Mopidy-Iris vs RompR
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mopidy-Iris | RompR |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 69 · Good | 72 · Good |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,238 | ★ 214 |
| First released | 2016 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Sonos app | Sonos app |
What are Mopidy-Iris and RompR?
Mopidy-Iris
Iris is a polished web-based frontend extension for the Mopidy music server. It provides a responsive interface for browsing, searching, and playing music from local files, Spotify, and other Mopidy backends.
- Modern Mopidy web UI
- Multi-backend browsing
- Snapcast integration
- Queue management
RompR
RompR is a PHP-based web frontend for controlling MPD and Mopidy music servers. It offers a rich interface with album art, smart playlists, internet radio, last.fm scrobbling, and music collection management.
- MPD and Mopidy control
- Smart playlists
- Internet radio
- Last.fm scrobbling
Mopidy-Iris vs RompR: key differences
Mopidy-Iris is written in JavaScript, while RompR is built with PHP. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Mopidy-Iris versus GPL-3.0 for RompR. Mopidy-Iris is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for RompR. RompR is the more established project (first released 2012), while Mopidy-Iris arrived in 2016. Mopidy-Iris has the considerably larger community, at 1,238 GitHub stars versus 214. RompR lists first-class Docker deployment; Mopidy-Iris does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Mopidy-Iris if…
- Attractive interface
- Active development
Watch out for
- Requires Mopidy server
- Configuration needed
Choose RompR if…
- Rich web interface
- Long-running project
Watch out for
- Needs a music server backend
- PHP stack required
Frequently asked questions
Is Mopidy-Iris or RompR better?
Neither is universally better. Mopidy-Iris has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mopidy-Iris and RompR free and open-source?
Yes. Mopidy-Iris is licensed under Apache-2.0 and RompR under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mopidy-Iris and RompR with Docker?
Mopidy-Iris: check the project docs for container support. RompR: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Mopidy-Iris or RompR?
Mopidy-Iris has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for RompR. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.