Plex remote streaming limits hit TV apps, starting with Roku

Plex is cracking down on remote access to your media cache, starting with the Roku. Beginning this week, streaming a private Plex library outside the home from the Roku app will require either a Remote Watch Pass or a Plex Pass. The same limitation will come to other TV applications, like those for Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, and third-party clients, by 2026, Plex says.

What’s changing on Roku now for Plex remote streaming

Remote viewing on Roku is now behind a paywall. If you’re not on your home network and want to watch from a friend’s house or your server, an active Remote Watch Pass is required, as is Plex Pass. In-home streaming (so you can play on a less capable PC in another room) is still included for free. Plex will also begin to deploy refreshed Roku navigation, with interface improvements from preview builds a few days ago.

How the passes work, and what they cost for remote streaming

There are two possibilities to unlock remote streaming on TV apps. Remote Watch Pass is a scaled-down Plex subscription for viewers who don’t need all of the service’s premium features. The Plex Pass is the paid membership service that unlocks premium music features, hardware transcoding support to multiple devices, and much more. Important: with an active Plex Pass, a server for any user we invite, even if that invited user isn’t a subscriber, can be set up for remote streaming.

Current public pricing on Plex’s website is $2 per month or $20 per year for Remote Watch Pass, and $7 a month, $70 per year, or $250 for a lifetime Plex Pass subscription, with occasional sales discounts.

There is only a requirement if you are attempting to access a Plex server remotely from beyond its home network.

Why Plex is cracking down on remote access and relays

Remote streaming is resource-intensive. When someone watches from a distance, servers must often transcode video and sound to be compatible with the end user’s device, in addition to their bandwidth. That involves hitting the CPU on the host machine and can force fallback routing through Plex’s relay infrastructure if a direct connection cannot be established across the LAN. It costs real money to run those relays and to operate that network while you support high-bitrate, long-duration sessions.

For reference, a 1080p stream may use 5–10 Mbps, and high-quality 4K HDR could require over 20 Mbps. Multiply that by shared libraries and concurrent streams and it really adds up. In community posts and announcements, Plex has explained that the changes in remote access policy reflect a combination of backend expenses — “which we’ve been under-charging for too long” — and a recent increase to its subscription price as an attempt to maintain viable future operations, all while continuing development on the TV experience side.

Effect on shared libraries and households using Roku and TV apps

Households that share a server with roommates or relatives who use Roku TVs out of the home will be among those to experience it first. A student streaming from the dorm or a traveler using a hotel TV app, for instance, will be encouraged to subscribe unless the server owner already has Plex Pass enabled for remote access. For administrators, enforcing direct connections only, with the ability to limit quality and use hardware-based transcoding (if it is supported), can help ensure cost and complexity don’t spiral out of control.

Rollout to other TV platforms and timing through 2026

Plex also says that Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, and any authorized third-party clients will all require the same remote prompts by 2026. Mobile apps were the first to undergo the shift earlier this year, and now TV platforms are up next. Look for a slow rollout to minimize friction, with UI prompts explaining in greater detail what’s required to keep watching when you venture outside the home.

Community response and alternatives to Plex remote streaming

User forum reaction has been mixed. Some contend a fee after years of growth is fair if it means it will go to ongoing development. Others are weighing alternatives. The open-source media server Jellyfin provides free remote streaming, though it requires significantly more hands-on set up and maintenance. Emby has a hybrid model, with free apps and some features requiring a subscription. These platforms can replicate much of the Plex experience, but they may require more networking expertise, including setting up secure reverse proxies for remote access.

What to do now if you rely on Roku for Plex remote viewing

If Roku’s your primary screen for remote viewing, you should get a Remote Watch Pass, unless a full Plex Pass makes more sense — especially if you host and share with multiple folks. Server operators should check their remote access configuration, verify secure direct connections, and invest in hardware that can transcode smoothly to avoid a choke point. If you’re only making occasional trips, downloading to devices before you go is still a money-saving workaround.

Plex confirmed the news on its announcements and community forums site, and coverage from outlets such as How-To Geek has called attention to the timing of the new policy and what it extends to. With TV apps soon to be in the new regime, we’ll find out over the coming year whether people pick up passes, whether they group around a server owner’s Plex Pass, or go elsewhere that might make for neater streaming.