Tautulli is a free, GPL-3.0 Python web application that monitors, analyzes, and sends notifications about activity on a Plex Media Server, built for Plex server owners and the admins running shared media libraries.

What it is

Tautulli is a self-hosted Python web application that watches a Plex Media Server and turns its activity into statistics, history, and alerts. It ships a responsive interface viewable on desktop, tablet, and mobile browsers, themed to complement Plex/Web, and it needs no separate web server alongside it. The code descends from two earlier projects, Headphones and PlexWatchWeb, and the project is distributed under GPL-3.0, with source on GitHub, a homepage at tautulli.com, and a Docker image published as tautulli/tautulli on Docker Hub.

The problem it solves is visibility. A Plex Media Server on its own says little about who is streaming, from which device, and how often, and it keeps no searchable record of what has been watched. Tautulli fills that gap by recording playback history and library data and exposing it as dashboards, per-user statistics, and notifications, standing in for the narrower functionality that PlexWatchWeb provided earlier.

Key capabilities

• Monitors current Plex Media Server activity as it happens.
• Sends fully customizable notifications for stream activity and recently added media.
• Shows top statistics on the home page with configurable duration and measurement metric.
• Keeps a global watching history with search, filtering, and dynamic column sorting.
• Maintains a full user list with general information and comparison stats, plus individual user details including device IP addresses.
• Reports complete library statistics and media file information, along with full sync list data on all users syncing items from the library.
• Presents rich analytics through Highcharts graphing inside a responsive, Plex/Web-themed layout.

Who uses it and how

• Individual Plex server owners who want a durable record of what has been watched and by whom.
• Admins of shared servers who need per-user comparison stats, device IP addresses, and sync list data across their user base.
• Operators who want alerts on stream activity or newly added media pushed out rather than checking the server by hand.
• Docker users who deploy the tautulli/tautulli image and follow the master, beta, or nightly release channels published to Docker Hub.
• Hobbyists who prefer a Snap package or a Windows/macOS installer over running the application manually.

Getting started

Installation follows the documented Installation Guides using Python 3.10 or later, the Snap package, the Windows or macOS installer, or the tautulli/tautulli Docker image from Docker Hub. Release builds track the master branch, with beta and nightly branches available for earlier access.

How it compares

The facts provide no list of paid products that Tautulli replaces, and they name no direct competitor. Its only stated relatives are the codebases it grew out of, Headphones and PlexWatchWeb; among the tools named in the facts it stands alone in this registry as a Plex monitoring and analytics application.

When to use it — and when not to

Adopting Tautulli means operating a Python web application yourself, whether directly, through Docker, or through a Snap or desktop installer, and it is useless without a Plex Media Server to point it at. The README documents features and install routes but leaves operational requirements such as persistent storage, database, and notification delivery configuration to the installation guides, so read those before committing. With 147 open issues and three parallel release channels, the code moves quickly; anyone wanting a turnkey hosted service with no maintenance burden should look elsewhere.