SHSelfHostIndex

Jellyfin 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?
Jellyfin Free software media system for streaming your library VS UN Universal Media Server DLNA-compliant media server for streaming to TVs and consoles
FeatureJellyfinUniversal Media Server
Deploy effort≈5-minute setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score100 · Excellent87 · Excellent
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0GPL-2.0
LanguageC#Java
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarydocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 57,445★ 2,654
First released20182012
ReplacesPlex, EmbyPlex, Serviio

What are Jellyfin and Universal Media Server?

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

Read the full Jellyfin guide →

Universal Media Server

Universal Media Server is a DLNA-compliant UPnP media server that streams video, audio, and images to a wide range of devices including smart TVs, game consoles, and mobile devices. It transcodes media on the fly so incompatible formats can play on almost any renderer.

  • DLNA/UPnP streaming
  • On-the-fly transcoding
  • Broad device compatibility
  • Subtitle support

Read the full Universal Media Server guide →

Jellyfin vs Universal Media Server: key differences

Jellyfin is written in C#, while Universal Media Server is built with Java. Universal Media Server is the more established project (first released 2012), while Jellyfin arrived in 2018. Jellyfin has the considerably larger community, at 57,445 GitHub stars versus 2,654.

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
Jellyfin details

Choose Universal Media Server if…

  • Works with old TVs and consoles
  • Simple setup

Watch out for

  • Dated user interface
  • Java memory footprint
Universal Media Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Jellyfin or Universal Media Server better?

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

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

Yes. Jellyfin 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 Jellyfin and Universal Media Server with Docker?

Jellyfin: yes. Universal Media Server: yes.

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