Cross-Seed vs Jackett

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?
FeatureCross-SeedJackett
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicensefreeGPL-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptC#
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM512 MB200 MB
Deploymentdocker, one-clickbare-metal
GitHub stars★ 1,520★ 15,854
First released20232023
Replaces

Why pick each one

Choose Cross-Seed if…

  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • One-click install on common self-host platforms
  • Active community (1.5k GitHub stars)
Cross-Seed details

Choose Jackett if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Mature project with 15.9k GitHub stars
  • Written in C#
Jackett details

Frequently asked questions

Is Cross-Seed or Jackett better?

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

Are Cross-Seed and Jackett free and open-source?

Yes. Cross-Seed is licensed under free and Jackett under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Cross-Seed and Jackett with Docker?

Cross-Seed: yes. Jackett: check the project docs for container support.

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