I started with XBMC, with the media library on the same machine as XBMC. Then I developed a need to have acces to my library on different devices. After faffing about with samba shares and whatnot I discovered Plex. I started using that as a free user, and was very impressed and happy. 3-4 years into that journey I was considering buying a lifetime pass.

At some point their web client felt like it was abandoned, because they kept on releasing apps for a bunch of niche devices and for VR. I was unsure if my subscription was going to make my experience any better.

Eventually I discovered Emby, trialled it for a couple of months alongside Plex (same XBMC core, so the same library naming convention and folder structure). After that I decided to get the subscription for Emby. Their server is solid, the web client is solid, and their android clients are solid. Happy camper since then!