SHSelfHostIndex

Kyoo 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?
Kyoo Open-source media browser for movies and TV shows VS UN Universal Media Server DLNA-compliant media server for streaming to TVs and consoles
FeatureKyooUniversal Media Server
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score86 · Excellent87 · Excellent
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0GPL-2.0
LanguageTypeScriptJava
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, bare-metal, binary
GitHub stars★ 2,527★ 2,654
First released20202012
ReplacesPlex, NetflixPlex, Serviio

What are Kyoo and Universal Media 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

Read the full Kyoo 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 →

Kyoo vs Universal Media Server: key differences

Kyoo is written in TypeScript, while Universal Media Server is built with Java. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Kyoo versus GPL-2.0 for Universal Media Server. Universal Media Server is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Kyoo. Universal Media Server is the more established project (first released 2012), while Kyoo arrived in 2020.

Why pick each one

Choose Kyoo if…

  • Clean modern design
  • Good anime handling

Watch out for

  • Smaller community
  • Still maturing
Kyoo 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 Kyoo or Universal Media Server better?

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

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

Yes. Kyoo is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Universal Media Server under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kyoo and Universal Media Server with Docker?

Kyoo: yes. Universal Media Server: yes.

Which is lighter on resources, Kyoo or Universal Media Server?

Universal Media 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.

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