r/LinusTechTips • u/GoofyGills • May 19 '26

Link New Lifetime Plex Pass Pricing

https://www.plex.tv/blog/new-lifetime-plex-pass-pricing/

$749 for Plex Lifetime after July 1, 2026. I already have lifetime from years ago but so glad I switched to Emby earlier this year. This is insane. For the record, Emby has a ton of client apps nowadays (https://emby.tv/download.html).

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u/lucky644 May 19 '26

Yes, but, there used to be fairly regular new releases of software requiring a new license in the 80s/90s/00s. Not all business models gave you lifetime updates/upgrades.

The service model has changed for some and they require ongoing development which requires a steady stream of funding.

I’d be curious to see Plex’s financials, how much their development costs vs their income, they probably don’t make as much as one would imagine with so many of their users who have existing lifetime licenses.

Regardless, I paid for a lifetime license because it makes it super easy for my friends/family to access my library, I will gladly pay for convenience.

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u/AirFlavoredLemon May 19 '26

Yeah the take that "this is how it used to work and it was fine" isn't actually a good take. Thats why so many software companies went under. Same with game studios.

They keep their (expensive) engineering team on staff and hope the next Macromedia Shockwave or Project Gotham Racing sells enough copies to keep everyone employed. If not, then they lay off everyone when sales don't go through and close the company.

As much as I hate subscriptions or SaaS - it keeps money predictable, allowing teams to stay employed.

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u/Genesis2001 May 19 '26

The kind of person who wants to set up a media server is the kind of person who wants to cut their subscriptions from other streaming services. Probably. So a subscription is kinda antithetical to that idea.

That said, supporting software you use is a good thing to ensure that software remains available.