Airsonic-Advanced vs Ampache
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Airsonic-Advanced | Ampache |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 88 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,404 | ★ 3,832 |
| First released | 2019 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
What are Airsonic-Advanced and Ampache?
Airsonic-Advanced
Airsonic-Advanced is a community-maintained fork of Airsonic providing music streaming with Subsonic API compatibility. It targets users wanting a stable Java-based music server. It is deployed via Docker or a JAR file.
- Subsonic API compatible
- Multi-user music streaming
- Podcast support
- Transcoding
Ampache
Ampache is a web-based audio and video streaming application and file manager that lets you access your music from anywhere. It supports the Subsonic API, sharing, and a wide range of clients.
- Subsonic API support
- Audio and video streaming
- Sharing and playlists
- Many client apps
Airsonic-Advanced vs Ampache: key differences
Airsonic-Advanced is written in JavaScript, while Ampache is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Airsonic-Advanced versus AGPL-3.0 for Ampache. Ampache is the more established project (first released 2001), while Airsonic-Advanced arrived in 2019. Ampache has the considerably larger community, at 3,832 GitHub stars versus 1,404.
Why pick each one
Choose Airsonic-Advanced if…
- Works with many clients
- Mature feature set
- Multi-user
Watch out for
- Heavier Java runtime
- Slower development pace
Choose Ampache if…
- Long-established project
- Flexible catalog options
Watch out for
- Configuration can be complex
- Dated areas of the UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Airsonic-Advanced or Ampache better?
Neither is universally better. Ampache has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Airsonic-Advanced and Ampache free and open-source?
Yes. Airsonic-Advanced is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Ampache under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Airsonic-Advanced and Ampache with Docker?
Airsonic-Advanced: yes. Ampache: yes.