Kyoo vs Stremio Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kyoo
Open-source media browser for movies and TV shows
VS
Stremio Server
Self-hostable streaming server backend for Stremio clients
| Feature | Kyoo | Stremio Server |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 77 · Good |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,527 | ★ 326 |
| First released | 2020 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Plex, Netflix | Plex |
What are Kyoo and Stremio Server?
Kyoo
Kyoo is a self-hosted media browser and streaming application for movies, TV shows, and anime. It automatically fetches metadata and offers a modern web and mobile interface for your library.
- Automatic metadata scraping
- Modern web UI
- Anime support
- Multi-user accounts
Stremio Server
The Stremio Server is the self-hostable backend component that handles streaming, transcoding, and torrent resolution for Stremio media clients. Running your own instance keeps streaming traffic on your network.
- Self-hosted streaming backend
- On-the-fly transcoding
- Works with Stremio clients
- Local network streaming
Kyoo vs Stremio Server: key differences
Kyoo is written in TypeScript, while Stremio Server is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Kyoo versus MIT for Stremio Server. Stremio Server is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Kyoo. Stremio Server is the more established project (first released 2017), while Kyoo arrived in 2020. Kyoo has the considerably larger community, at 2,527 GitHub stars versus 326.
Why pick each one
Choose Kyoo if…
- Clean modern design
- Good anime handling
Watch out for
- Smaller community
- Still maturing
Choose Stremio Server if…
- Keeps traffic private
- Lightweight server
Watch out for
- Needs a Stremio client
- Limited standalone UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Kyoo or Stremio Server better?
Neither is universally better. Kyoo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kyoo and Stremio Server free and open-source?
Yes. Kyoo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Stremio Server under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kyoo and Stremio Server with Docker?
Kyoo: yes. Stremio Server: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kyoo or Stremio Server?
Stremio Server has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Kyoo. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.