Sonarr vs Streama
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?
Sonarr
Series collection manager for Usenet and BitTorrent users
VS
Streama
Self-hosted streaming media server with a clean web interface
| Feature | Sonarr | Streama |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | GPL-3.0-only | MIT |
| Language | C# | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,005 | ★ 9,821 |
| First released | 2023 | 2015 |
| Replaces | — | Netflix, Plex |
Why pick each one
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#
Choose Streama if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.8k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Sonarr or Streama better?
Sonarr is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Streama if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Sonarr and Streama free and open-source?
Yes. Sonarr is licensed under GPL-3.0-only and Streama under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Sonarr and Streama with Docker?
Sonarr: check the project docs for container support. Streama: yes.