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.
Not the right match-up?
Moonlight
Open-source game streaming client for low-latency desktops
VS
Sunshine
Self-hosted game-stream host for Moonlight clients
| Feature | Moonlight | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ★ 18,184 | ★ 39,962 |
| First released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Parsec, Steam Remote Play | NVIDIA GameStream, Parsec |
Why pick each one
Choose Moonlight if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 18.2k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Choose Sunshine if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 40k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
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.