Finamp vs Gonic
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Finamp | Gonic |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Dart | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,279 | ★ 2,555 |
| First released | 2021 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Plexamp, Spotify | Spotify, Plex |
What are Finamp and Gonic?
Finamp
Finamp is a free and open-source music client for Jellyfin built with Flutter for Android and iOS. It allows downloading albums and playlists for offline listening and supports gapless playback and transcoding.
- Offline music downloads
- Gapless playback
- Transcoded streaming
- Cross-platform mobile
Gonic
Gonic is a fast, lightweight music streaming server compatible with the Subsonic API. Written in Go, it works well on low-power hardware and supports podcasts and multiple music folders.
- Subsonic API compatible
- Very low resource use
- Podcast support
- Multiple music folders
Finamp vs Gonic: key differences
Finamp is written in Dart, while Gonic is built with Go. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Finamp versus GPL-3.0 for Gonic. Gonic is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Finamp. Gonic is the more established project (first released 2019), while Finamp arrived in 2021. Gonic lists first-class Docker deployment; Finamp does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Finamp if…
- Reliable offline mode
- Active community
Watch out for
- Mobile only
- Requires Jellyfin server
Choose Gonic if…
- Runs on Raspberry Pi easily
- Works with many Subsonic clients
Watch out for
- No built-in web player polish
- Minimal admin UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Finamp or Gonic better?
Neither is universally better. Finamp has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Finamp and Gonic free and open-source?
Yes. Finamp is licensed under MPL-2.0 and Gonic under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Finamp and Gonic with Docker?
Finamp: check the project docs for container support. Gonic: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Finamp or Gonic?
Gonic has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Finamp. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.