I’m always on the lookout for apps that enhance Plex, whether it’s fetching accurate metadata or organizing my library. In my search, these Plex apps won me over after just one interaction and have already become part of my go-to for each Plex installation.
7
Amazon Alexa
Josh Dolloghan / MakeUseOf
Controlling gadgets with your voice is good fun, especially if you have an army of smart home devices, so why not add Plex to that list? I know I lose the remote at least every other day, and having a hands-free backup to control media playback would be nice.
Although Amazon Alexa has all the basic voice commands you need to navigate Plex, you can add commands using Alexa Skills and get specific. For example, if you can’t decide on what to watch, there’s an Alex Skill that suggests content after you’ve said, “Alexa, suggest something to watch.”
Download: Amazon Alexa for Android | iOS (Free)
6
Plex Dash
As your Plex library expands and you invite more people to enjoy the content, you’ll learn that having backend information is invaluable. What’s the most-watched movie on your server? How has your bandwidth been holding up, and when does it tend to spike in usage? What are your viewers watching right now? Plex Dash will answer every one of those questions and more.
Plex Dash also doubles as a helpful tool for troubleshooting and making changes to your server on the fly. Not only can you refresh your libraries from the app, but if your server happens to crash, you can get your hands on server logs.
Download: Plex Dash for Android | iOS (Free; premium available)
5
Plexamp
YouTube is as far as I’ll go when it comes to streaming music, so you won’t catch me using Spotify (or listening to its AI music). When I’m not streaming music, I’ll listen to my own library on Plexamp, where I can quickly access all the CDs I ripped to my Plex server. It’s the most frictionless music app I’ve used to date—even easier than VLC.
For one, I appreciate that the UI resembles a miniaturized Plex app, similar to Plex Dash and Plex Photos. Secondly, Plexamp is incredibly lightweight, especially on PC, where it’s nothing but a teeny-tiny sidebar you can drag. Lastly, I particularly love its Mood playlist, which Plexamp creates and organizes itself, then gives me the option to pick music based on my mood.
Download: Plexamp for Android | iOS | Windows | MacOS | Linux | Raspberry Pi (Free)
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Once set up, Plexamp is simple to use.
4
Plex Photos
Lately, I’ve been thinking of gathering images I’ve uploaded on Facebook of my family and making them accessible on Plex for my wife and I. With the Plex Photos app, as long as my server keeps running, we can download copies of images and videos any time we need to.
Now, Plex Photos isn’t rich with features—it just accesses images and videos. However, if you go the extra mile to organize your library, it’ll reflect in the app when you switch to Library View. You’ll then see all your photos, segregated by folders and albums. But my favorite feature is Timeline View, which orders them by dates uploaded, making it easier to find something from, say, a year ago.
Download: Plex Photos for Android | iOS (Free)
3
The Plex App
If you’re someone who mostly streams Plex from their browser, having the Plex app will feel significantly better. I use Google Chrome and, for some reason, the browser really punishes the quality when I stream Netflix or HBO Max, but that’s where the Plex app solved my problem.
For one, I like the very minor convenience of having an app that takes me directly to Plex, as opposed to typing a URL into a browser. Secondly, Plex has my second favorite streaming UI (the first being Netflix), which is sleek, simple, and the icons are sized well. And lastly, I like having control over my Plex server and don’t want to risk my browser’s own settings getting in the way.
Download: Plex (Free)
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WebTools-NG is a bit of a hodgepodge of different features, from organizing your Plex server to plugins; in fact, getting plugins is the app’s specialty. Once installed, you’ll be able to check out and install plugins for Plex through the Unofficial App Store (UAS)—at least the ones that still work.
Aside from organization and troubleshooting, one of the best features WebTools-NG has is the ExportTools module. With it, you can export a handy list of all the available content in your Plex library, which lets you export a handy list of available content on your library. It can even be used to create lists of specific content, like only 4K movies, or find missing episodes.
Download: WebTools-NG for Windows | MacOS | Linux (Free)
1
FileBot
Say your library grows to a respectable size, but you haven’t exactly been the best organizer. You could do it manually, but FileBolt is far quicker and even includes the work of renaming files to their proper titling, episodes included. Though there are plenty of other tools for organizing your Plex library, FileBolt is the one I rely on the most.
Aside from pulling metadata for accuracy, FileBot also has the ability to find artwork, cover images, and subtitles for movies and shows. For example, Plex originally pulled the cover image for Clash of the Titans (2010) for my copy of Clash of the Titans (1981), but FileBot rectified the problem. Now, Harry Hamlin’s stoic stare graces my Plex server!
Download: FileBot (Free trial; Subscription & Life-Time license available)
With plugins being phased out, I hope apps start to take center stage when it comes to customizing Plex. Just with these apps alone, you can organize your Plex library, troubleshoot, install plugins, even keep a watchful eye on server usage.
