Spiel
watch your own files on every device
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What is Spiel?
Spiel is a self-hosted media player for personal movie and TV libraries. Users run a lightweight server on Mac, Windows, Linux, or NAS and watch their collection across Apple TV, iPhone, Mac, and web browsers with automatic resume sync, metadata/artwork, and optional remote internet access.
Spiel pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Free tier with full player and home network access; Spiel Pro at $0.99/month, $9.99/year, or $49.99 lifetime for internet remote access
Spiel pros
- Self-hosted with complete data privacy and control—no accounts required to start
- Seamless cross-device resume: pause on TV, continue on phone with watch state synced across devices
- Extensive media source support including local folders, NAS/SMB shares, cloud drives (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive), and Plex/Jellyfin/Emby servers
- Plays nearly all formats (MKV, HEVC, multiple audio tracks, embedded/sidecar subtitles) with server-side transcoding for unsupported codecs
- Remote access without port forwarding—server connects outbound to relay, video streams directly to user
- Beautiful 10-foot living room UI with metadata, poster artwork, skip-intro, and auto next-episode features
Spiel cons
- Still in private beta; App Store releases incomplete, limiting availability
- No native Android or Fire TV apps yet (listed as coming soon)
- Requires running and maintaining your own server hardware for local access; remote access requires paid Pro subscription
- Unsigned/not notarized macOS app requiring manual verification on first launch
Frequently asked questions about Spiel
What media sources does Spiel support?
Local folders, network shares (SMB, NFS, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV), cloud drives like Google Drive and Dropbox, and existing Plex, Jellyfin or Emby servers.
Which devices can I watch on?
Apple TV and iPhone/iPad (beta), any Mac, Windows or Linux machine, and any web browser. Android and Fire TV are on the way.
Do I need to open ports on my router to watch away from home?
No. With Spiel Pro, your server reaches out to Spiel's relay over an outbound-only connection, and video streams directly to you without passing through Spiel's servers.
Is Spiel free?
Yes. The free plan gives you the full player on every device, all sources and formats, and resume across devices on your home network. Spiel Pro adds internet access from anywhere.