Basement vs Emby
Both serve your own media to your TVs and phones. Here's where they differ, checked against Emby's own Premiere page.
| Feature | Basement | Emby |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Every feature, no paid tier. | Emby Premiere costs $4.99 a month, $54 a year or $119 once, for one household with a 30-device limit. source |
| Hardware transcoding | Included. | A Premiere feature. source |
| Downloads to a phone | Included. | Offline downloads are a Premiere feature. source |
| Live TV recording | Live TV from a tuner or IPTV playlist. It can't record yet. | Emby DVR, with single and series recordings, is a Premiere feature. source |
| App availability | Web and Chromecast today, iPhone and Apple TV in beta. Android, Android TV and Roku aren't out yet. | Apps for Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, iOS and Android, among many others. source |
| Full use of the mobile apps | Free. | Full access to Emby's apps on Android, Fire TV, iOS, Xbox One and PS4 comes with Premiere. source |
Last checked November 9, 2026.
Also compare: Basement vs Jellyfin, Basement vs Plex