Amperfy 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 | Amperfy | Mopidy |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 92 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Swift | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,761 | ★ 8,587 |
| First released | 2021 | 2010 |
| Replaces | Spotify, Apple Music | Spotify |
What are Amperfy and Mopidy?
Amperfy
Amperfy is a free and open-source iOS music streaming app that connects to Ampache and Subsonic-compatible servers. It supports offline playback, playlists, and CarPlay for self-hosted music libraries.
- Ampache and Subsonic support
- Offline playback
- CarPlay integration
- Playlist sync
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
Amperfy vs Mopidy: key differences
Amperfy is written in Swift, while Mopidy is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Amperfy versus Apache-2.0 for Mopidy. Amperfy is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Mopidy. Mopidy is the more established project (first released 2010), while Amperfy arrived in 2021. Mopidy has the considerably larger community, at 8,587 GitHub stars versus 1,761. Mopidy lists first-class Docker deployment; Amperfy does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Amperfy if…
- Native iOS experience
- Supports two server APIs
Watch out for
- iOS only
- Music only
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 Amperfy or Mopidy better?
Neither is universally better. Mopidy has the larger community, while Amperfy is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Amperfy and Mopidy free and open-source?
Yes. Amperfy is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Mopidy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Amperfy and Mopidy with Docker?
Amperfy: check the project docs for container support. Mopidy: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Amperfy or Mopidy?
Amperfy has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Mopidy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.