Jackett vs Universal Media Server

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?
FeatureJackettUniversal Media Server
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0GPL-2.0
LanguageC#Java
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM200 MB512 MB
Deploymentbare-metaldocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 15,854★ 2,636
First released20232012
ReplacesPlex, Serviio

Why pick each one

Choose Jackett if…

  • Released under the GPL-2.0 license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Mature project with 15.9k GitHub stars
  • Written in C#
Jackett details

Choose Universal Media Server if…

  • Works with old TVs and consoles
  • Simple setup
Universal Media Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Jackett or Universal Media Server better?

Neither is universally better. Jackett has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Jackett and Universal Media Server free and open-source?

Yes. Jackett is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Universal Media Server under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Jackett and Universal Media Server with Docker?

Jackett: check the project docs for container support. Universal Media Server: yes.

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