Kasm Workspaces vs Sunshine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Kasm Workspaces
Containerized desktop and browser streaming platform
VS
Sunshine
Self-hosted game-stream host for Moonlight clients
| Feature | Kasm Workspaces | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Shell | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,210 | ★ 39,962 |
| First released | 2020 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Citrix, Amazon WorkSpaces | NVIDIA GameStream, Parsec |
Why pick each one
Choose Kasm Workspaces if…
- Released under the Proprietary license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Shell
Choose Sunshine if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 40k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Kasm Workspaces or Sunshine better?
Neither is universally better. Sunshine has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kasm Workspaces and Sunshine free and open-source?
Yes. Kasm Workspaces is licensed under Proprietary and Sunshine under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kasm Workspaces and Sunshine with Docker?
Kasm Workspaces: yes. Sunshine: yes.