Pinchflat vs Tube Archivist
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?
Pinchflat
Self-hosted YouTube media archiving for media servers
VS
Tube Archivist
Self-hosted YouTube media server with metadata and search
| Feature | Pinchflat | Tube Archivist |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Elixir | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,215 | ★ 8,342 |
| First released | 2024 | 2021 |
| Replaces | YouTube | YouTube |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Pinchflat or Tube Archivist better?
Neither is universally better. Tube Archivist has the larger community, while Pinchflat is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Pinchflat and Tube Archivist free and open-source?
Yes. Pinchflat is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Tube Archivist under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Pinchflat and Tube Archivist with Docker?
Pinchflat: yes. Tube Archivist: yes.