Amperfy vs OwnTone
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Amperfy
iOS music streaming client for Ampache and Subsonic
VS
OwnTone
Media server with AirPlay, Chromecast and Spotify support
| Feature | Amperfy | OwnTone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Swift | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,678 | ★ 2,535 |
| First released | 2021 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Spotify, Apple Music | Spotify, Apple Music |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Amperfy or OwnTone better?
Neither is universally better. OwnTone 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 OwnTone free and open-source?
Yes. Amperfy is licensed under GPL-3.0 and OwnTone under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Amperfy and OwnTone with Docker?
Amperfy: check the project docs for container support. OwnTone: yes.