SHSelfHostIndex

qBittorrent vs Submariner

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?
QB qBittorrent Bittorrent client that aims to be a good alternative to all other VS SU Submariner GNOME Subsonic client for streaming self-hosted music
FeatureqBittorrentSubmariner
CategoryMedia ServersMedia Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0-or-laterGPL-3.0
LanguageC++Python
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM50 MB128 MB
Deploymentbare-metalbinary, source
GitHub stars★ 39,327★ 200
First released20232022
ReplacesµTorrentSpotify desktop

Why pick each one

Choose qBittorrent if…

  • Released under the GPL-3.0-or-later license
  • Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
  • Mature project with 39.3k GitHub stars
  • Written in C++
qBittorrent details

Choose Submariner if…

  • Fits GNOME desktop
  • Simple and focused
Submariner details

Frequently asked questions

Is qBittorrent or Submariner better?

Neither is universally better. qBittorrent has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are qBittorrent and Submariner free and open-source?

Yes. qBittorrent is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later and Submariner under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run qBittorrent and Submariner with Docker?

qBittorrent: check the project docs for container support. Submariner: check the project docs for container support.

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