Dispatcharr vs Tunarr
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Dispatcharr
Modern IPTV and stream management dashboard
VS
Tunarr
Create live TV channels from your Plex and Jellyfin libraries
| Feature | Dispatcharr | Tunarr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Zlib |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,115 | ★ 2,591 |
| First released | 2024 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Cable TV | Cable TV |
What are Dispatcharr and Tunarr?
Dispatcharr
Dispatcharr is a self-hosted IPTV and stream management application for organizing M3U playlists, channels, and EPG guides. It provides a modern web dashboard and HDHomeRun-style output for media servers.
- IPTV playlist management
- EPG handling
- Modern web dashboard
- Channel organization
Tunarr
Tunarr lets you build custom live TV channels from your existing Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby media libraries. It presents the channels as an HDHomeRun tuner and M3U guide for use in any compatible client.
- Builds live TV channels
- HDHomeRun emulation
- M3U and XMLTV guide
- Web-based channel editor
Dispatcharr vs Tunarr: key differences
Dispatcharr is written in JavaScript, while Tunarr is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Dispatcharr versus Zlib for Tunarr.
Why pick each one
Choose Dispatcharr if…
- Active development
- Clean modern UI
Watch out for
- Young project
- Requires an IPTV source
Choose Tunarr if…
- Great for a retro TV feel
- Integrates with existing libraries
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Requires another media server
Frequently asked questions
Is Dispatcharr or Tunarr better?
Neither is universally better. Dispatcharr has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dispatcharr and Tunarr free and open-source?
Yes. Dispatcharr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Tunarr under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dispatcharr and Tunarr with Docker?
Dispatcharr: yes. Tunarr: yes.