Portico

Your own streaming service. Free.

Portico turns the movies, shows, music and audiobooks on your computer into a streaming service everyone at home can watch on a TV, phone, tablet or browser. Every feature is included: no paid tier, no subscription, no ads.

Get PorticoSee features
Portico's Home screen with Fargo featured in Continue Watching

Nothing to unlock.

Features that often cost extra come with every Portico server, for everyone who uses it. There's no premium plan to upgrade to.

  • Remote streamingWatch away from home, straight from your own server.
  • DownloadsSave titles to your phone or tablet and watch offline.
  • Live TV and DVRWatch live channels and record from your own tuner.
  • Hardware transcodingUse the server's graphics hardware when a device needs a converted stream.
  • Skip intros and creditsPortico looks for intros and credits during scans so you can skip past them. The owner approves any uncertain matches.
  • Synced lyricsLyrics that follow along with the song as it plays.
  • Every appWeb, phone, tablet and TV apps, with nothing to buy.
  • Accounts for everyoneNo charge per person, however many people you add.

Everyone gets their own account.

Stop on one screen, finish on another.

Your server keeps your place. Pick the same profile on another device connected to that server and carry on.

Your history is yours.

Progress, My List, history, ratings and preferences belong to your profile, not to whichever TV you used.

You decide who sees what.

The server owner chooses which libraries and actions each person can use, and can take access away at any time.

Your folders become a proper library.

Add your media folders and Portico builds the library: posters, artwork and cast, with shows sorted into seasons and episodes. The original files stay where they are.

  • Libraries for movies, TV, anime, music and audiobooks
  • If a title is matched wrong, you can pick the right one
  • Scanning never renames or moves your files
How to organize your media
A Portico show page for Fargo, with its poster, details and playback actions

Private, and on your own hardware.

Your media stays off our servers.

Streams go directly from your server to your devices. Portico Services never relay, cache or inspect them, and never see your titles, files or watch history.

Open source.

Portico Server's source code is published under the GPL-3.0. It runs on a computer you own, and you decide what it keeps.

Original quality when it can.

Portico plays the original file when the device, connection and chosen quality allow it. Otherwise the server remuxes or transcodes it.

Live TV and DVR.

Add your tuner or channel source and guide data, then watch live, schedule recordings and sort out conflicts on the same server.

How Portico connects

Apps for the screens you already own.

A web app, plus native apps for phones, tablets, TVs and streaming players. The TV apps are made for a remote, and the phone apps for touch.

Watch on

  • Web
  • iPhone & iPad
  • Android
  • Apple TV
  • Android TV
  • Fire TV
  • Roku
  • LG
  • Samsung

Run the server on

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • Docker
See all downloads

How setup works.

  1. Install the server

    On the computer that holds your media, install Portico Server for Windows, macOS or Linux, or run it in Docker.

  2. Add your folders

    Create a library for each kind of media. Portico scans the files and fills in artwork and details.

  3. Add the people who watch

    Create an account for each person, then sign in from Portico Web or a Portico app on any screen.

Read the quick start

Common questions.

What hardware does Portico need?

A Windows, macOS or Linux computer (or anything that runs Docker) that can reach your media files and stays on while people are watching. You'll also want a dependable home network, and a Portico app or web browser on each screen you watch on.

What does Portico cost?

Nothing. Portico has no paid tier, so the server, every app and every feature are free, with no subscription and no ads. Portico Server's source code is published under the GPL-3.0 licence.

Do I need a Portico Account?

No. You can create a server owner that exists only on your server. A Portico Account is optional. It gives you one sign-in across Portico apps, simple invitations, and a secure connection to your server that Portico sets up for you.

Does my media go through Portico's servers?

No. Video, music and artwork stream directly from your server to your devices. Portico Services handle Portico Account sign-in, server membership and connection details. They never receive your media, your titles or your watch history.

Which devices can I watch on?

In any modern web browser, and in the Portico apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Google TV, Fire TV, Roku, LG and Samsung.

Can I share my server with family?

Yes. Give each person their own account. Each person's profile keeps its own progress, My List, history and ratings, and you choose which libraries each person can see.

Set up and look after your server.

Step-by-step guides for installing Portico, adding media, remote access and backups, plus help when a connection or a file won't play.

Start hereInstall Portico Server and add your first library.Organize mediaName files, build libraries and fix matches.Remote accessWatch from outside your home network.TroubleshootingSort out connection, playback and library problems.

Start your Portico server.

Install it on the computer that holds your media, add a library, and invite the people you watch with.

Portico Server for
Get PorticoQuick start