I used to pay for three different streaming subscriptions simultaneously — and still couldn’t find anything I actually wanted to watch. Then I built a Raspberry Pi 5 media server running Jellyfin, loaded it up with my ripped movie collection and favorite shows, and haven’t looked back. The interface looks like Netflix, it streams to every TV and device in the house, and the whole setup cost less than one year of those subscriptions combined.
The Raspberry Pi 5 media server is genuinely one of the best value self-hosting projects you can build. The Pi 5 brought real processing improvements over the Pi 4, NVMe storage is now possible via the M.2 HAT, and Jellyfin has matured into a polished, no-subscription alternative to Plex. If you’ve been thinking about doing this, 2026 is the best time it’s ever been to pull the trigger.
| Feature | Jellyfin | Plex |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free and open-source | Free core, $5-120/year for Plex Pass |
| Account required | No | Yes |
| Hardware transcoding on Pi 5 | Not applicable — Pi 5 has no HW transcode engine | Requires Plex Pass, but Pi 5 still lacks the hardware to use it |
| App support | Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, iOS, Android, browsers | Same breadth, plus Plex Pass exclusive features |
| Best fit for a Pi 5 build | Yes — free, and you’re not paying for features the Pi can’t use | Only if you already own Plex Pass and prefer the ecosystem |
Why the Raspberry Pi 5 Media Server Hits Different in 2026
The Pi 4 was capable but showed its limits when multiple streams were running or transcoding was required. The Pi 5 changed things. With a 2.4GHz quad-core Cortex-A76, it’s roughly 2–3x faster than the Pi 4 at CPU-intensive tasks. For a Raspberry Pi 5 media server running Jellyfin, that means you can comfortably handle 2–3 direct-play streams simultaneously without the Pi breaking a sweat.
The other big upgrade: PCIe via the M.2 HAT+. You can now attach an NVMe SSD directly to the Pi 5 and get significantly faster read speeds than any USB drive setup. For a media server with a large library, this matters — library scans complete faster, large file seeks are instant, and the storage doesn’t become a bottleneck. A 2TB NVMe drive holds a solid media library.
One thing to know upfront: transcoding is limited. The Pi 5 removed the hardware video encoder from the Pi 4. Software transcoding works on the faster CPU, but if all your clients support direct play (Jellyfin app on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, or a browser), transcoding becomes a non-issue. Most modern devices do. Plan for direct play and you’re golden.
The Hardware You’ll Need
Here’s what a solid Raspberry Pi 5 media server build looks like:
The board: The Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB) is the one to get for a media server. The extra RAM gives you headroom to run Jellyfin alongside other Docker containers — Pi-hole, WireGuard, whatever else you’re self-hosting. At the price point, it’s not worth skimping on RAM for this use case.
Raspberry Pi 5
The 8GB board is the one to buy — enough memory headroom to run Jellyfin next to Pi-hole, WireGuard, or anything else already living on the box, without cutting corners.
- The board: The Raspberry Pi 5 (8GB) is the one to get for a media server. The extra RAM gives you headroom to run Jellyfin alongside other Docker containers
- Pi-hole, WireGuard, whatever else you’re self-hosting. At the price point, it’s not worth skimping on RAM for this use case
- Trade-off: No hardware video encoder, so transcoding leans on the CPU and struggles with 4K-to-1080p on the fly — fine if your apps direct-play, a bottleneck if they don’t.
Current price and availability shown on Amazon.
The Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ is what unlocks NVMe storage. It attaches to the Pi’s PCIe connector and gives you an M.2 2230 or 2242 slot. Pair it with a 1–2TB NVMe SSD and you’ve got a real media server, not a glorified USB stick situation.
Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+
Bolts onto the Pi’s PCIe connector and adds an M.2 2230/2242 slot for real NVMe storage — a 1–2TB drive here means library scans and file seeks stop being the bottleneck.
- The Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ is what unlocks NVMe storage. It attaches to the Pi’s PCIe connector and gives you an M.2 2230 or 2242 slot. Pair it with a 1–2TB NVMe SSD and you’ve got a real media server, not a glorified USB stick situation
- Trade-off: Adds to the Pi’s power draw, so don’t skimp on the PSU — the official 27W USB-C supply avoids the flaky, hard-to-diagnose crashes an underpowered charger causes once the HAT and an NVMe drive are both pulling current.
Current price and availability shown on Amazon.
You’ll also want a proper case with cooling — the Pi 5 runs hotter under sustained load than the Pi 4. The Argon NEO 5 or the official Pi 5 case with active cooler both work well. And don’t cheap out on the power supply: the Pi 5 needs a 27W USB-C PSU, especially with the HAT+ and NVMe drawing additional power.
