Moonlight 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.
Sunshine
Self-hosted game-stream host for Moonlight clients
| Feature | Moonlight | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 77 · Good | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C++ | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,748 | ★ 41,479 |
| First released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Parsec, Steam Remote Play | NVIDIA GameStream, Parsec |
What are Moonlight and Sunshine?
Moonlight
Moonlight is an open-source client implementation of NVIDIA's GameStream protocol that streams games and full desktops from a host PC. Paired with Sunshine, it enables a fully self-hosted remote desktop and gaming setup.
- Low-latency desktop streaming
- Works with Sunshine host
- Hardware-accelerated decoding
- Many client platforms
Sunshine
Sunshine is an open-source, self-hosted game streaming host compatible with Moonlight clients. It streams desktop and games with low latency and hardware encoding.
- Low-latency game streaming
- Hardware encoding
- Moonlight client compatible
- Cross-platform host
Moonlight vs Sunshine: key differences
Both projects are written in C++. Moonlight is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Sunshine. Moonlight is the more established project (first released 2015), while Sunshine arrived in 2020. Sunshine has the considerably larger community, at 41,479 GitHub stars versus 18,748. Sunshine lists first-class Docker deployment; Moonlight does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Moonlight if…
- Very low latency
- Wide client platform support
- HDR and 4K streaming
Watch out for
- Requires separate host software
- Best on strong networks
Choose Sunshine if…
- Low-latency streaming
- Hardware encoding support
- Works with any GPU
Watch out for
- Requires Moonlight clients
- Network tuning often needed
Frequently asked questions
Is Moonlight or Sunshine better?
Neither is universally better. Sunshine has the larger community, while Moonlight is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Moonlight and Sunshine free and open-source?
Yes. Moonlight is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Sunshine under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Moonlight and Sunshine with Docker?
Moonlight: check the project docs for container support. Sunshine: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Moonlight or Sunshine?
Moonlight has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Sunshine. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.