Rygel vs tinyMediaManager
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?
Rygel
GNOME UPnP/DLNA media sharing server
VS
tinyMediaManager
Metadata manager and organizer for movie and TV libraries
| Feature | Rygel | tinyMediaManager |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | LGPL-2.1 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vala | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 200 | ★ 8 |
| First released | 2008 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Plex | Plex |
Why pick each one
Choose Rygel if…
- Released under the LGPL-2.1 license
- Written in Vala
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose tinyMediaManager if…
- Excellent organization tools
- Headless mode available
Frequently asked questions
Is Rygel or tinyMediaManager better?
Neither is universally better. Rygel has the larger community, while tinyMediaManager is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Rygel and tinyMediaManager free and open-source?
Yes. Rygel is licensed under LGPL-2.1 and tinyMediaManager under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Rygel and tinyMediaManager with Docker?
Rygel: check the project docs for container support. tinyMediaManager: yes.