Gonic vs MiniDLNA
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gonic | MiniDLNA |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,555 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2019 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Spotify, Plex | Plex |
What are Gonic and MiniDLNA?
Gonic
Gonic is a fast, lightweight music streaming server compatible with the Subsonic API. Written in Go, it works well on low-power hardware and supports podcasts and multiple music folders.
- Subsonic API compatible
- Very low resource use
- Podcast support
- Multiple music folders
MiniDLNA
MiniDLNA, also known as ReadyMedia, is a simple, lightweight media server that complies with DLNA and UPnP-AV standards. It serves music, photos, and video to network-connected devices with minimal configuration.
- DLNA/UPnP compliant
- Extremely lightweight
- Minimal configuration
- Serves audio, video, photos
Gonic vs MiniDLNA: key differences
Gonic is written in Go, while MiniDLNA is built with C. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Gonic versus GPL-2.0 for MiniDLNA. MiniDLNA is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Gonic. MiniDLNA is the more established project (first released 2008), while Gonic arrived in 2019. Gonic has the considerably larger community, at 2,555 GitHub stars versus 200.
Why pick each one
Choose Gonic if…
- Runs on Raspberry Pi easily
- Works with many Subsonic clients
Watch out for
- No built-in web player polish
- Minimal admin UI
Choose MiniDLNA if…
- Tiny footprint
- Runs on routers and NAS
Watch out for
- No transcoding
- No web interface
Frequently asked questions
Is Gonic or MiniDLNA better?
Neither is universally better. Gonic has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Gonic and MiniDLNA free and open-source?
Yes. Gonic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and MiniDLNA under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gonic and MiniDLNA with Docker?
Gonic: yes. MiniDLNA: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gonic or MiniDLNA?
MiniDLNA has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Gonic. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.