Jellyfin
Media ServersFree software media system for streaming your library
Replaces Plex, Emby
Best Cross-Platform Media Servers for self-hosting
The 62 best Cross-Platform media servers you can self-host, ranked by community traction.
qBittorrent
Media ServersBittorrent client that aims to be a good alternative to all other
Replaces µTorrent
Kodi
Media ServersOpen-source home theater and media center
Replaces Plex
Sonarr
Media ServersSeries collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent users
Jackett
Media ServersAPI support for your favorite torrent trackers
Transmission
Media ServersFast, Easy, and Free BitTorrent Client
Replaces µTorrent
Stremio Web
Media ServersSelf-hostable web frontend for the Stremio media center
Replaces Plex
Feishin
Media ServersModern cross-platform music player for self-hosted servers
Replaces Spotify
Snapcast
Media ServersSynchronized multi-room audio streaming player
Replaces Sonos
Prowlarr
Media ServersComplete management of your indexers for Radarr, Sonarr, Lidarr
Streamyfin
Media ServersFree and open-source Jellyfin client for mobile devices
Replaces Infuse, Plex mobile app
Emby
Media ServersPersonal media server for your movies and shows
Replaces Plex, Netflix
musikcube
Media ServersTerminal-based music player with a built-in streaming server
Replaces Plexamp
Qui
Media ServersqBittorrent web UI
Replaces µTorrent
Jellyfin for Android TV
Media ServersNative Android TV and Fire TV client for the Jellyfin server
Replaces Plex for Android TV, Emby for Android TV
Bazarr
Media ServersAutomated subtitle downloading for Sonarr and Radarr
Finamp
Media ServersJellyfin music player with offline downloads
Replaces Plexamp, Spotify
Findroid
Media ServersThird-party Android client for Jellyfin with offline playback
Replaces Plex for Android
Swiftfin
Media ServersNative Jellyfin client for iOS and tvOS
Replaces Infuse, Plex for Apple TV
Ombi
Media ServersMedia request tool on Plex/Emby/Jellyfin
Replaces Netflix, Plex
Plex
Media ServersPolished media server with apps on every device
Replaces Netflix, Emby
Strawberry Music Player
Media ServersMusic player and collection organizer with Subsonic support
Replaces iTunes, Clementine
Headphones
Media ServersAutomated music downloader for NZB and Torrent
SABnzbd
Media ServersNewsreader for downloading, verifying and extracting files from Usenet
ErsatzTV
Media ServersIPTV streaming server that creates custom TV channels
Replaces Cable TV
ytdl-sub
Media ServersSubscribe to and download media into a self-hosted media library
Replaces YouTube Premium
Flood
Media ServersMonitoring service for various torrent clients
mpd
Media ServersDaemon to remotely play music, stream music, handle and organize
Polaris
Media ServersMusic streaming server focused on speed and simplicity
Replaces Spotify
Profilarr
Media ServersConfiguration management tool for Radarr/Sonarr that automates
Universal Media Server
Media ServersDLNA-compliant media server for streaming to TVs and consoles
Replaces Plex, Serviio
Fladder
Media ServersCross-platform Flutter client for Jellyfin
Replaces Plex, Emby Theater
OwnTone
Media ServersMedia server with AirPlay, Chromecast and Spotify support
Replaces Spotify, Apple Music
NymphCast
Media ServersTurn your choice of Linux-capable hardware into an audio and video
Jellyfin MPV Shim
Media ServersCast Jellyfin media to a desktop MPV player
Replaces Plex Media Player
Supersonic
Media ServersCross-platform desktop client for Subsonic music servers
Replaces Plexamp, Spotify desktop
Musicn
Media ServersCommand-line tool to download high-quality music
Replaces Spotify
Quod Libet
Media ServersPowerful audio player and music library manager
Replaces iTunes, MusicBee
Jellyfin Vue
Media ServersExperimental modern web client for Jellyfin
Replaces Plex Web
CyTube
Media ServersSynchronize media, chat, and more for an arbitrary number of channels
nefarious
Media ServersAutomate downloading Movies and TV Shows
Audioserve
Media ServersSimple personal server to serve audio files from directories
Shoko Server
Media ServersSelf-hosted anime collection manager with automatic identification
Replaces MyAnimeList
Stretto
Media ServersMusic player with Youtube/Soundcloud import and iTunes/Spotify
Icecast
Media ServersStreaming media server for internet radio broadcasts
Replaces Spotify
MistServer
Media ServersPublic domain streaming media server that works with any device
Airsonic-Refix
Media ServersModern responsive web client for Subsonic music servers
Replaces Spotify
SyncTube
Media ServersLightweight and very simple to setup CyTube alternative to watch
ydl_api_ng
Media ServersSimple youtube-dl REST API to launch downloads on a distant server
Jellyfin for Roku
Media ServersOpen-source Roku channel for the Jellyfin media server
Replaces Plex for Roku
Submariner
Media ServersGNOME Subsonic client for streaming self-hosted music
Replaces Spotify desktop
Cantata
Media ServersFeature-rich graphical client for the MPD music server
Replaces iTunes
cmyflix
Media ServersMinimalist Plex/Jellyfin alternative to stream video
BotWave
Media ServersFM broadcasting system with server-client architecture for managing
NextPVR
Media ServersPersonal video recorder for live and recorded television
Replaces TiVo
tinyMediaManager
Media ServersMetadata manager and organizer for movie and TV libraries
Replaces Plex
Deluge
Media ServersLightweight BitTorrent client
Replaces µTorrent
Tube
Media ServersYoutube-like, video Sharing App
Replaces Dailymotion, Vimeo
üWave
Media ServersSelf-hosted collaborative listening platform
Subsonic
Media ServersWeb-based media streamer and jukebox
VideoLAN Client (VLC)
Media ServersCross-platform multimedia player client and server supporting most
Channels DVR Server
Media ServersFlexible server providing a whole home self hosted DVR experience
No apps match these filters.
At a glance
| App | Deploy effort | Difficulty | Min. RAM | License | ★ Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jellyfin | ≈5-minute setup | Easy | 512 MB | GPL-2.0 | 58,066 |
| qBittorrent | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 50 MB | GPL-3.0-or-later | 40,797 |
| Kodi | Read-the-docs project | Medium | 512 MB | GPL-2.0 | 21,321 |
| Sonarr | ≈5-minute setup | Easy | 50 MB | GPL-3.0-only | 17,092 |
| Jackett | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 200 MB | GPL-2.0 | 16,199 |
| Transmission | Read-the-docs project | Medium | 50 MB | GPL-3.0 | 15,301 |
| Stremio Web | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 256 MB | GPL-2.0 | 14,599 |
| Feishin | ≈5-minute setup | Easy | 256 MB | GPL-3.0 | 10,141 |
| Snapcast | Under-an-hour setup | Medium | 64 MB | GPL-3.0 | 7,918 |
| Prowlarr | Read-the-docs project | Easy | 50 MB | GPL-3.0-only | 7,374 |
Quick picks
- Most adopted: Jellyfin (58,066 GitHub stars).
- Lightest footprint: qBittorrent (from 50 MB RAM, against 1,024 MB for the heaviest here).
- Fastest to deploy: Jellyfin (verified single-container compose).
- Licensing: 17 of 62 use GPL-3.0; check the rest individually if you plan to modify and redistribute.
Every option here is open-source and self-hostable, tagged Cross-Platform within the media servers category. Deploy effort is graded from published container recipes, not vendor claims — see the methodology.