Ampache vs Swing Music
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Swing Music
Self-hosted music player with a modern interface
| Feature | Ampache | Swing Music |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,832 | ★ 2,068 |
| First released | 2001 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify, Apple Music |
What are Ampache and Swing Music?
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
Swing Music
Swing Music is a beautiful, self-hosted music player and streaming server for your local audio collection. It automatically organizes albums, artists, and folders and includes a polished web player.
- Modern web player
- Automatic library organization
- Folder browsing
- Single binary option
Ampache vs Swing Music: key differences
Ampache is written in PHP, while Swing Music is built with Python. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Ampache versus MIT for Swing Music. Swing Music 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 Swing Music arrived in 2022.
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 Swing Music if…
- Attractive interface
- Easy to deploy
Watch out for
- Younger project
- No multi-user roles yet
Frequently asked questions
Is Ampache or Swing Music better?
Neither is universally better. Ampache has the larger community, while Swing Music is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Ampache and Swing Music free and open-source?
Yes. Ampache is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Swing Music under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Ampache and Swing Music with Docker?
Ampache: yes. Swing Music: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Ampache or Swing Music?
Swing Music 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.