Funkwhale vs mStream
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?
Funkwhale
Federated music streaming and sharing platform
VS
mStream
Personal music streaming server with mobile apps
| Feature | Funkwhale | mStream |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,700 | ★ 2,366 |
| First released | 2017 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Funkwhale or mStream better?
Neither is universally better. Funkwhale has the larger community, while mStream is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Funkwhale and mStream free and open-source?
Yes. Funkwhale is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and mStream under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Funkwhale and mStream with Docker?
Funkwhale: yes. mStream: yes.