Plexamp and the Plex Pass
Plex offers a premium tier for a paid subscription, the Plex Pass, and I’m almost tempted to bite because of their latest music app.
Part of what drew me to Plex originally was the ability to listen to my own music, from the internet, without paying any sort of regular subscription fee. No ads like YouTube Music, no limited selection like Amazon Music, just me and my tunes. Sure, they offered a paid subscription for some fancy frills, but it wasn’t anything I needed.
I used Plex for several months without any bit of interest in a Plex Pass. The web version on desktop worked perfectly. On mobile, it was a little less ideal. The first-party Plex app is fine for video, but it kinda chokes on music. It takes forever to actually recognize my library when I’m not on my home network, and will randomly stop playing after two or three songs if my screen is off. This is after I paid five bucks for that unlock, mind you. For whatever reason, the app continues playing just fine when connected to Android Auto. So if I’m playing music while connected to my car, it keeps going. I assume that generates some sort of always-on state, but it’s still a weird issue.
Alternatively, I started using Chrome on my phone to access Plex. The interface tries to expand to a full desktop screen, so it’s really clunky to use. Plus, it will often register clicks when I’m just trying to move the screen around. Once I get the music playing, though, it seems to work fine without the timeout issue that the app has. Plus, my library loads as soon as I access the web page (which really puzzles me, why the app can’t do that).
The lion’s share of my music consumption is just shuffling my 4*+ playlist, which the Chrome interface can manage just fine. Actually adding things to my queue is just more difficult. Plus, hover effects like ratings and the kebab menu button (those three vertical dots) are really annoying to access. I have to tap the screen where I don’t think anything exists, and then hit the buttons after the interface registers the “cursor” position.
Clearly, the mobile experience with Plex has been a little frustrating. The app interface is great, but the library delay and playback timeout make it almost impossible to use. The web interface is atrocious, but it is at least functional. I’m not alone in my disdain for the Plex app. Surely, it can’t be hard to make a mobile platform that is decent at playing music.
Turns out, Plex Labs (the place for experimental Plex stuff) did create a dedicated music app for Plex. Plexamp is the solution for good music playback on mobile. It seems to be very well received by just about anybody who uses it. Sounds like exactly what I wanted.
But wait, it requires a Plex Pass to use. Just to check, I downloaded the app and tried to log in. Sure enough, you can’t even see your music library without a Plex Pass. Being able to avoid a monthly fee to listen to my music was basically the main thing that drew me to Plex to begin with. If I’m going to have to pay a subscription to listen to my music on mobile, what makes Plex any better than other paid music services?
I started looking into a Plex Pass, just to see how much I may have to pay. It wasn’t something I was keen to start, but it looked like I’d probably end up having to pay some sort of subscription no matter what service I used. If I already had my own music added to Plex, it was genuinely easier to just keep using what I had. Plus, I had to assume that the Plex Pass subscription rates were cheaper than other music streaming services.
The standard “most popular” option for Plex Pass is a $4.99 monthly fee. I’m pretty sure most streaming services are closer to ten a month, so that genuinely is cheaper by about half. Their next option is an annual $39.99 payment, which ends up saving you about $20 over a monthly sub for the course of a year.
But wait, what’s this? A lifetime tier, at $119.99 to unlock a Plex Pass forever. I really did not expect that option. Most organizations that offer a paid service will give cheaper rates for longer commitments, but they almost never have a permanent unlock option. If I were going to get a Plex Pass at all, this would be the option for me.
At full price, the lifetime Plex Pass is roughly 24x the monthly rate and 3x the yearly rate. If you were going to keep the Plex Pass for at least three years, even at the cheapest recurring price, you end up netting less to go with the lifetime option. Plus, it’s effectively free past that point. Any new apps from Plex Labs, any new frills they throw in for Plex Pass, you automatically have it.
The question comes down to: will I want to leave Plex within three years? With a permanent unlock, I’m more inclined to pick up Plex Pass even if it weren’t for Plexamp. The subscription gives perks across any use case of Plex, and I’m trying to migrate more and more of my media consumption onto the service. Realistically, I don’t expect to ever leave Plex, especially not within the next few years. Unless they change something drastically, this is exactly what I want in a media platform.
