade and maintain the server and ensure it would run smoothly for many users.
While the software is free 😊 the hardware, power, and internet are not 🙁. According to my calculations it costs about $377 a year to keep our PLEX server up and running. That’s $31.42 a month, which is actually a pretty good deal for running such a large server. Still it is a bit much for a single person to cover and freely share with others. Not to mention all the time spent adding new content and maintaining the server.
I’d greatly appreciate a small donation to help offset the costs of running and maintaining the PLEX server. Right now we have about 15 users (including myself) that are enjoying PLEX. If everyone pitched in $25 for the year (or $2.08 a month), it would cover all the costs to run the server. Every little bit helps, so if you enjoy using PLEX please consider donating whatever you feel like.
How did you find this page?
You probably came across this page from the pre-roll video I recently added to PLEX. You should be able to disable them through your PLEX player settings.
How to Disable Pre-roll Videos
Launch the PLEX app → go to Settings → Experience → Cinema Trailers → Set to Don’t Play
NOTE: This option may not be available in every player.
Server Cost Breakdown
| Item | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Power 🔌 (150 W @ $0.11 per kWh) | $144.64 |
| Hardware 🖥️ (Replacement parts every 5 years) | $173.34 |
| Internet 📡 (Upgraded internet – $4.95 a month) | $59.40 |
| TOTAL: | $377.38 |
PLEX Server Specs
OS: Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS VM
Web Service: PLEX, Webmin
Processor: >2.50GHz, 8 cores
Memory: 8 GB
SSD Storage: 40 GB
HDD Storage: 8 TB (Raid 10)
Internet Connection: 1 Gbps download/ 1 Gbps upload
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