Emby vs Ombi
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?
Emby
Personal media server for your movies and shows
VS
Ombi
Media request tool on Plex/Emby/Jellyfin
| Feature | Emby | Ombi |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | Proprietary | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C# | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,945 | ★ 4,107 |
| First released | 2015 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Plex, Netflix | Netflix, Plex |
Why pick each one
Choose Ombi if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C#
Frequently asked questions
Is Emby or Ombi better?
Neither is universally better. Emby has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Emby and Ombi free and open-source?
Yes. Emby is licensed under Proprietary and Ombi under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Emby and Ombi with Docker?
Emby: yes. Ombi: check the project docs for container support.