Emby
Emby is a privately held, bootstrapped developer of self-hosted personal media server software that organizes and streams users' own video, music, and photo libraries across 30+ devices, monetizing through a freemium Emby Premiere subscription ($4.99/month, $54/year, or $119 lifetime).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersCornelius, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Emby does
Emby, LLC is a privately held North Carolina company (founded 2013 as Media Browser, rebranded to Emby in 2015) that develops and distributes a self-hosted personal media server platform. The company's core product, Emby Server, runs on user-owned hardware — including Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and more than 10 NAS platforms from manufacturers such as Synology, QNAP, ASUSTOR, FreeNAS, Netgear, TrueNAS, unRAID, Western Digital, TerraMaster, and Thecus — and automatically organizes, transcodes, and streams personal video, music, and photo libraries to client apps on 30+ end-user platforms spanning smart TVs (Samsung Tizen, LG WebOS), gaming consoles (Xbox One/Series, PlayStation 4/5), mobile (iOS, Android), streaming devices (Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, NVIDIA Shield), and web browsers. The platform's technology stack includes GPU-accelerated hardware transcoding, DLNA device discovery, a metadata pipeline pulling from TheMovieDB, TVDB, and MusicBrainz, and Emby Connect, a proprietary remote-access service that eliminates manual IP/port configuration. Live TV, DVR, parental controls, voice integration with Amazon Echo and Google Home, and a Kodi plugin round out the feature set.
Emby operates a freemium business model. The Emby Server core is free; Emby Premiere is a paid subscription tier — $4.99/month, $54/year, or $119 lifetime — that unlocks hardware-accelerated transcoding, mobile sync, cloud sync, DVR, the CoverArt plugin, Cinema Intros, and free mobile/TV apps. Some individual client apps also offer standalone freemium unlocks. Distribution is multi-channel: direct downloads from emby.media, the major app stores (Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung), pre-built packages on NAS manufacturer app centers, and gaming console storefronts. The company has no disclosed external funding, no subsidiaries, no M&A activity, and no enterprise customer base; its customers are individual households, families, NAS enthusiasts, and cord-cutters organized around an active community forum of more than 1.8 million registered members.
Emby firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Emby
- Legal name
- Emby, LLC
- Website
- https://emby.media
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Emby is a privately held, bootstrapped developer of self-hosted personal media server software that organizes and streams users' own video, music, and photo libraries across 30+ devices, monetizing through a freemium Emby Premiere subscription ($4.99/month, $54/year, or $119 lifetime).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Emby industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Personal Media Server Software
- SIC
- Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Content Discovery, Metadata Enrichment & EPG/Guide Services (MPAHAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Emby is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cornelius
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Emby business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Emby Premiere Subscription: Premium subscription service offering advanced features including hardware transcoding, mobile sync, cloud sync, DVR, live TV guide data, CoverArt plugin, smart home integration, and free mobile apps. Available as monthly ($4.99), annual ($54), or lifetime ($119) purchase. Tied to server via key installation.
- Lifetime License: One-time purchase option for Emby Premiere at $119, providing permanent access to all premium features without recurring fees
- App Individual Unlocks: Some apps offer individual unlock options for basic playback functionality, separate from full Premiere subscription
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Premiere subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Premiere subscription |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Lifetime Premiere license |
| Subscription | Monthly | Extended Premiere Options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels5 records
Emby product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Emby provides a self-hosted personal media server platform that organizes, converts, and streams users' personal media collections (home videos, music, photos) to any device on the home network or remotely. The core Emby Server is offered free, with premium features such as hardware-accelerated transcoding, mobile sync, cloud sync, DVR, and CoverArt unlocked through the paid Emby Premiere subscription.
Product overview
Emby is a personal media server platform that enables users to organize, manage, and stream their own media collections (videos, music, photos) across multiple devices. The core product is Emby Server, which users install on their own hardware to serve their personal media. Emby Premiere is a paid subscription add-on ($4.99/month, $54/year, $119 lifetime) that unlocks premium features including offline media downloads, DVR capabilities, mobile sync, cloud sync, hardware-accelerated transcoding, Cinema Intros, and free apps for Android, Fire TV, iOS, Xbox One, and PS4. Emby Theater is a desktop application available for Windows, macOS, Linux, and gaming consoles (Xbox, PlayStation) providing full playback functionality. The platform is accessible via web browsers through Emby Web App (app.emby.media) and offers native apps for Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, and more. Emby Connect provides simplified remote access without IP address configuration, while Emby DVR enables Live TV recording. Emby also provides optimized server versions for NAS devices from Synology, QNAP, FreeNAS, and others, as well as a plugin for Kodi integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Emby Server The central software platform users install on their own hardware to organize and stream personal media collections (videos, music, photos) to any connected device. Available on Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and NAS platforms.
- Emby Premiere A premium subscription add-on that unlocks advanced features such as hardware-accelerated transcoding, offline media downloads, mobile/cloud sync, DVR with recording scheduling, Cinema Intros, CoverArt plugin, Backup/Restore plugin, and free apps for Android, Fire TV, iOS, Xbox One, and PS4.
- Emby Theater A desktop client application providing a full TV-style playback experience, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
- Emby Web App A browser-based client accessible at app.emby.media that lets users reach their media library from any web browser without installing client software.
- Emby Connect A simplified remote access service that lets users reach their Emby server from anywhere using Emby account credentials, eliminating the need to configure IP addresses or port forwarding.
- Emby Apps (Mobile and Smart TV) Native client applications for Android, iOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, macOS, Xbox, and PlayStation enabling playback of personal media libraries on connected devices.
