Jellyfin MPV Shim vs Navidrome

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?
FeatureJellyfin MPV ShimNavidrome
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-3.0
LanguagePythonGo
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB128 MB
Deploymentbinary, sourcedocker, binary
GitHub stars★ 2,309★ 22,746
First released20192019
ReplacesPlex Media PlayerSpotify

Why pick each one

Choose Jellyfin MPV Shim if…

  • Excellent video quality
  • Low resource use
Jellyfin MPV Shim details

Choose Navidrome if…

  • Very lightweight
  • Works with many mobile apps
  • Easy to set up
Navidrome details

Frequently asked questions

Is Jellyfin MPV Shim or Navidrome better?

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

Are Jellyfin MPV Shim and Navidrome free and open-source?

Yes. Jellyfin MPV Shim is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Navidrome under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Jellyfin MPV Shim and Navidrome with Docker?

Jellyfin MPV Shim: check the project docs for container support. Navidrome: yes.

Related comparisons