Airsonic vs Funkwhale
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
Free, web-based media streamer derived from Subsonic
VS
Funkwhale
Federated music streaming and sharing platform
| Feature | Airsonic | Funkwhale |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,045 | ★ 2,700 |
| First released | 2017 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
Why pick each one
Choose Airsonic if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Java
Frequently asked questions
Is Airsonic or Funkwhale better?
Neither is universally better. Funkwhale has the larger community, while Airsonic is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Airsonic and Funkwhale free and open-source?
Yes. Airsonic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Funkwhale under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Airsonic and Funkwhale with Docker?
Airsonic: yes. Funkwhale: yes.