- Emby for NAS Pre-configured Emby Server builds optimized for network-attached storage (NAS) platforms from Synology, QNAP, ASUSTOR, FreeNAS, Netgear, TrueNAS, unRAID, Western Digital, TerraMaster, and Thecus.
- Emby for Kodi A Kodi plugin (including EmbyCon, the next-generation variant) that lets Kodi users browse and play media from their Emby server library directly within the Kodi interface.
Companies that use Emby
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Emby technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature9 records
Emby partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- NAS Manufacturers (Synology, QNAP, ASUSTOR, FreeNAS, Netgear, TrueNAS, unRAID, Western Digital, TerraMaster, Thecus)coreEmby has established partnerships with major NAS manufacturers to offer pre-configured Emby Server packages for their hardware platforms, enabling seamless installation for NAS users. This includes both standard and specialized builds optimized for each manufacturer's firmware.
- Smart TV Manufacturers (Samsung, LG)coreNative Emby apps are available on Samsung Smart TVs (Tizen platform) and LG Smart TVs (WebOS), distributed through respective app stores, providing seamless media streaming experience on popular smart TV platforms.
- Gaming Console Platforms (Microsoft Xbox, Sony PlayStation)coreEmby apps are available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5, enabling gaming console users to access their personal media libraries on TV screens with optimized interfaces.
- App Store Platforms (Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft)coreEmby distributes its mobile and TV apps through major app stores including Apple App Store (iOS, tvOS, macOS), Google Play (Android, Android TV), Amazon App Store (Fire TV), and Microsoft Store (Windows, Xbox).
- Metadata Providers (TheMovieDB, TVDB, MusicBrainz)coreEmby integrates with popular metadata sources to automatically fetch movie/TV information, poster art, subtitles, and music metadata for library organization and display.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Emby competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Infuse: Infuse is a polished third-party media player app (iOS, Apple TV, Mac) that connects to personal media libraries and SMB/NFS shares. It overlaps with Emby on the client-side playback layer and competes for premium-positioning on Apple ecosystems.
- Channels (by Fancy Bits): Channels is a premium DVR + live TV product that integrates with HDHomeRun and competes head-on with Emby's Live TV/DVR offering. Targets the same cord-cutting audience with a paid client experience across Apple TV, iOS, and other devices.
- Stremio: Stremio is an add-on-driven media center app that aggregates streaming sources and personal media across devices (smart TVs, mobile, desktop). Adjacent competitor with overlapping media-discovery and multi-device streaming use cases, although more cloud-add-on oriented than self-hosted.
Direct peers
- Kodi: Kodi is an open-source media center with extensive plugin ecosystem that overlaps with Emby's media-organization and streaming use cases (and Emby actually publishes an "Emby for Kodi" plugin bridging the two). Comparable user base of self-hosted home media enthusiasts.
- Plex: Plex is the most direct personal media server competitor, offering a freemium server-plus-apps product with similar transcoding, live TV/DVR, parental controls, and cross-device client apps. Comparable business model (free tier + paid Plex Pass subscription) and overlapping user base of self-hosted enthusiasts.
- Serviio: Serviio is a DLNA-based personal media server that streams local video, music, and photos to TVs and other devices. Targets the same home-media enthusiast segment with similar streaming/organization capabilities, though with a more limited app ecosystem than Emby.
- Universal Media Server: Universal MediaServer is a free, DLNA/UPnP-compatible media server focused on streaming video, audio, and images to consoles, TVs, and other devices. Operates in the same personal media server category with comparable transcoding and device-support focus.
- Jellyfin: Jellyfin is an open-source fork of Emby that offers effectively the same personal media server feature set (transcoding, metadata, live TV, mobile/TV clients) for free, with no subscription tier. It targets the same self-hosted enthusiast segment and is the closest functional substitute for Emby's free offering.
Broad incumbents
- Synology (Synology Media Server / Video Station): Synology ships its own first-party media applications (Video Station, Audio Station, DS Video) on its NAS hardware, and many NAS buyers default to these instead of installing Emby. Comparable because they sit in the same NAS-mediated media-management purchase decision and compete for the same OEM-embedded layer.
- QNAP (QNAP Video Station / Media Streaming): QNAP provides built-in media server apps pre-installed on its NAS devices, serving the same self-hosted media user who might otherwise install Emby. Comparable as a hardware-vendor incumbent competing for the OEM-embedded media-server slot on the same NAS hardware.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Emby social profiles
Digital presenceEmby financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Emby leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Emby funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Emby M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Emby
What does Emby do?
Emby provides a self-hosted personal media server platform that organizes, converts, and streams users' personal media collections (home videos, music, photos) to any device on the home network or remotely. The core Emby Server is offered free, with premium features such as hardware-accelerated transcoding, mobile sync, cloud sync, DVR, and CoverArt unlocked through the paid Emby Premiere subscription.
Is Emby a public or private company?
Emby is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Emby founded?
Emby was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Emby based?
Emby is headquartered in Cornelius, United States, in the North America region.
How does Emby make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Emby Premiere Subscription is the primary driver. The others are lifetime License and app Individual Unlocks.
Who are Emby's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Infuse, Channels (by Fancy Bits) and Stremio. Direct peers are Kodi, Plex, Serviio, Universal Media Server and Jellyfin. Broad incumbents are Synology (Synology Media Server / Video Station) and QNAP (QNAP Video Station / Media Streaming).
Does Emby have an API?
No public API is recorded for Emby.
What industry is Emby in?
Emby's product category is Personal Media Server Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAJAJ, Content Discovery, Metadata Enrichment & EPG/Guide Services. Its SIC code is 4841.