Gerbera vs Olaris
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?
Gerbera
UPnP media server for streaming to DLNA devices
VS
Olaris
Media manager and transcoding server for personal libraries
| Feature | Gerbera | Olaris |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,390 | ★ 300 |
| First released | 2018 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Plex | Plex |
Why pick each one
Choose Olaris if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Gerbera or Olaris better?
Neither is universally better. Gerbera has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Gerbera and Olaris free and open-source?
Yes. Gerbera is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Olaris under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gerbera and Olaris with Docker?
Gerbera: yes. Olaris: yes.