Streama vs Universal Media Server
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?
Streama
Self-hosted streaming media server with a clean web interface
VS
Universal Media Server
DLNA-compliant media server for streaming to TVs and consoles
| Feature | Streama | Universal Media Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Media Servers | Media Servers |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,821 | ★ 2,636 |
| First released | 2015 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Netflix, Plex | Plex, Serviio |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Universal Media Server if…
- Works with old TVs and consoles
- Simple setup
Frequently asked questions
Is Streama or Universal Media Server better?
Neither is universally better. Streama has the larger community, while Universal Media Server is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Streama and Universal Media Server free and open-source?
Yes. Streama is licensed under MIT and Universal Media Server under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Streama and Universal Media Server with Docker?
Streama: yes. Universal Media Server: yes.