Installing Jellyfin on Your Raspberry Pi 5 Media Server
Jellyfin runs great in Docker on the Pi 5. Here’s the minimal docker-compose.yml to get it running:
services:
jellyfin:
image: jellyfin/jellyfin:latest
container_name: jellyfin
network_mode: host
volumes:
- ./config:/config
- ./cache:/cache
- /mnt/media:/media:ro
restart: unless-stoppedPoint /mnt/media to wherever your NVMe or external drive is mounted. Run docker compose up -d, then browse to http://PI-IP:8096 for the setup wizard. It walks you through adding your media libraries, and Jellyfin handles the rest — scanning, pulling metadata, building your library. First scan takes a few minutes depending on library size, then it’s instant going forward.
Want it on a clean domain with HTTPS instead of :8096? Set up Nginx Proxy Manager in front of it — it takes about 5 minutes once NPM is running.
What About Plex?
Plex is the other big name in self-hosted media servers, and it runs on the Pi 5 fine. The key differences: Plex requires a Plex Pass subscription ($5–$120/year) for hardware transcoding and some app features. Jellyfin is fully free and open-source, no subscription, no account required. For a Pi 5 where transcoding is limited anyway, Jellyfin is the better fit. You’re not paying for features you can’t fully use.
If you have a Plex Pass already and love the ecosystem, Plex works on the Pi 5. But for anyone starting fresh, Jellyfin is what I’d reach for in 2026. The app support has caught up — it’s on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, iOS, Android, and every major browser.
The Takeaway
A Raspberry Pi 5 media server running Jellyfin is one of the most satisfying self-hosting projects you can build. The hardware is affordable, the software is free and polished, and the end result is a private streaming service that’s entirely yours — no algorithm, no price hikes, no content disappearing overnight. If you’re building out a homelab, this is a great first or second project to add after you’ve got your basic server and networking sorted.
The key is setting up direct play properly so transcoding doesn’t become an issue. Get the Pi 5 with 8GB of RAM, add the M.2 HAT with an NVMe drive, and you’ll have a media server that runs circles around whatever streaming subscription you’re currently paying for.
What’s in Your Jellyfin Library?
Are you running Jellyfin, Plex, or something else for your home media server? Drop your setup in the comments — I’m always curious what people are running and what storage solution they landed on. If this helped you get your Raspberry Pi 5 media server off the ground, pass it along to someone who’s still squinting at subscription prices.
Before you build, skim the official Jellyfin docs — the installation and hardware sections will make every step below feel familiar instead of foreign.
Quick Answers: Pi 5 Media Server FAQ
Can the Pi 5 handle 4K? Direct play, yes — the Pi 5 pushes 4K files to a TV happily as long as the client plays the codec natively. Transcoding 4K on the fly is where it taps out: there’s no hardware transcode engine, so a 4K-to-1080p conversion runs on CPU and stutters. The honest framing: a Raspberry Pi 5 media server is superb for one or two direct-play streams and occasional 1080p transcodes, and the wrong tool for a transcode-heavy household — that’s mini PC territory.
How do I avoid transcoding entirely? Control the clients. Apps and boxes that direct-play everything (a good Android TV box, or Infuse on Apple TV) mean the Pi never converts a frame — it just serves files, which it does effortlessly. Match your library’s formats to what your TVs speak, and the Pi’s “weakness” never comes up in practice.
SD card, USB SSD, or NVMe for the OS? NVMe via the Pi 5’s PCIe connector if your case allows, USB SSD otherwise, SD card only for the first weekend of testing. Jellyfin hammers its metadata database, and SD cards die young under that load — the SSD upgrade is the difference between a server and a future troubleshooting session.
Where should the media itself live? Big USB hard drive on the Pi works for a starter library — just format it ext4 and mount it properly at boot. Once the collection outgrows one drive or starts feeling precious, move storage to a proper NAS and let the Pi pull over the network. My NAS for media server guide covers that graduation path.
Power and noise — worth worrying about? The opposite: this is the Pi’s superpower. A Pi 5 serving movies pulls a handful of watts — pennies a month, silent, invisible on a shelf. It’s the media server you can leave on forever and genuinely forget.
One more build tip from experience: spend the extra few dollars on the official Pi 5 power supply and an active-cooling case. Undervoltage from a borrowed USB-C charger is the most common cause of mystery crashes on Pi servers, and it always strikes mid-movie — the machine works perfectly until the whole family is watching something. A stable 5A supply and a small fan turn the Pi from a weekend project into an appliance. Between that, the SSD, and direct-play clients, this little board will quietly serve your library for years while pulling less power than your router.
Total build cost, fully kitted with case, SSD, and supply? Still cheaper than a single year of most streaming subscriptions — and this one plays your library, forever, with no ads and nothing leaving the catalog at month’s end.