Jellyfin vs Streama
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Jellyfin
Free software media system for streaming your library
VS
Streama
Self-hosted streaming media server with a clean web interface
| Feature | Jellyfin | Streama |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | C# | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 57,445 | ★ 9,820 |
| First released | 2018 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Plex, Emby | Netflix, Plex |
What are Jellyfin and Streama?
Jellyfin
Jellyfin is a free software media server that organizes and streams movies, TV, music, and photos to many devices. It is aimed at users who want a fully free, no-account media solution. It is typically deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Completely free with no paywalled features
- Hardware-accelerated transcoding
- Apps for TVs, phones and consoles
- Live TV and DVR support
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
Jellyfin vs Streama: key differences
Jellyfin is written in C#, while Streama is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for Jellyfin versus MIT for Streama. Jellyfin is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Streama. Streama is the more established project (first released 2015), while Jellyfin arrived in 2018. Jellyfin has the considerably larger community, at 57,445 GitHub stars versus 9,820.
Why pick each one
Choose Jellyfin if…
- No subscription or account needed
- Active community development
- Wide client support
Watch out for
- Apps less polished than Plex
- Remote access setup is manual
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 Jellyfin or Streama better?
Jellyfin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Streama if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Jellyfin and Streama free and open-source?
Yes. Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Streama under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Jellyfin and Streama with Docker?
Jellyfin: yes. Streama: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Jellyfin or Streama?
Jellyfin has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Streama. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.