Olaris vs Ombi
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Ombi
Media request tool on Plex/Emby/Jellyfin
| Feature | Olaris | Ombi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 4,103 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Plex | Netflix, Plex |
What are Olaris and Ombi?
Olaris
Olaris is an open-source media manager and transcoding server for organizing and streaming movies and TV shows. It scrapes metadata automatically and serves content over a GraphQL API.
- Automatic metadata scraping
- GraphQL API
- On-the-fly transcoding
- Movie and TV organization
Ombi
Media request tool on Plex/Emby/Jellyfin.
Olaris vs Ombi: key differences
Olaris is written in Go, while Ombi is built with C#. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Olaris versus GPL-2.0 for Ombi. Ombi is the lighter option, starting around 50 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Olaris. Olaris is the more established project (first released 2019), while Ombi arrived in 2023. Ombi has the considerably larger community, at 4,103 GitHub stars versus 300. Olaris lists first-class Docker deployment; Ombi does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Olaris if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Watch out for
- Development stalled
- Limited client apps
Choose Ombi if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (4.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C#
Frequently asked questions
Is Olaris or Ombi better?
Ombi is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Olaris if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Olaris and Ombi free and open-source?
Yes. Olaris is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Ombi under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Olaris and Ombi with Docker?
Olaris: yes. Ombi: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Olaris or Ombi?
Ombi has the smaller minimum footprint at 50 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Olaris. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.