Jellyfin vs ympd

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?
FeatureJellyfinympd
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0GPL-2.0
LanguageC#C
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB64 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarybare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 55,528★ 544
First released20182014
ReplacesPlex, EmbySonos app

Why pick each one

Choose Jellyfin if…

  • No subscription or account needed
  • Active community development
  • Wide client support
Jellyfin details

Choose ympd if…

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Easy to deploy
ympd details

Frequently asked questions

Is Jellyfin or ympd better?

Jellyfin is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ympd if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Jellyfin and ympd free and open-source?

Yes. Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ympd under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Jellyfin and ympd with Docker?

Jellyfin: yes. ympd: check the project docs for container support.

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