Finamp vs LMS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Finamp | LMS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 85 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | MPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Dart | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,279 | ★ 1,680 |
| First released | 2021 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Plexamp, Spotify | Spotify |
What are Finamp and LMS?
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
LMS
LMS is a lightweight, self-hosted music streaming server with a focus on performance and a built-in recommendation engine. It exposes the Subsonic API for compatibility with a wide range of clients.
- Subsonic API compatible
- Music recommendations
- Low resource use
- Scrobbling support
Finamp vs LMS: key differences
Finamp is written in Dart, while LMS is built with C++. Licensing differs — MPL-2.0 for Finamp versus GPL-3.0 for LMS. LMS is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Finamp. LMS is the more established project (first released 2014), while Finamp arrived in 2021. Finamp has the considerably larger community, at 4,279 GitHub stars versus 1,680. LMS 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 LMS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Web UI is functional but plain
Frequently asked questions
Is Finamp or LMS better?
Finamp is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider LMS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Finamp and LMS free and open-source?
Yes. Finamp is licensed under MPL-2.0 and LMS under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Finamp and LMS with Docker?
Finamp: check the project docs for container support. LMS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Finamp or LMS?
LMS 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.