Airsonic-Advanced vs Sonixd
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Airsonic-Advanced
Community-driven music streaming server
VS
Sonixd
Cross-platform desktop client for Subsonic music servers
| Feature | Airsonic-Advanced | Sonixd |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,402 | ★ 1,919 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
Why pick each one
Choose Airsonic-Advanced if…
- Works with many clients
- Mature feature set
- Multi-user
Choose Sonixd if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Airsonic-Advanced or Sonixd better?
Sonixd is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Airsonic-Advanced if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Airsonic-Advanced and Sonixd free and open-source?
Yes. Airsonic-Advanced is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sonixd under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Airsonic-Advanced and Sonixd with Docker?
Airsonic-Advanced: yes. Sonixd: check the project docs for container support.