Airsonic vs Sonixd
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
Sonixd
Archived
Cross-platform desktop client for Subsonic music servers
| Feature | Airsonic | Sonixd |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Archived | Archived |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,045 | ★ 1,915 |
| First released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
What are Airsonic and Sonixd?
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
Sonixd
Sonixd is a cross-platform desktop music player for Subsonic-compatible servers including Navidrome, Airsonic, and Funkwhale. It provides queue management, theming, and scrobbling for a desktop listening experience.
- Subsonic-compatible client
- Advanced queue management
- Theming
- Scrobbling support
Airsonic vs Sonixd: key differences
Note that both projects' repositories are archived — neither is actively developed. Airsonic is written in Java, while Sonixd is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Airsonic versus AGPL-3.0 for Sonixd. Sonixd is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Airsonic. Airsonic is the more established project (first released 2017), while Sonixd arrived in 2021. Airsonic lists first-class Docker deployment; Sonixd does not.
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 Sonixd if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Watch out for
- Desktop client only
- No longer actively developed
Frequently asked questions
Is Airsonic or Sonixd better?
Neither is universally better. Airsonic has the larger community, while Sonixd is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Airsonic and Sonixd free and open-source?
Yes. Airsonic 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 and Sonixd with Docker?
Airsonic: yes. Sonixd: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Airsonic or Sonixd?
Sonixd 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.