Ampache vs Koel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Koel
Personal music streaming server with an elegant interface
| Feature | Ampache | Koel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,832 | ★ 17,261 |
| First released | 2001 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
What are Ampache and Koel?
Ampache
Ampache is a web-based audio and video streaming application and file manager that lets you access your music from anywhere. It supports the Subsonic API, sharing, and a wide range of clients.
- Subsonic API support
- Audio and video streaming
- Sharing and playlists
- Many client apps
Koel
Koel is a personal music streaming server with a focus on a clean, modern web interface. It supports smart playlists, last.fm scrobbling, and streaming your own collection from any browser.
- Elegant web player
- Smart playlists
- Last.fm scrobbling
- Mobile companion app
Ampache vs Koel: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Ampache versus MIT for Koel. Ampache is the more established project (first released 2001), while Koel arrived in 2016. Koel has the considerably larger community, at 17,261 GitHub stars versus 3,832.
Why pick each one
Choose Ampache if…
- Long-established project
- Flexible catalog options
Watch out for
- Configuration can be complex
- Dated areas of the UI
Choose Koel if…
- Beautiful interface
- Active community
Watch out for
- Needs a separate database
- Limited transcoding options
Frequently asked questions
Is Ampache or Koel better?
Neither is universally better. Koel has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ampache and Koel free and open-source?
Yes. Ampache is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Koel under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ampache and Koel with Docker?
Ampache: yes. Koel: yes.