Funkwhale vs Jellyfin

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?
FeatureFunkwhaleJellyfin
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseAGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguagePythonC#
Setup difficultyHardEasy
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 2,700★ 55,528
First released20172018
ReplacesSpotifyPlex, Emby

Why pick each one

Choose Funkwhale if…

  • Federated and social
  • Subsonic client support
  • Podcast support
Funkwhale details

Choose Jellyfin if…

  • No subscription or account needed
  • Active community development
  • Wide client support
Jellyfin details

Frequently asked questions

Is Funkwhale or Jellyfin better?

Jellyfin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Funkwhale if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Funkwhale and Jellyfin free and open-source?

Yes. Funkwhale is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Jellyfin under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Funkwhale and Jellyfin with Docker?

Funkwhale: yes. Jellyfin: yes.

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