Airsonic vs mStream
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
mStream
Personal music streaming server with mobile apps
| Feature | Airsonic | mStream |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,045 | ★ 2,397 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
What are Airsonic and mStream?
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
mStream
mStream is a personal music streaming server that you can run on any computer to access your music from anywhere. It includes mobile apps for offline downloads and playlist syncing.
- Cross-platform mobile apps
- Offline song downloads
- Playlist sync
- Lightweight server
Airsonic vs mStream: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Airsonic's repository is archived and no longer developed, while mStream is actively maintained. Airsonic is written in Java, while mStream is built with JavaScript. MStream is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Airsonic.
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 mStream if…
- Easy to install
- Good mobile experience
Watch out for
- Basic web UI
- Slower release cadence
Frequently asked questions
Is Airsonic or mStream better?
mStream 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 mStream free and open-source?
Yes. Airsonic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and mStream under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Airsonic and mStream with Docker?
Airsonic: yes. mStream: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Airsonic or mStream?
mStream has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Airsonic. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.