Both IPTV and Plex are powerhouses in their own rights when it comes to media streaming both have their advantages over each other but let’s look at why you would want to use one instead of the other or run them both on your media streaming device.
What Is IPTV
IPTV stands for internet protocol television and it’s a way that content is streamed such as live video broadcasts and video content over a public (WAN) or private network (LAN).
IPTV is used by both businesses and consumers and you may have seen IPTV at work in locations such as your doctor’s waiting room, hospitals, schools, and even by large media broadcasters in your country using IPTV to stream to your media device.
We are keeping the descriptions of both IPTV and Plex brief It is just a quick run down on each in case you are uncertain what both IPTV and Plex are.
What Is Plex
Plex is a fantastic media center where you can store your local videos. movies, TV shows, and much more including music and photos, and can access the Plex server from any location around the world or on your local (LAN) network.
But Plex doesn’t stop there it has a powerful metadata system that can easily find which movie or TV show you have in your Plex and fill out all the necessary data for that movie, TV show, or music album.
Ok, now that you have an understanding of what both Plex and IPTV are (if you didn’t know before) it’s time to jump into what makes each stand out and the pros and cons of each service.
IPTV VS Plex
IPTV
Ok, time to get our micscope out and take a look at what makes IPTV better than Plex and why you should use it over Plex.
IPTV is mainly to watch live TV channels such as entertainment, sports, documentaries, and so on. This is the main benefit of having IPTV as Plex just doesn’t cut it when it comes to this type of channel streaming.
Plex can be used for IPTV but we admit it’s a little garbage the whole adding a Plex plugin to be able to watch IPTV when you can use a standalone IPTV app such as XCIPTV and IPTV Smaters.
What Are The Pros Of Using IPTV
We will list the pros of using IPTV and which don’t exist with Plex so let’s see what they are:
- Watch live TV channels from around the world
- All IPTV channels and movies in one place
- Get an EPG (TV guide) to see what is running on that channel
- Use IPTV all across the world
- Free to use IPTV apps
Cons Of IPTV VS Plex
- Watching movies on IPTV can be frustrating and very basic
- Some IPTV apps don’t flow as nicely as using a Plex client
- May need to use a VPN depending on which ISP you have and what country you reside in
Now let’s see what sets Plex apart.
Plex
As mentioned before Plex is more geared towards movie and TV shows but it also works great for music and has live services such as Tidal and Spotify built in so you can stream your music services easily.
IPTV does work on Plex but it can be a little hit and miss and the whole UX experience is very minimal so we recommend sticking to IPTV providers for your IPTV wants and needs.
See What The IPTV.Bundle Is For Plex.
What Are The Pros Of Using Plex
- Can watch some live streaming apps such as Disney+, Discovery, and Hulu.
- Can watch any movies, TV shows, or videos you made from anywhere across the globe using remote access to your Plex Media Server.
- Can cast from many different devices you own from the plex app right to your Smart TV or projector
- Add in a plethora of different plugins and add-ons to beef up the Plex experience
Cons Of Plex VS Plex
- The live TV for IPTV is very basic and harder to install a plugin to run IPTV
- Is a separate app as opposed to some IPTV providers who have both IPTV and movies in one place
- Need to buy a Plex pass to really get the best from Plex
You can see How To Install IPTV On Plex now.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Both IPTV And Plex Together
The most benefits come when using both IPTV and Plex alongside each other living cohesively (no arguing) on your media device.
Wait!! Before your imagination starts ticking over with an image of you living a cohesive life with your wife/husband, no we mean you can have both apps on your device and effortlessly flip between the 2 so when you want movies jump into Plex then when you want live TV jump into IPTV.
Here at Strong IPTV HQ, we have both IPTV and Plex running on our trusty Amazon Firestick and equally love both of them the same as both these services serve our exact needs.
Learn How To Jailbreak A Roku Stick.
Final Thoughts
So we suggest you give IPTV a spin by grabbing an IPTV subscription from Strong IPTV and then also using Plex you can search online for Plex movie servers or simply create your own Plex Media Server but that is outside of the scope of this guide but we will cover that shortly so stay tuned.