Deluge vs Qui
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Deluge | Qui |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | — | ★ 4,547 |
| First released | 2023 | None |
| Replaces | µTorrent | µTorrent |
What are Deluge and Qui?
Deluge
Lightweight BitTorrent client.
Qui
A fast, single-binary qBittorrent web UI: manage multiple instances, automate torrent workflows, and cross-seed across trackers.
Deluge vs Qui: key differences
Licensing differs — GPL-3.0-or-later for Deluge versus GPL-2.0 for Qui.
Why pick each one
Choose Deluge if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Choose Qui if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (4.5k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Deluge or Qui better?
Neither is universally better. Qui has the larger community, while Deluge is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Deluge and Qui free and open-source?
Yes. Deluge is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later and Qui under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Deluge and Qui with Docker?
Deluge: check the project docs for container support. Qui: check the project docs for container support.