At a buck twenty, the lifetime Plex Pass isn’t extremely expensive, but it also isn’t trivial. If I end up hating Plexamp, it’s money wasted. If Plexamp doesn’t fix the timeout issues with the regular Plex app, it’s money wasted. That’s a substantial amount of money to pay for effectively nothing, should I not take advantage of the perks.
What I would really like is a demo period for Plexamp. If it fixes all the issues that I have with the regular Plex app, I’d probably drop that money in a heartbeat. I love Plex otherwise, and that would make mobile listening so much less painful. Until I actually spend some time using Plexamp, I can’t say whether it actually does what I want it to do.
I’m considering doing a month of Plex Pass at the normal rate, just to try out Plexamp. Within a month (probably within a week or a few days), I could determine whether I like it enough to justify the lifetime membership. If I do enjoy Plexamp, I could upgrade to the lifetime tier. If I don’t like it, I could just cancel the Plex Pass before the end of the month and I’m out five bucks. I’ve wasted more money on stupider things before. The only thing that would make this option better is if your monthly rate went toward the total lifetime cost. For example, if I could get the lifetime pass for $115 after that first month at $4.99 or something.
It occurred to me then that some services do occasional sales on their rates. Maybe Plex would do the same for Plex Pass. I did a quick search on slickdeals (which I recommend that you should always do before buying something), and it turns out that there are discounts pretty frequently. Every few months, it looks like Plex offers their services for 20% off. Plus, they occasionally send targeted emails for a lifetime pass as low as $74.99 according to some users.
I learned too late that I actually got a 25% offer myself, in the early days right after I started using Plex. Back in November 2020, I had just started using the service and didn’t realize I would eventually be interested in a Plex Pass. I ignored the email, and have not received any other discount offers since. Maybe one day I’ll get another offer email.
I’ll probably end up getting a month of Plex Pass to try Plexamp. No matter if I love it or hate it, I’m cancelling after that month. The next time I see an offer for lifetime Plex Pass, though, I may just take it. Plex is the way to go, and Plex Pass makes it even sweeter.
Part of what drew me to Plex originally was the ability to listen to my own music, from the internet, without paying any sort of regular subscription fee. No ads like YouTube Music, no limited selection like Amazon Music, just me and my tunes. Sure, they offered a paid subscription for some fancy frills, but it wasn’t anything I needed.
I used Plex for several months without any bit of interest in a Plex Pass. The web version on desktop worked perfectly. On mobile, it was a little less ideal. The first-party Plex app is fine for video, but it kinda chokes on music. It takes forever to actually recognize my library when I’m not on my home network, and will randomly stop playing after two or three songs if my screen is off. This is after I paid five bucks for that unlock, mind you. For whatever reason, the app continues playing just fine when connected to Android Auto. So if I’m playing music while connected to my car, it keeps going. I assume that generates some sort of always-on state, but it’s still a weird issue.
Alternatively, I started using Chrome on my phone to access Plex. The interface tries to expand to a full desktop screen, so it’s really clunky to use. Plus, it will often register clicks when I’m just trying to move the screen around. Once I get the music playing, though, it seems to work fine without the timeout issue that the app has. Plus, my library loads as soon as I access the web page (which really puzzles me, why the app can’t do that).
The lion’s share of my music consumption is just shuffling my 4*+ playlist, which the Chrome interface can manage just fine. Actually adding things to my queue is just more difficult. Plus, hover effects like ratings and the kebab menu button (those three vertical dots) are really annoying to access. I have to tap the screen where I don’t think anything exists, and then hit the buttons after the interface registers the “cursor” position.
Turns out, Plex Labs (the place for experimental Plex stuff) did create a dedicated music app for Plex. Plexamp is the solution for good music playback on mobile. It seems to be very well received by just about anybody who uses it. Sounds like exactly what I wanted.
