Radarr vs Sonarr
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?
Radarr
Movie collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent users
VS
Sonarr
Series collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent users
| Feature | Radarr | Sonarr |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0-only | GPL-3.0-only |
| Language | C# | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 100 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,127 | ★ 15,005 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | — | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Radarr if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Mature project with 14.1k GitHub stars
- Written in C#
- Tiny footprint — runs in 100 MB RAM
Choose Sonarr if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 15k GitHub stars
- Written in C#
Frequently asked questions
Is Radarr or Sonarr better?
Sonarr is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Radarr if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Radarr and Sonarr free and open-source?
Yes. Radarr is licensed under GPL-3.0-only and Sonarr under GPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Radarr and Sonarr with Docker?
Radarr: check the project docs for container support. Sonarr: check the project docs for container support.