Plex’s crackdown on free remote streaming is starting with its Roku app

If you take advantage of streaming a friend or family member’s questionably legal remote Plex library from the comfort of your own home, you’re probably about to be disappointed. Plex recently confirmed on its community forum that it will soon require a Remote Watch Pass or Plex Pass for remote streaming with its TV apps — the era of free remote streaming is over.

If you’ve always been a free Plex user, your best option is a Watch Pass if you’re looking to get remote access and not other premium features.

The change, which the company first announced back in March, is hitting its Roku app first, followed by other TV platforms in 2026, including Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and more. With the shift on those platforms, it’s likely that the streaming app will launch its refreshed app user interface at the same time. To be clear, if you’re already a Plex Pass or Remote Watch Pass subscriber, remote Plex library access still works just as it always has.

“This requirement change for remote streaming will come to all other Plex TV apps (Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, etc.) and any third-party clients using the API to offer remote streaming in 2026,” wrote Plex in its forum post.

A remote Watch Pass costs $2/month or $20/year (there isn’t a lifetime purchase option). You can also buy a Plex Pass, which costs $7/month, $70/year, or $250 for a lifetime license. On the plus side, Plex Pass subscriptions are currently 40% off for Black Friday.

It’s been several years of major change for Plex

The streaming app started as an Xbox Media Center Project

This follows Plex increasing its Plex Pass pricing and halting support for free remote streaming in its mobile apps, including the ability to add a custom remote server connection. At the time, Plex said that “The reality is that we need more resources to continue putting forth the best personal media experience, and as a result, we will no longer offer remote playback as a free feature.” Plex also launched its Remote Watch Pass subscription as a cheaper way to continue streaming remote content.

If you’ve always been a free Plex user, your best option is a Watch Pass if you’re looking to get remote access and not other premium features like Hardware Transcoding, Downloads, Skip Intro and Credits, and more.

I’ve been using Plex for so long that I remember its early days as a late 2000s Xbox Media Center Project. The streaming platform has changed a lot since then, including turning into a free streaming service provider and the ability to rent movies. The platform also recently added the ability for users to review movies and TV shows, and redesigned its mobile app.