Black Candy vs Tempo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Black Candy | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 20 · At risk |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,418 | ★ 2,240 |
| First released | None | 2022 |
| Replaces | Spotify, Apple Music | Spotify, Plexamp |
What are Black Candy and Tempo?
Black Candy
A self hosted music streaming server. Contribute to blackcandy-org/blackcandy development by creating an account on GitHub.
- Personal music streaming
- Responsive web player
- Multi-user accounts
- PWA support
Tempo
Tempo is a free and open-source music streaming client for Subsonic-compatible servers such as Navidrome and Airsonic. It features a Material You interface, offline downloads, and Android Auto support.
- Subsonic API support
- Material You theming
- Android Auto
- Offline downloads
Black Candy vs Tempo: key differences
Black Candy is written in Ruby, while Tempo is built with Java. Licensing differs — MIT for Black Candy versus GPL-3.0 for Tempo. Tempo is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Black Candy. Black Candy lists first-class Docker deployment; Tempo does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Black Candy if…
- Clean modern interface
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- Music only
- Smaller ecosystem
Choose Tempo if…
- Modern Android design
- Works with multiple servers
Watch out for
- Android only
- No video support
Frequently asked questions
Is Black Candy or Tempo better?
Neither is universally better. Black Candy has the larger community, while Tempo is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Black Candy and Tempo free and open-source?
Yes. Black Candy is licensed under MIT and Tempo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Black Candy and Tempo with Docker?
Black Candy: yes. Tempo: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Black Candy or Tempo?
Tempo has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Black Candy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.