Skip to main content

Plex Cloud is now available to everyone, as long as you’re a Plex Pass subscriber

Plex DVR
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Last year, Plex — one of the best media streaming options available — announced a feature called Plex Cloud that allowed users to set up a streaming server as they would at home, but using cloud storage instead of their own computer. At launch, the feature was in beta, but now the feature is finally available to anyone with a Plex Pass subscription.

When Plex Cloud launched, Plex partnered with Amazon, which provided the horsepower behind the cloud server, making for much easier setup and eliminates the need for a constantly running computer in your home. Eventually, the company has added more storage options like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, making Plex Cloud even more flexible, before dropping support for Amazon Drive completely.

Dropbox Pro offers 1TB of storage for $10 per month or $100 per year. Google Drive offers a range of storage from 15GB for free, to 1TB for $10 per month, all the way up to 30TB for $300 per month — no annual pricing is available. Finally, OneDrive offers 50GB for $2 per month, with more storage available to Office 365 customers, including 1TB for $7 per month, but this also includes access to Microsoft Word, Excel, and the rest of the Office 365 suite.

Plex says the setup is simplified to the point that installation can be done with a single click. Plex Media Server’s powerful transcoding ability is even included, something that you would not necessarily expect from a cloud service. Plex Cloud is an entirely separate Plex Media Server instance, not a copy of your existing setup, so users don’t have to worry about giving up their home servers.

What you end up with is a Plex Media Server just like the one at home, only it is not driving up your electricity bill and you do not have to worry about your ever-shrinking hard drive space. Almost every feature of a standard Plex Media Server installation is here, though currently a few features like Camera Upload and Offline Sync are not available. Plex says it is currently working on those features and they will eventually end up in Plex Cloud. A few features that would not make sense in Plex Cloud — Cloud Sync, DLNA, and DVR — are also excluded.

As mentioned above, to use Plex Cloud, you will need a Plex Pass subscription, which costs $5 per month or $40 per year, though you can also spring for a lifetime subscription for $150. If you’re not sure you want to subscribe just yet, check out our hands-on coverage of Plex Cloud for a better look at what it’s like in action.

Updated on 03-09-2017 by Kris Wouk: Edited to add that Plex Cloud is now open to all Plex Pass subscribers.

Editors' Recommendations

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Crazy! This 75-inch 4K TV is under $450 at Walmart right now
The onn. 75” Class 4K UHD (2160P) LED Frameless Roku Smart TV is a living room with orange walls.

Walmart continues its reign of great TV deals with the option to buy an Onn. 75-inch Frameless 4K TV for just $448. A 75-inch TV for under $500 is pretty impressive and this TV usually costs $498 so you’re saving even more than usual. If you want a great new TV to add to your home for less, this is the perfect opportunity to do so while saving plenty of cash. Let’s take a look at what it has to offer.

Why you should buy the Onn. 75-inch Frameless 4K TV
Onn. is nowhere to be seen in our look at the best TV brands but it’s still pretty respectable for anyone seeking a budget-priced TV. The most obvious benefit here is the hefty 75-inch 4K screen with 2160p resolution. It looks great with a crystal clear picture which is an excellent upgrade compared to an HD screen. The Onn. 75-inch Frameless 4K TV might lack the finer features of the best TVs but it has the essentials arranged well.

Read more
Tubi teams with DAZN for sports as free TV service continues its takeover
The Tubi app icon on Apple TV.

Not that Tubi was exactly lacking for anything to watch, but the free (as in ad-supported) streaming service just added a couple more reasons to keep you glued to your couch. The Fox-owned FAST service (that's short for free ad-supported television) today announced a partnership with DAZN that brings a bevy of sports to platform.

The tentpole addition is DAZN Women's Football. It'll be available 24 hours a day, with "a compelling mix of live and classic soccer matches from prestigious tournaments." Those will include the UEFA Women's Champions League, Liga F, and the Saudi Women's Premier League, among others. It'll be available in the U.S. and Canada.

Read more
Hisense’s PX3-Pro Laser Cinema gets AI, a bigger picture, and better sound
The Hisense PX3-Pro Laser Cinema.

Hisense's PX2-Pro Laser Cinema ultra short throw projector made all kinds of best projector lists for its excellent picture, big brightness, and accurate color. Today, the Chinese electronics maker announced the popular projector's latest model, the PX3-Pro, a $3,500, premium triple-laser projector that improves on its predecessors with better sound, a brighter light source, and AI smarts to further enhance its image.

The PX3-Pro sees some improvements over the PX2. For one, it's brighter than the PX2's 2,400 ANSI lumens at 3,000 ANSI lumens, which should mean a significant boost, especially in brighter rooms. But one key improvement with the PX3 that Hisense is certainly hoping will make an impact is its integration of "real-time Pro AI Algorithms" that Hisense says will "enhance brightness, fine-tune contrast, and eliminate noise." Using AI to enhance picture quality, color, and more, has been showing up in all the best TVs over the last year or so, so it's no surprise to see it start making its way into the best projectors now, too.

Read more