26 open-source apps
Best self-hosted Media Servers apps
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Ranked by GitHub stars
All 26 Media Servers apps
Jellyfin
jellyfin/jellyfin
Media server for audio, video, books, comics, and photos with a sleek interface and robust transcoding capabilities. Almost all modern platforms have clients, including Roku, Android TV, iOS, and…
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
FeaturedMedia ServersC#DockerSRS
ossrs/srs
A simple, high efficiency and real-time video server, supports RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV and SRT.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Media ServersC++DockerInvidious
iv-org/invidious
Alternative YouTube front-end.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Media ServersCrystalDockerKodi
xbmc/xbmc
Multimedia/Entertainment center, formerly known as XBMC. Runs on Android, BSD, Linux, macOS, iOS and Windows.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Media ServersC++MediaMTX
bluenviron/mediamtx
Ready-to-use, zero-dependency real-time media server and proxy to publish, read, record, playback and route video/audio streams over SRT, WebRTC, RTSP, RTMP, HLS, MPEG-TS, RTP.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Media ServersGoDockerPeerTube
Chocobozzz/PeerTube
Decentralized video streaming platform using P2P (BitTorrent) directly in the web browser.
Active · last commit Oct 16, 2026
Media ServersTypeScriptStash
stashapp/stash
A web-based library organizer and player for your adult media stash, with auto-tagging and metadata scraping support.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Media ServersGoDockerOwncast
owncast/owncast
Decentralized single-user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Media ServersGoTube Archivist
tubearchivist/tubearchivist
Organize, search, and enjoy your YouTube collection. Subscribe, download, and track viewed content with metadata indexing and a user-friendly interface.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Media ServersPythonDockerRestreamer
datarhei/restreamer
Access H.264 real-time video streaming on your website without a streaming provider.
Maintained · last commit May 22, 2026
Media ServersHTMLDockerMediaCMS
mediacms-io/mediacms
Modern, fully featured open source video and media CMS, written in Python/Django/React, featuring a REST API.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Media ServersPythonDockerOvenMediaEngine
OvenMediaLabs/OvenMediaEngine
Streaming Server with Sub-Second Latency.
Active · last commit Oct 22, 2026
Media ServersC++DockerNymphCast
MayaPosch/NymphCast
Turn your choice of Linux-capable hardware into an audio and video source for a television or powered speakers (alternative to Chromecast).
Maintained · last commit Jan 10, 2026
Media ServersCKyoo
zoriya/Kyoo
Innovative media browser designed for seamless streaming of anime, series and movies, offering advanced features like dynamic transcoding, auto watch history and intelligent metadata retrieval.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Media ServersTypeScriptDockerµStreamer
pikvm/ustreamer
Lightweight and very quick server to stream MJPEG video from any V4L2 device to the net.
Active · last commit Oct 10, 2026
Media ServersCCyTube
calzoneman/sync
Synchronize media, chat, and more for an arbitrary number of channels.
Maintained · last commit Oct 21, 2026
Media ServersJavaScriptMeelo
Arthi-chaud/Meelo
Personal Music Server, designed for collectors and music maniacs.
Active · last commit Oct 24, 2026
Media ServersTypeScriptDockerGerbera
gerbera/gerbera
UPnP Media Server, which allows you to stream your digital media throughout your home network and listen to/watch it on a variety of UPnP compatible devices.
Active · last commit Oct 25, 2026
Media ServersC++DockerKaraoke Eternal
bhj/KaraokeEternal
Host awesome karaoke parties where everyone can easily find and queue songs from their phone's browser. The player is also fully browser-based with support for MP3+G, MP4 and WebGL visualizations.
Active · last commit Aug 19, 2026
Media ServersTypeScriptDockerRapidbay
hauxir/rapidbay
Videostreaming service/torrent client that allows searching and playing videos from torrents in the browser or from a Chromecast/AppleTV/Smart TV.
Active · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Media ServersPythonDockerMistServer
DDVTECH/mistserver
Public domain streaming media server that works with any device and any format.
Active · last commit Oct 12, 2026
Media ServersCSyncTube
RblSb/SyncTube
Lightweight and very simple to setup CyTube alternative to watch videos with friends and chat.
Maintained · last commit Aug 23, 2026
Media ServersHaxemikochi
zer0tonin/Mikochi
Browse remote folders, upload files, delete, rename, download and stream files to VLC/mpv.
Active · last commit Oct 22, 2026
File ManagersJavaScriptDockercmyflix
farfalleflickan/cmyflix
Minimalist Plex/Jellyfin alternative to stream video.
Maintained · last commit Dec 18, 2025
Media ServersCClipBucket
MacWarrior/clipbucket-v5
Start your own video sharing website (YouTube/Netflix Clone) in a matter of minutes.
Active · last commit Oct 23, 2026
Media ServersJavaScriptDockerTiramisu
MrRobotoGit/tiramisu
BitTorrent engine with a FUSE virtual filesystem that streams torrents live to Plex/Jellyfin without downloading (alternative to Real-Debrid).
Active · last commit Oct 17, 2026
Media ServersGoDocker
From the blog
Articles about media servers
Comparisons, rankings and guides on the appsgit blog for media servers apps.
- Guides
How to choose the best mini PC for a home server in 2026: N100/N150 vs used ThinkCentre vs Mac mini vs Pi 5
How to choose a home server mini PC in 2026: N100/N150 boxes, used ThinkCentre and OptiPlex, Mac mini and Raspberry Pi 5 compared on price, power and video.
6 min read
- Guides
Home server for Plex and Jellyfin: hardware transcoding, storage and the apps around it
Build a home server for Plex or Jellyfin: why Intel Quick Sync matters, how much storage you need, and the *arr stack and Seerr apps that automate the library.
6 min read
- Comparisons
Jellyfin vs Emby: open-source vs freemium media server
Jellyfin vs Emby in 2026: shared history, Emby Premiere pricing, hardware transcoding, apps, licences and privacy compared, with a clear pick for your server.
6 min read
What is the best self-hosted app for media servers?
By GitHub stars, Jellyfin is the most popular self-hosted app for media servers with 58,608 stars, followed by SRS and Invidious. The best fit depends on your needs, so compare Docker support, license and recent activity on each app page.
Are these Media Servers apps free?
Yes. All 26 apps in this category are open source and free to run on your own server. A few also offer a paid hosted plan or enterprise add-ons, but self-hosting the open-source edition costs nothing beyond your hardware.
How do I install a self-hosted Media Servers app?
17 of the 26 apps here ship a Docker image, which is the easiest route: rent a small VPS or use a home server, install Docker, and start the app with its Docker Compose file. Apps without an image list their native install steps in the README.
Which Media Servers apps are most actively developed?
Measured by commits in the last twelve months, the most active projects are Kodi (4,423 commits), Jellyfin (2,235 commits) and PeerTube (2,092 commits). Active development usually means faster bug fixes and security patches.