But wait, it requires a Plex Pass to use. Just to check, I downloaded the app and tried to log in. Sure enough, you can’t even see your music library without a Plex Pass. Being able to avoid a monthly fee to listen to my music was basically the main thing that drew me to Plex to begin with. If I’m going to have to pay a subscription to listen to my music on mobile, what makes Plex any better than other paid music services?
I started looking into a Plex Pass, just to see how much I may have to pay. It wasn’t something I was keen to start, but it looked like I’d probably end up having to pay some sort of subscription no matter what service I used. If I already had my own music added to Plex, it was genuinely easier to just keep using what I had. Plus, I had to assume that the Plex Pass subscription rates were cheaper than other music streaming services.
The standard “most popular” option for Plex Pass is a $4.99 monthly fee. I’m pretty sure most streaming services are closer to ten a month, so that genuinely is cheaper by about half. Their next option is an annual $39.99 payment, which ends up saving you about $20 over a monthly sub for the course of a year.
But wait, what’s this? A lifetime tier, at $119.99 to unlock a Plex Pass forever. I really did not expect that option. Most organizations that offer a paid service will give cheaper rates for longer commitments, but they almost never have a permanent unlock option. If I were going to get a Plex Pass at all, this would be the option for me.
At full price, the lifetime Plex Pass is roughly 24x the monthly rate and 3x the yearly rate. If you were going to keep the Plex Pass for at least three years, even at the cheapest recurring price, you end up netting less to go with the lifetime option. Plus, it’s effectively free past that point. Any new apps from Plex Labs, any new frills they throw in for Plex Pass, you automatically have it.
The question comes down to: will I want to leave Plex within three years? With a permanent unlock, I’m more inclined to pick up Plex Pass even if it weren’t for Plexamp. The subscription gives perks across any use case of Plex, and I’m trying to migrate more and more of my media consumption onto the service. Realistically, I don’t expect to ever leave Plex, especially not within the next few years. Unless they change something drastically, this is exactly what I want in a media platform.
At a buck twenty, the lifetime Plex Pass isn’t extremely expensive, but it also isn’t trivial. If I end up hating Plexamp, it’s money wasted. If Plexamp doesn’t fix the timeout issues with the regular Plex app, it’s money wasted. That’s a substantial amount of money to pay for effectively nothing, should I not take advantage of the perks.
What I would really like is a demo period for Plexamp. If it fixes all the issues that I have with the regular Plex app, I’d probably drop that money in a heartbeat. I love Plex otherwise, and that would make mobile listening so much less painful. Until I actually spend some time using Plexamp, I can’t say whether it actually does what I want it to do.
I’m considering doing a month of Plex Pass at the normal rate, just to try out Plexamp. Within a month (probably within a week or a few days), I could determine whether I like it enough to justify the lifetime membership. If I do enjoy Plexamp, I could upgrade to the lifetime tier. If I don’t like it, I could just cancel the Plex Pass before the end of the month and I’m out five bucks. I’ve wasted more money on stupider things before. The only thing that would make this option better is if your monthly rate went toward the total lifetime cost. For example, if I could get the lifetime pass for $115 after that first month at $4.99 or something.
It occurred to me then that some services do occasional sales on their rates. Maybe Plex would do the same for Plex Pass. I did a quick search on slickdeals (which I recommend that you should always do before buying something), and it turns out that there are discounts pretty frequently. Every few months, it looks like Plex offers their services for 20% off. Plus, they occasionally send targeted emails for a lifetime pass as low as $74.99 according to some users.
I learned too late that I actually got a 25% offer myself, in the early days right after I started using Plex. Back in November 2020, I had just started using the service and didn’t realize I would eventually be interested in a Plex Pass. I ignored the email, and have not received any other discount offers since. Maybe one day I’ll get another offer email.
I’ll probably end up getting a month of Plex Pass to try Plexamp. No matter if I love it or hate it, I’m cancelling after that month. The next time I see an offer for lifetime Plex Pass, though, I may just take it. Plex is the way to go, and Plex Pass makes it even sweeter.
I never went back to confirm, but Plexamp is amazing and I don't regret buying the lifetime Plex Pass one bit. Worth.
ReplyDelete