Emby vs Gerbera
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Emby
Personal media server for your movies and shows
VS
Gerbera
UPnP media server for streaming to DLNA devices
| Feature | Emby | Gerbera |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 21 · At risk | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | Proprietary | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C# | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,972 | ★ 1,393 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Plex, Netflix | Plex |
What are Emby and Gerbera?
Emby
Emby is a media server that brings together personal video, music, and photo libraries with apps across platforms. It targets users who want a refined media server with optional premium features. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Cross-platform client apps
- Live TV and DVR support
- Parental controls
- Hardware transcoding with Premiere
Gerbera
Gerbera is a UPnP/DLNA media server that streams audio and video to compatible TVs and devices on a local network. It targets users with DLNA hardware who want simple local streaming. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Standards-based UPnP/DLNA streaming
- Web UI for managing media
- Transcoding support
- Lightweight footprint
Emby vs Gerbera: key differences
Emby is written in C#, while Gerbera is built with C++. Licensing differs — Proprietary for Emby versus GPL-2.0 for Gerbera. Gerbera is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Emby. Emby is the more established project (first released 2015), while Gerbera arrived in 2018. Emby has the considerably larger community, at 4,972 GitHub stars versus 1,393.
Why pick each one
Choose Emby if…
- Polished interface
- Good device coverage
- Stable and mature
Watch out for
- Core became closed source
- Best features need Emby Premiere
Choose Gerbera if…
- Works with DLNA TVs
- Low resource use
- No client apps needed
Watch out for
- DLNA UX is basic
- No remote streaming
Frequently asked questions
Is Emby or Gerbera better?
Emby is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Gerbera if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Emby and Gerbera free and open-source?
Yes. Emby is licensed under Proprietary and Gerbera under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Emby and Gerbera with Docker?
Emby: yes. Gerbera: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Emby or Gerbera?
Gerbera has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Emby. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.