Lidarr vs Tempo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Lidarr
Music collection manager and download automation tool
VS
Tempo
Material You Subsonic music client for Android
| Feature | Lidarr | Tempo |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 84 · Excellent | 20 · At risk |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C# | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,679 | ★ 2,240 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify, Plexamp |
What are Lidarr and Tempo?
Lidarr
Lidarr is the music collection manager for the *arr suite, automating searches and downloads for your favorite artists. It monitors releases and integrates with download clients and media servers.
- Automated music collection management
- Release monitoring
- Download client integration
- Quality profiles
Tempo
Tempo is a free and open-source music streaming client for Subsonic-compatible servers such as Navidrome and Airsonic. It features a Material You interface, offline downloads, and Android Auto support.
- Subsonic API support
- Material You theming
- Android Auto
- Offline downloads
Lidarr vs Tempo: key differences
Lidarr is written in C#, while Tempo is built with Java. Tempo is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Lidarr. Lidarr is the more established project (first released 2017), while Tempo arrived in 2022. Lidarr has the considerably larger community, at 5,679 GitHub stars versus 2,240. Lidarr lists first-class Docker deployment; Tempo does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Lidarr if…
- Part of the popular *arr suite
- Strong automation
Watch out for
- Metadata accuracy varies
- Companion to a media server
Choose Tempo if…
- Modern Android design
- Works with multiple servers
Watch out for
- Android only
- No video support
Frequently asked questions
Is Lidarr or Tempo better?
Neither is universally better. Lidarr has the larger community, while Tempo is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Lidarr and Tempo free and open-source?
Yes. Lidarr is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Tempo under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Lidarr and Tempo with Docker?
Lidarr: yes. Tempo: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Lidarr or Tempo?
Tempo has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Lidarr. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.