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.
Airsonic
Archived
Free, web-based media streamer derived from Subsonic
VS
Funkwhale
Federated music streaming and sharing platform
| Feature | Airsonic | Funkwhale |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| 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 |
What are Airsonic and Funkwhale?
Airsonic
Airsonic is a free, web-based media streamer providing access to your music collection from anywhere. It is the community fork of Subsonic and supports the Subsonic API for use with many client apps.
- Subsonic API support
- Multi-user with roles
- On-the-fly transcoding
- Podcast support
Funkwhale
Funkwhale is a self-hosted, federated music server for streaming and sharing audio, including support for podcasts and community libraries. It targets musicians and communities wanting a social music platform. It is deployed via Docker.
- ActivityPub federation
- Music and podcast streaming
- Subsonic API compatibility
- Community libraries
Airsonic vs Funkwhale: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Airsonic's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Funkwhale is actively maintained. Airsonic is written in Java, while Funkwhale is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Airsonic versus AGPL-3.0 for Funkwhale. Airsonic is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Funkwhale.
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
Watch out for
- Original repo less active
- Java memory usage
Choose Funkwhale if…
- Federated and social
- Subsonic client support
- Podcast support
Watch out for
- Heavier setup
- Federation adds complexity
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Airsonic or Funkwhale?
Airsonic has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Funkwhale. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.