Dispatcharr vs xTeVe
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
xTeVe
M3U proxy and HDHomeRun emulator for live TV streaming
| Feature | Dispatcharr | xTeVe |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 67 · Good |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,115 | ★ 2,263 |
| First released | 2024 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Cable TV | Cable TV |
What are Dispatcharr and xTeVe?
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
xTeVe
xTeVe is an M3U proxy that converts IPTV playlists into an HDHomeRun-compatible tuner for media servers. It manages channels and EPG data so live TV can be added to Plex and Emby.
- HDHomeRun emulation
- M3U playlist proxy
- EPG mapping
- Channel filtering
Dispatcharr vs xTeVe: key differences
Dispatcharr is written in JavaScript, while xTeVe is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Dispatcharr versus MIT for xTeVe. XTeVe is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Dispatcharr. XTeVe is the more established project (first released 2018), while Dispatcharr arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Dispatcharr if…
- Active development
- Clean modern UI
Watch out for
- Young project
- Requires an IPTV source
Choose xTeVe if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.3k GitHub stars)
Watch out for
- Project less actively maintained
- Needs an IPTV provider
Frequently asked questions
Is Dispatcharr or xTeVe better?
Neither is universally better. Dispatcharr has the larger community, while xTeVe is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Dispatcharr and xTeVe free and open-source?
Yes. Dispatcharr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and xTeVe under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dispatcharr and xTeVe with Docker?
Dispatcharr: yes. xTeVe: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dispatcharr or xTeVe?
xTeVe has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Dispatcharr. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.