VLClean Plain comparisons of self-hosted media tools

Notifiarr vs Overseerr in 2026

Notifiarr watches a home server and sends alerts; Overseerr takes media requests. Both compared with Askarr for Plex, Radarr or Sonarr.

By VLClean ยท

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Notifiarr keeps watch over a home server and sends alerts. [1] Overseerr handles requests for movies and shows. [2] Askarr is a hosted website that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr. [3] The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [3] Plus costs $3.99 a month for 50 requests a month. [3] Pro costs $6.99 a month for unlimited requests. [3]

OptionPriceWhat its sources sayAlso stated
Notifiarrnot publishedMonitors system health, memory, CPU, temperatures, SMART, IPMI and RAID status [1]Discord is its current platform [1]; excessive use may add fees or restrict capacity [1]; integrates with Apprise, Authentik, Better Stack and Cronitor [1]
OverseerrFree [2]Free request management and media discovery tool that works with Jellyfin, Plex or Emby servers [2]Configurable request limits per user [2]; per-user permissions [2]; notifications by email, Discord and others [2]; separate 4K servers [2]; manage standard and 4K content separately [2]
Askarr Free [3]$0 [3]Hosted website that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr [3]10 requests a month [3]; request history with live status [3]
Askarr Plus [3]$3.99 a month [3]Hosted website that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr [3]50 requests a month [3]; request history with live status [3]
Askarr Pro [3]$6.99 a month [3]Hosted website that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr [3]No monthly request limit [3]; request history with live status [3]

The short answer

This page is for people who run Plex with Radarr or Sonarr, the apps that add movies and shows to a home media library. Notifiarr watches over the server itself: it monitors services and health metrics and sends an alert when something goes down. [1] [1] Overseerr is a free request management and media discovery tool that works with a Jellyfin, Plex or Emby server. [2] Askarr is a hosted website where you search for a title and request it, and your own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. [3]

Notifiarr's sources say it notifies you when a service on your network goes down or becomes unreachable. [1] Overseerr's sources say it offers request limits that restrict how many movies or TV seasons a user can request over a period you set. [2] With Askarr nothing is installed; you add Askarr as an import list in Radarr and Sonarr, which is a list those apps read your requests from. [3] On Askarr you can see your request history with live status. [3] You can also try a throwaway demo account. [3]

What Notifiarr, Overseerr is built for

Notifiarr's pages describe a tool that watches a home setup and tells you when something fails. It says it monitors system health, memory, CPU, temperatures, SMART, IPMI and RAID status. [1] It also says it monitors services on your network and notifies you when they go down or become unreachable. [1] Its pages list Discord as its current platform, with 27,786 servers. [1] Push, SMS, email, Slack, Telegram and Mattermost notification are listed as roadmap items. [1] Its own pages name Apprise, Authentik, Better Stack and Cronitor as things it integrates with. [1]

Overseerr's own pages name the tool Seerr and call it a free request management and media discovery tool that works with Jellyfin, Plex or Emby servers. [2] A limit restricts the number of movies or TV seasons a user can request over a time period you configure. [2] Its pages note more than 25 languages, several notification agents, and support for PostgreSQL and SQLite. [2] [2] [2] Beyond what these quotes say, the sources give little detail, so check each tool's own pages for anything else, such as how each one is hosted.

What Askarr is built for

Askarr is made by the team that publishes this site. It is a hosted website that works with your existing Radarr and Sonarr. [3]

You search for a movie or show on the Askarr site and request it, and your own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. [3] If you already have a link, you can paste a TMDB, IMDb or TVDB link to find the title. [3]

Askarr says it never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr and never receives their API keys. [3] A webhook from Radarr and Sonarr reports back so the site shows when a title was added and downloaded. [3] You can see your request history with live status. [3]

Each friend who signs up through your link adds 10 requests a month to your limit. [3] You can try the dashboard with a throwaway demo account and sample data without signing up. [3]

Pricing and fees

Overseerr's pages describe Seerr as free. [2] No hosting price or paid plan appears in the facts for Overseerr, so any cost of running it is not published there. Notifiarr's pages do not state a plan price either, so that part is not published here. Its pages do state that under PIPEDA, an access request must be made in writing and carries a fee of $30.00. [1] Its pages also say all payments are final because they are for digital services, and that a mistaken payment can be raised with the company, which will work with you. [1] [1]

Askarr has three plans. [3] [3] [3] The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [3] Plus costs $3.99 a month for 50 requests a month. [3] Pro costs $6.99 a month for unlimited requests. [3] The Pro plan has no monthly request limit. [3]

No card fee or other charge from a payment service is stated for any of the three tools, so that part is not published here.

