SHSelfHostIndex

Emby vs Universal Media Server

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?
EM Emby Personal media server for your movies and shows VS UN Universal Media Server DLNA-compliant media server for streaming to TVs and consoles
FeatureEmbyUniversal Media Server
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseProprietaryGPL-2.0
LanguageC#Java
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 4,945★ 2,636
First released20152012
ReplacesPlex, NetflixPlex, Serviio

Why pick each one

Choose Emby if…

  • Polished interface
  • Good device coverage
  • Stable and mature
Emby details

Choose Universal Media Server if…

  • Works with old TVs and consoles
  • Simple setup
Universal Media Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Emby or Universal Media Server 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 Universal Media Server free and open-source?

Yes. Emby is licensed under Proprietary and Universal Media Server under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Emby and Universal Media Server with Docker?

Emby: yes. Universal Media Server: yes.

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