vs Bazarr
Bazarr is the subtitle companion to Sonarr and Radarr: it watches the library those two manage and fetches missing subtitles from a list of providers. It's the right tool for a self-hosted media stack. StreamBridge does the subtitle job for Plex without the stack: one app, pick a language, done before you press play.
Bazarr connects to Sonarr and Radarr, reads the shows and movies they manage, and searches configured providers for subtitles in the languages you've asked for. It scores candidates against the release name, can shift timing with an automatic sync step, and can run a machine translation when a language is missing. It runs as a service, usually in Docker, with a web interface for settings and history.
Both find a subtitle for the release you actually have, both check timing, and both can translate. The difference is what they need around them. Bazarr needs Sonarr or Radarr to know what's in the library, and those need a download client and a drive to download to. StreamBridge already knows your library because it put the movies in Plex, and there's nothing on disk to manage. How StreamBridge subtitles work →
Bazarr's sync step lines the subtitle up against the audio track of the file on disk. StreamBridge does the same thing against a short sample of the stream, on our relay, so a Mac mini in a drawer isn't decoding a 4K film to fix a one-second offset. Either way the goal is the same: the line lands on the word.
Bazarr fetches one track per language and Plex lets you pick one at a time. StreamBridge can put two languages on screen together as a single track, one above the other, which is the thing a mixed-language household or a language learner actually wants.
Bazarr is a good fit if you already run Sonarr and Radarr and want subtitles handled with the same automation: install the container, point it at both, add provider logins, choose languages per profile. StreamBridge is the other path: a Mac app, sign in to Plex, add Real-Debrid, and subtitles are a right-click on a poster.
If you have the Arr stack and enjoy owning it, Bazarr is mature and free. If you want the movies and their subtitles in Plex from one Mac app, with nothing to host, StreamBridge is the shorter road. Subtitles are part of StreamBridge Pro, a one-time purchase. See pricing →