Olaris vs Universal Media Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted media servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Olaris | Universal Media Server |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 300 | ★ 2,654 |
| First released | 2019 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Plex | Plex, Serviio |
What are Olaris and Universal Media Server?
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
Universal Media Server
Universal Media Server is a DLNA-compliant UPnP media server that streams video, audio, and images to a wide range of devices including smart TVs, game consoles, and mobile devices. It transcodes media on the fly so incompatible formats can play on almost any renderer.
- DLNA/UPnP streaming
- On-the-fly transcoding
- Broad device compatibility
- Subtitle support
Olaris vs Universal Media Server: key differences
Olaris is written in Go, while Universal Media Server is built with Java. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Olaris versus GPL-2.0 for Universal Media Server. Universal Media Server is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Olaris. Universal Media Server is the more established project (first released 2012), while Olaris arrived in 2019. Universal Media Server has the considerably larger community, at 2,654 GitHub stars versus 300.
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 Universal Media Server if…
- Works with old TVs and consoles
- Simple setup
Watch out for
- Dated user interface
- Java memory footprint
Frequently asked questions
Is Olaris or Universal Media Server better?
Universal Media Server 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 Universal Media Server free and open-source?
Yes. Olaris is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Universal Media Server under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Olaris and Universal Media Server with Docker?
Olaris: yes. Universal Media Server: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Olaris or Universal Media Server?
Universal Media Server has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Olaris. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.