Gerbera vs Streama
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Gerbera
UPnP media server for streaming to DLNA devices
VS
Streama
Self-hosted streaming media server with a clean web interface
| Feature | Gerbera | Streama |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,393 | ★ 9,820 |
| First released | 2018 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Plex | Netflix, Plex |
What are Gerbera and Streama?
Gerbera
Gerbera is a UPnP/DLNA media server that streams audio and video to compatible TVs and devices on a local network. It targets users with DLNA hardware who want simple local streaming. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Standards-based UPnP/DLNA streaming
- Web UI for managing media
- Transcoding support
- Lightweight footprint
Streama
Streama is a self-hosted streaming media server that lets you build a personal Netflix-style library of movies and TV shows. It runs in the browser and supports multiple user accounts with watch progress tracking.
- Netflix-style UI
- Multi-user accounts
- Watch progress tracking
- Subtitle support
Gerbera vs Streama: key differences
Gerbera is written in C++, while Streama is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Gerbera versus MIT for Streama. Gerbera is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streama. Streama is the more established project (first released 2015), while Gerbera arrived in 2018. Streama has the considerably larger community, at 9,820 GitHub stars versus 1,393.
Why pick each one
Choose Gerbera if…
- Works with DLNA TVs
- Low resource use
- No client apps needed
Watch out for
- DLNA UX is basic
- No remote streaming
Choose Streama if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Watch out for
- No live transcoding
- Slower development pace
Frequently asked questions
Is Gerbera or Streama better?
Neither is universally better. Streama has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Gerbera and Streama free and open-source?
Yes. Gerbera is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Streama under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gerbera and Streama with Docker?
Gerbera: yes. Streama: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gerbera or Streama?
Gerbera has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streama. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.