Is Emby or Starz better?

Neither clearly leads. Emby starts at Free and Starz at $6.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Emby or Starz?

Emby has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Emby and $6.99/month for Starz.

Does Emby or Starz run on more platforms?

Emby runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Desktop. Starz runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-tv.

Can I use Emby for free?

Yes. Emby has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Starz starts at $6.99/month.

What is Emby best used for?

Emby is most often used for running a personal media server for films, television and music, streaming a home library to phones, tablets and televisions. Of those, running a personal media server for films, television and music and streaming a home library to phones, tablets and televisions are not what Starz is typically brought in for.

What can Emby do that Starz cannot?

Emby covers Personal media server, Library management, Sync, Remote access. Starz covers Original series, Movies, Exclusive content, Downloads. Both handle Streaming, Smart TVs, Streaming devices, Parental controls.

Software · head to head

Emby vs Starz

Emby

Software

Your personal entertainment server

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Starz

Software

Premium originals and hit series

From: $6.99/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Emby has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Emby hardware accelerated transcoding requires Emby Premiere, so a server GPU sits unused without a subscription; Starz advertised introductory rate of 4 USD per month applies only for the first 3 months as a limited time offer
They diverge on capability: Emby covers Personal media server, Starz covers Original series.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Emby and Starz actually diverge.

Attributes where Emby and Starz differ
Attribute	Emby	Starz
Starting price	Free	$6.99/month
Pricing model	freemium	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Desktop	Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-tv
Founded	2014	1994

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Emby

Personal media server
Library management
Sync
Remote access
Mobile devices
User management
Remote access controls
Desktop support

Only in Starz

Original series
Movies
Exclusive content
Downloads
Account security
Roku support
Fire-tv support

Both cover

Streaming
Smart TVs
Streaming devices
Parental controls
Web support
Ios support
Android support
Smart-tv support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Emby

Running a personal media server for films, television and musicnot Starz
Streaming a home library to phones, tablets and televisionsnot Starz

Starz

Drama streamingnot Emby
Original series watchingnot Emby

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Emby

Hardware accelerated transcoding requires Emby Premiere, so a server GPU sits unused without a subscription
The mobile, Fire TV, Xbox and PlayStation apps need Premiere for full access, with only basic playback unlockable per app
Offline downloads to phones and tablets are Premiere only
Premiere is $4.99 a month or $54 a year, with a lifetime option at $119

Starz

Advertised introductory rate of 4 USD per month applies only for the first 3 months as a limited time offer

Pricing, plan by plan

Emby

Free

FreeFree
- Media server
- Local streaming
Premiere$4.99/month
- Cloud sync
- Remote access
- Sync to devices

Starz

$6.99/month

Standard$6.99/month
- HD
- Ad-supported
Premium$12.99/month
- 4K
- Ad-free
- Downloads

Which should you pick?

Choose Emby if

You need personal media server.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Desktop.
You also want library management.

Emby review

Choose Starz if

You need original series.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-tv.
You also want movies.

Starz review

Questions people ask

Is Emby or Starz better?: Neither clearly leads. Emby starts at Free and Starz at $6.99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Emby or Starz?: Emby has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Emby and $6.99/month for Starz.
Does Emby or Starz run on more platforms?: Emby runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Desktop. Starz runs on Web, Ios, Android, Smart-tv, Roku, Fire-tv.
Can I use Emby for free?: Yes. Emby has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Starz starts at $6.99/month.
What is Emby best used for?: Emby is most often used for running a personal media server for films, television and music, streaming a home library to phones, tablets and televisions. Of those, running a personal media server for films, television and music and streaming a home library to phones, tablets and televisions are not what Starz is typically brought in for.
What can Emby do that Starz cannot?: Emby covers Personal media server, Library management, Sync, Remote access. Starz covers Original series, Movies, Exclusive content, Downloads. Both handle Streaming, Smart TVs, Streaming devices, Parental controls.

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Emby vs Starz

Emby

Starz

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Emby

Only in Starz

Both cover

What people use each for

Emby

Starz

Where each one falls short

Emby

Starz

Pricing, plan by plan

Emby

Starz

Which should you pick?

Choose Emby if

Choose Starz if

Questions people ask

Related pages

More on Emby

More on Starz

Keep looking

Other head to heads