Gonic vs Rygel
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gonic | Rygel |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | LGPL-2.1 |
| Language | Go | Vala |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,555 | ★ 200 |
| First released | 2019 | 2008 |
| Replaces | Spotify, Plex | Plex |
What are Gonic and Rygel?
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
Rygel
Rygel is a home media solution that allows you to share and stream audio, video, and images to UPnP and DLNA devices on your network. It is part of the GNOME project and integrates with the Linux desktop.
- UPnP/DLNA sharing
- GNOME desktop integration
- Pluggable backends
- Transcoding support
Gonic vs Rygel: key differences
Gonic is written in Go, while Rygel is built with Vala. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Gonic versus LGPL-2.1 for Rygel. Rygel 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. Gonic lists first-class Docker deployment; Rygel does not.
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 Rygel if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Written in Vala
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Linux desktop oriented
- No standalone UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Gonic or Rygel better?
Gonic is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Rygel if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gonic and Rygel free and open-source?
Yes. Gonic is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Rygel under LGPL-2.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gonic and Rygel with Docker?
Gonic: yes. Rygel: check the project docs for container support.