mStream vs Polaris
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?
mStream
Personal music streaming server with mobile apps
VS
Polaris
Music streaming server focused on speed and simplicity
| Feature | mStream | Polaris |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,366 | ★ 2,715 |
| First released | 2016 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Spotify | Spotify |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is mStream or Polaris better?
Neither is universally better. Polaris has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are mStream and Polaris free and open-source?
Yes. mStream is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Polaris under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run mStream and Polaris with Docker?
mStream: yes. Polaris: yes.