Ampache vs Mopidy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Ampache | Mopidy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,832 | ★ 8,586 |
| First released | 2001 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
What are Ampache and Mopidy?
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
Mopidy
Mopidy is an extensible music server written in Python that plays music from local disk, Spotify, SoundCloud, and other sources. It is controlled through MPD and web clients and is popular for DIY music players.
- Plays from multiple backends
- MPD protocol compatible
- Rich plugin ecosystem
- Web client support
Ampache vs Mopidy: key differences
Ampache is written in PHP, while Mopidy is built with Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Ampache versus Apache-2.0 for Mopidy. Mopidy is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Ampache. Ampache is the more established project (first released 2001), while Mopidy arrived in 2010. Mopidy has the considerably larger community, at 8,586 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 Mopidy if…
- Highly extensible
- Great for Raspberry Pi projects
Watch out for
- No native UI
- Requires plugins for most features
Frequently asked questions
Is Ampache or Mopidy better?
Neither is universally better. Mopidy has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Ampache and Mopidy free and open-source?
Yes. Ampache is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mopidy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ampache and Mopidy with Docker?
Ampache: yes. Mopidy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ampache or Mopidy?
Mopidy has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Ampache. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.