Emby vs Stash
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
Stash
Self-hosted media organizer and server
| Feature | Emby | Stash |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | Proprietary | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C# | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,945 | ★ 12,802 |
| First released | 2015 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Plex, Netflix | Plex |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Emby or Stash better?
Neither is universally better. Stash has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Emby and Stash free and open-source?
Yes. Emby is licensed under Proprietary and Stash under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Emby and Stash with Docker?
Emby: yes. Stash: yes.