SHSelfHostIndex

OwnTone 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?
OwnTone Media server with AirPlay, Chromecast and Spotify support VS Polaris Music streaming server focused on speed and simplicity
FeatureOwnTonePolaris
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score87 · Excellent75 · Good
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-2.0MIT
LanguageCRust
Setup difficultyMediumEasy
Min. RAM128 MB128 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metaldocker, binary, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 2,560★ 2,731
First released20092017
ReplacesSpotify, Apple MusicSpotify

What are OwnTone and Polaris?

OwnTone

OwnTone is a media server that streams music to AirPlay and Chromecast devices, with support for Spotify and internet radio. It serves your local library through DAAP and the Subsonic API.

  • AirPlay and Chromecast output
  • Spotify integration
  • Internet radio

Read the full OwnTone guide →

Polaris

Polaris is a self-hosted music streaming application written in Rust, designed to be fast and easy to set up. It lets you browse and stream your music collection from a clean web interface or compatible clients.

  • Written in Rust for speed
  • Simple setup
  • Last.fm integration
  • Collection browsing

Read the full Polaris guide →

OwnTone vs Polaris: key differences

OwnTone is written in C, while Polaris is built with Rust. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for OwnTone versus MIT for Polaris. OwnTone is the more established project (first released 2009), while Polaris arrived in 2017.

Why pick each one

Choose OwnTone if…

  • Excellent AirPlay support
  • Low footprint

Watch out for

  • Web UI is minimal
  • Configuration via files
OwnTone details

Choose Polaris if…

  • Low resource usage
  • Single binary deployment

Watch out for

  • Smaller ecosystem
  • Fewer client options
Polaris details

Frequently asked questions

Is OwnTone or Polaris better?

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

Are OwnTone and Polaris free and open-source?

Yes. OwnTone is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Polaris under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run OwnTone and Polaris with Docker?

OwnTone: yes. Polaris: yes.

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