Apollo vs Moonlight
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 | Moonlight |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 77 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,061 | ★ 18,748 |
| First released | 2024 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Steam Remote Play, Parsec | Parsec, Steam Remote Play |
What are Apollo and Moonlight?
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
Moonlight
Moonlight is an open-source client implementation of NVIDIA's GameStream protocol that streams games and full desktops from a host PC. Paired with Sunshine, it enables a fully self-hosted remote desktop and gaming setup.
- Low-latency desktop streaming
- Works with Sunshine host
- Hardware-accelerated decoding
- Many client platforms
Apollo vs Moonlight: key differences
Both projects are written in C++. Moonlight is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Apollo. Moonlight is the more established project (first released 2015), while Apollo arrived in 2024.
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 Moonlight if…
- Very low latency
- Wide client platform support
- HDR and 4K streaming
Watch out for
- Requires separate host software
- Best on strong networks
Frequently asked questions
Is Apollo or Moonlight better?
Moonlight is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Apollo if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Apollo and Moonlight free and open-source?
Yes. Apollo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Moonlight under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apollo and Moonlight with Docker?
Apollo: check the project docs for container support. Moonlight: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Apollo or Moonlight?
Moonlight has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Apollo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.