Funkwhale vs OwnTone
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
OwnTone
Media server with AirPlay, Chromecast and Spotify support
| Feature | Funkwhale | OwnTone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Python | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,700 | ★ 2,535 |
| First released | 2017 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify, Apple Music |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Funkwhale or OwnTone better?
Neither is universally better. Funkwhale has the larger community, while OwnTone is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Funkwhale and OwnTone free and open-source?
Yes. Funkwhale is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and OwnTone under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Funkwhale and OwnTone with Docker?
Funkwhale: yes. OwnTone: yes.