Airsonic vs Gonic
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
Gonic
Lightweight Subsonic-compatible music streaming server
| Feature | Airsonic | Gonic |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 86 · Excellent |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,045 | ★ 2,555 |
| First released | 2017 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify, Plex |
What are Airsonic and Gonic?
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
Gonic
Gonic is a fast, lightweight music streaming server compatible with the Subsonic API. Written in Go, it works well on low-power hardware and supports podcasts and multiple music folders.
- Subsonic API compatible
- Very low resource use
- Podcast support
- Multiple music folders
Airsonic vs Gonic: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Airsonic's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Gonic is actively maintained. Airsonic is written in Java, while Gonic is built with Go. Gonic is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Airsonic. Airsonic is the more established project (first released 2017), while Gonic arrived in 2019.
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 Gonic if…
- Runs on Raspberry Pi easily
- Works with many Subsonic clients
Watch out for
- No built-in web player polish
- Minimal admin UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Airsonic or Gonic better?
Gonic is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Airsonic if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Airsonic and Gonic free and open-source?
Yes. Airsonic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Gonic under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Airsonic and Gonic with Docker?
Airsonic: yes. Gonic: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Airsonic or Gonic?
Gonic has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Airsonic. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.