Navidrome vs Subsonic

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?
FeatureNavidromeSubsonic
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0⊘ Proprietary
LanguageGoUnknown
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM128 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarybare-metal
GitHub stars★ 22,746
First released20192020
ReplacesSpotify

Why pick each one

Choose Navidrome if…

  • Very lightweight
  • Works with many mobile apps
  • Easy to set up
Navidrome details

Choose Subsonic if…

  • Released under the ⊘ Proprietary license
  • Written in Unknown
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Subsonic details

Frequently asked questions

Is Navidrome or Subsonic better?

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

Are Navidrome and Subsonic free and open-source?

Yes. Navidrome is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Subsonic under ⊘ Proprietary. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Navidrome and Subsonic with Docker?

Navidrome: yes. Subsonic: check the project docs for container support.

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