SHSelfHostIndex

Amperfy vs Polaris

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?
AM Amperfy iOS music streaming client for Ampache and Subsonic VS Polaris Music streaming server focused on speed and simplicity
FeatureAmperfyPolaris
Deploy effortRead-the-docs projectUnder-an-hour setup
Health score84 · Excellent75 · Good
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageSwiftRust
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcedocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 1,761★ 2,731
First released20212017
ReplacesSpotify, Apple MusicSpotify

What are Amperfy and Polaris?

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

Read the full Amperfy guide →

Polaris

Polaris is a self-hosted music streaming application written in Rust, designed to be fast and easy to set up. It lets you browse and stream your music collection from a clean web interface or compatible clients.

  • Written in Rust for speed
  • Simple setup
  • Last.fm integration
  • Collection browsing

Read the full Polaris guide →

Amperfy vs Polaris: key differences

Amperfy is written in Swift, while Polaris is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Amperfy versus MIT for Polaris. Polaris is the more established project (first released 2017), while Amperfy arrived in 2021. Polaris 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
Amperfy details

Choose Polaris if…

  • Low resource usage
  • Single binary deployment

Watch out for

  • Smaller ecosystem
  • Fewer client options
Polaris details

Frequently asked questions

Is Amperfy or Polaris better?

Neither is universally better. Polaris has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Amperfy and Polaris free and open-source?

Yes. Amperfy is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Polaris under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Amperfy and Polaris with Docker?

Amperfy: check the project docs for container support. Polaris: yes.

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