Alternatives to Polaris
A self-hosted music streaming server with a web client for listening from any computer or phone. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Polaris
A self-hosted music streaming server with a web client for listening from any computer or phone.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Polaris.
Navidrome
A tiny music server for your own collection that works with dozens of existing phone apps.
Navidrome is GPL-3.0 and supports the Subsonic API, so dozens of existing phone apps work with it, and it handles compilations and box sets.
gonic
A lightweight self-hosted music streaming server that implements the Subsonic API.
gonic implements the Subsonic API instead of its own, adding scrobbling, transcoding and podcast support, with no bundled player app.
mStream
A self-hosted music streaming server for playing your own collection from anywhere, with web and mobile players.
mStream provides web and Android apps, remote access without port forwarding, and uncompressed lossless streaming on low-power hardware.
Koel
A self-hosted personal music streaming server with a web interface and mobile apps.
Koel adds iOS and Android apps, smart playlists, metadata editing and podcasts, but some features are reserved for the paid Koel Plus edition.
Ampache
A self-hosted web application for managing and streaming a music and video collection.
Ampache is AGPL-3.0, developed since 2001, and supports video as well as music plus combined local and remote catalogs.
Supysonic
A Python server implementing the Subsonic API for streaming your own music collection.
Supysonic is a Python Subsonic API server, trading Polaris's own web client for compatibility with Subsonic client apps.
Swing Music
A self-hosted music player and streaming server for your own local audio files, used through a web interface.
Swing Music offers a streaming-service style web player with Docker and AppImage packaging, but its license terms are not stated.
Jellyfin
A free media server for your own films, shows and music, with no premium tier and no account.
Jellyfin is GPL-2.0 and serves films, shows, live TV and photos as well as music, which makes it a heavier server than Polaris.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Polaris as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Funkwhale
A self-hosted, federated platform for storing, streaming and sharing music and podcasts.
Polaris is a Rust music server with a web client and API, intended for a personal collection and without sharing or federation features.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Finamp
An open-source music player app that streams and plays music from a Jellyfin server.
Lidarr
Music collection manager that watches artists and fetches new albums automatically.
Plex Media Server
A polished media server for your own library, free on the home network, with a paid pass for remote streaming.
Lyrion Music Server
An open-source music server, formerly Logitech Media Server, that streams to Squeezebox and compatible players.
