SHSelfHostIndex

LMS vs Swing Music

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?
LM LMS Lightweight music server with Subsonic API support VS SW Swing Music Self-hosted music player with a modern interface
FeatureLMSSwing Music
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageC++Python
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM128 MB256 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 1,654★ 2,035
First released20142022
ReplacesSpotifySpotify, Apple Music

Why pick each one

Choose LMS if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
  • Written in C++
LMS details

Choose Swing Music if…

  • Attractive interface
  • Easy to deploy
Swing Music details

Frequently asked questions

Is LMS or Swing Music better?

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

Are LMS and Swing Music free and open-source?

Yes. LMS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Swing Music under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run LMS and Swing Music with Docker?

LMS: yes. Swing Music: yes.

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