Apollo vs Games on Whales
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Apollo | Games on Whales |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 67 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,061 | ★ 2,200 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Steam Remote Play, Parsec | GeForce Now, Parsec |
What are Apollo and Games on Whales?
Apollo
Apollo is a fork of Sunshine that acts as a self-hosted streaming host compatible with Moonlight clients, adding virtual display and multi-user features for remote desktop and game streaming. It runs on your own hardware.
- Moonlight-compatible host
- Virtual display support
- Low-latency streaming
- Multi-user
Games on Whales
Games on Whales is a project for hosting low-latency remote desktops and games inside containers, streaming them to clients with the Moonlight protocol. It enables a self-hosted cloud gaming server.
- Containerized remote desktops
- Moonlight-compatible streaming
- Multi-user sessions
- GPU passthrough
Apollo vs Games on Whales: key differences
Both projects are written in C++. Apollo is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Games on Whales. Games on Whales is the more established project (first released 2021), while Apollo arrived in 2024. Apollo has the considerably larger community, at 11,061 GitHub stars versus 2,200. Games on Whales lists first-class Docker deployment; Apollo does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Apollo if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 11.1k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Choose Games on Whales if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Apollo or Games on Whales better?
Apollo is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Games on Whales if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Apollo and Games on Whales free and open-source?
Yes. Apollo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Games on Whales under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apollo and Games on Whales with Docker?
Apollo: check the project docs for container support. Games on Whales: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Apollo or Games on Whales?
Apollo has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Games on Whales. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.