Setting it up with your server

Overseerr's facts say it works with Jellyfin, Plex or Emby servers. [2] Its pages say it scans those libraries at regular intervals so it knows which items are already available, and that multiple Radarr or Sonarr servers can be added. [2] The facts say nothing more about the steps, so check its own pages for how to connect it.

For Notifiarr, the facts name Discord as its current platform and list notifications that are planned but not yet available. [1] [1] The facts say little about connecting it to a server, so check its own pages for the exact steps.

For Askarr, nothing is installed; you add Askarr as an import list in Radarr and Sonarr. [3] A bookmark you run on your Radarr or Sonarr page saves the list and webhook there for you. [3] After that, you request a title on the site and your own Radarr or Sonarr adds it. [3] The claims for Askarr do not mention Plex, so check how your library fits.

Things to check before you choose

Start with what you want the extra tool to do. Notifiarr's sources describe watching a server and sending alerts, [1] while Overseerr's describe taking media requests. [2] Ask what hosting each one needs, since neither set of facts states a hosting cost, and ask where your data sits: Notifiarr says its collected personal information is stored or processed in the United Kingdom. [1] Ask how many people will make requests; Overseerr offers limits you configure, [2] and Askarr's Free plan allows 10 requests a month. [3] Ask whether you need separate 4K servers and whether each tool supports them, and which alerts each tool supports. Ask whether a demo is available; Askarr offers one. [3]

How to choose

If you want a tool that watches a server and tells you when a service goes down, Notifiarr's sources say it does that. [1] If you want health metrics such as CPU, temperature and RAID status watched, its sources name those. [1]

If you want a free tool that takes media requests on a Jellyfin, Plex or Emby server, Overseerr's sources say it meets that. [2] If you want to cap what each user can request over a time period, its sources say it offers that. [2] For permissions, notifications and 4K servers, see the table.

If you want nothing installed, Askarr's claims say you only add a list in Radarr and Sonarr. [3] If you want to know what the site can reach, Askarr says it never connects to your Radarr or Sonarr. [3] If you want no monthly request limit, Pro has none and costs $6.99 a month. [3] [3]

Frequently asked questions

Is Overseerr free?

Overseerr's pages describe Seerr as a free request management and media discovery tool that works with Jellyfin, Plex or Emby servers. [2] The facts give no hosting price, so what it costs you to run is not published there. Check its own pages before you plan around a total cost.

How much does Notifiarr cost?

Notifiarr's pages do not state a plan price. They do say that under PIPEDA, an access request must be made in writing and carries a fee of $30.00, [1] and that all payments are final because they are for digital services. [1] Since no plan price is published, check its own pages for what it charges.

How much does Askarr cost?

The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [3] Plus costs $3.99 a month for 50 requests a month. [3] Pro costs $6.99 a month for unlimited requests. [3] No card fee is stated for Askarr, so that part is not published.

Does Askarr need anything installed?

Nothing is installed; you add Askarr as an import list in Radarr and Sonarr. [3] A bookmark run on your Radarr or Sonarr page saves the list and webhook there for you. [3] The claims do not describe any other setup step.

Does Notifiarr delete personal information?

Notifiarr's pages say personal information is deleted within 1 day of an account being terminated or deleted. [1] Its pages also say the personal information it collects is stored or processed in the United Kingdom. [1] Ask each tool what it keeps and where it is stored before you rely on it.

The Free plan costs $0 and allows 10 requests a month. [3]

Try Askarr

Sources

  1. Notifiarr, notifiarr.com, read 2026-10-09
  2. Overseerr, overseerr.dev, read 2026-10-07
  3. Askarr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)

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