Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Airsonic VS Navidrome

Compare Airsonic VS Navidrome and see what are their differences

Airsonic logo Airsonic

Airsonic is a Free and Open Source community driven media server which allows you to stream...

Navidrome logo Navidrome

Music Server and Streamer compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic.
  • Airsonic Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14
  • Navidrome Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-16

Airsonic features and specs

  • Open Source
    Airsonic is an open-source project, allowing users to modify and customize the software according to their needs without licensing restrictions.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Airsonic can be installed on multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it versatile for different user environments.
  • Media Streaming
    It effectively streams audio from your personal media library to any internet-connected device, making it convenient for music lovers.
  • Web-Based Interface
    Airsonic offers a user-friendly web interface, making it easy to manage and navigate your media collection from any browser.
  • Multiple User Support
    The software allows multiple user accounts with customizable permissions, making it suitable for family or community use.

Possible disadvantages of Airsonic

  • Technical Setup
    Airsonic may require some technical knowledge to set up, including installation and network configuration, which can be challenging for non-technical users.
  • Maintenance Requirements
    Being self-hosted, Airsonic requires regular maintenance and updates by the user to ensure security and efficiency.
  • Limited Mobile Support
    While it provides a web interface, Airsonic lacks dedicated mobile apps, which can limit user experience on smartphones and tablets.
  • No New Features
    As a fork of the now-discontinued Subsonic, Airsonic development focuses on maintenance and bug fixes rather than introducing new features.
  • Performance Dependent on Hardware
    Streaming performance heavily relies on the server's hardware capabilities and internet connection, which may require investment in infrastructure.

Navidrome features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Navidrome is a lightweight music server, meaning it requires minimal resources to run, making it ideal for deployment on low-power devices or servers with limited capacity.
  • Cross-platform Compatibility
    It can be run on multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing users with flexibility in choosing their platform.
  • User-friendly Interface
    Navidrome has a simple and intuitive web interface allowing users to easily navigate and manage their music libraries.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Navidrome allows developers to contribute to the project, customize it, and ensure transparency of the software’s functionalities.
  • Frequent Updates
    The software is frequently updated, ensuring users have access to the latest features and security enhancements.

Possible disadvantages of Navidrome

  • Limited Advanced Features
    Compared to some commercial counterparts, Navidrome may lack certain advanced features such as audio analysis and recommendation algorithms.
  • Community-based Support
    While Navidrome has a supportive community, the support is community-based, which may not be as immediate or comprehensive as professional customer support.
  • Self-hosting Complexity
    Users need to set up their own server to host Navidrome, which might be complex for individuals without technical or server management skills.
  • No Official Mobile Apps
    Navidrome doesn't have official mobile applications, limiting users to third-party apps or web-based access for mobile use.

Airsonic videos

"Affordable Favorites" - Reverend Airsonic | Norman's Rare Guitars

More videos:

  • Demo - A Solidbody Hollowbody?! - Reverend Guitars Airsonic W Demo & Review
  • Review - REVEREND AIRSONIC RA | PT. 2 REVIEW | MORE TALK, LESS ROCK! | SJSS

Navidrome videos

Installing Navidrome using Docker (in French)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Airsonic and Navidrome)
Audio & Music
53 53%
47% 47
Media Players And Streaming Platforms
Music Streaming
50 50%
50% 50
Media Player
51 51%
49% 49

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Airsonic and Navidrome

Airsonic Reviews

35 Open-source Free Music and Audio Streaming Servers (Self-hosted)
Airsonic is a free, web-based media streamer that allows you to access and share your music collection. It supports streaming of various audio and video formats, including MP3, AAC, OGG, WMA, FLAC, and more. It is designed to handle large music collections and can stream to multiple players simultaneously.
Source: medevel.com

Navidrome Reviews

35 Open-source Free Music and Audio Streaming Servers (Self-hosted)
Navidrome is an open source web-based music collection server and streamer. It gives you freedom to listen to your music collection from any browser or mobile device. It's like your personal Spotify!
Source: medevel.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Airsonic should be more popular than Navidrome. It has been mentiond 11 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Airsonic mentions (11)

  • Music Media Manager for linux server (with web frontend?)
    Https://airsonic.github.io/ seems like it might be what you're looking for? Not sure about duplicates, but it can deal with tags and artwork. Source: over 1 year ago
  • self-hosted alternative to spotify?
    Airsonic is another choice that I've heard good things about. Installation video via docker here. I believe DSub will work with Airsonic too. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Looking for advice on streaming MPD database over local network to multiple clients
    On the other hand, if you want a single Spotify-esque service from which multiple clients can stream the audio without managing their own databases, there are Subsonic and derivatives which also offer transcoding options. I use Airsonic for this purpose and use it to stream my music collection from my phone via Ultrasonic (available from F-Droid if you use Android). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Is Kodi or any addon able to stream or download media from cloud storage services?
    You should look into one of the subsonic forks. Airsonic https://airsonic.github.io/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Most private music streaming available?
    What they're talking about is starting up a server so you can stream your own music files. This would involve setting up a server (either renting a hosted server or setting up your own machine) starting up an application like Airsonic (one of many Subsonic compliant applications), finding a good client to use like Ultrasonic (one of many Subsonic compliant clients), setting up domain names and DNS to point to that... Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Navidrome mentions (4)

  • anyway to get entire music library on my phone?
    I would say go with Navidrome and the substreamer app (for Android). I am using Navidrome for a year now with approximately +25 GBs music collection, and it has been a pleasant experience to set up and get used to. Here's the link for Navidrome GitHub: https://github.com/navidrome/navidrome and also the official website: https://navidrome.org. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Specification for smart playlist JSON format?
    I went looking on navidrome.org and through here, but I couldn't find such a document. Have I overlooked somewhere obvious? Source: about 2 years ago
  • Using Navidrome on a RPI3 to host my music collection for DJing so I can listen between sets
    Navidrome (free open source software from https://navidrome.org) is running on the Raspberry Pi 3 which is under my desk via a wired connection with it's own 'http://navidrome.local' custom domain name. This is what it looks like:. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Is Spotify safe to use? If No then what can I do?
    Navidrome - Lightweight, fast and self-contained personal music streamer. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Airsonic and Navidrome, you can also consider the following products

Ampache - Web ( HTTP centralized ) based audio/video streaming application

Subsonic - Subsonic is a free, web-based media streamer, providing ubiquitous access to your music and video.

LMS - Lightweight Music Server - Access your self-hosted music using a web interface.

Daphile - Daphile is an audiophile class music server & player OS – targeted to dedicated headless PC.

Funkwhale - Funkwhale is a modern, self-hosted, free and open-source music server

Jellyfin - Jellyfin is a personal media server.