Jellyfin vs Navidrome for Music: Which to Self-Host?
Quick Verdict
Navidrome is the better dedicated music server — lighter, faster, and gives you access to 50+ Subsonic-compatible apps. Jellyfin is better if you want music, movies, TV, and audiobooks in one unified platform and prefer using Jellyfin’s native apps.
Overview
Navidrome is a lightweight, dedicated music server implementing the Subsonic/OpenSubsonic API. It’s written in Go, uses embedded SQLite, and focuses exclusively on music streaming. The Subsonic API means compatibility with dozens of mature mobile music apps.
Jellyfin is a free, open-source general-purpose media server. It handles movies, TV shows, music, audiobooks, and live TV. Music is one of several supported media types, with a built-in web player and native apps across platforms.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Navidrome | Jellyfin |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Music only | All media types |
| Subsonic API | Yes (full compatibility) | Yes (via OpenSubsonic plugin) |
| Native mobile apps | N/A (uses Subsonic apps) | Jellyfin apps (iOS, Android) |
| Subsonic app ecosystem | 50+ apps (Symfonium, DSub, etc.) | Also accessible via Subsonic plugin |
| Web UI | Modern React player | Full-featured media center |
| Smart playlists | Yes | Yes |
| Lyrics | Yes (embedded + external) | Via plugin |
| Gapless playback | Yes | Yes (web player) |
| Internet radio | Yes | No (plugin needed) |
| Scrobbling | Yes (Last.fm, ListenBrainz) | Via plugin |
| Transcoding | Yes (on-the-fly) | Yes (hardware-accelerated) |
| ReplayGain | Yes | Yes |
| Music videos | No | Yes |
| Video/TV/Movie | No | Yes |
| Audiobooks | No | Yes (Bookshelf plugin) |
| Live TV/DVR | No | Yes |
| Multi-user | Yes | Yes |
| Docker containers | 1 | 1 |
| Idle RAM | ~30 MB | ~300 MB |
| Active RAM | 50-200 MB | 500 MB-2 GB |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
Installation Complexity
Navidrome is arguably the simplest self-hosted server to deploy. One container, two volume mounts (data + music), one port. No database, no plugins to install, no initial configuration wizard. Start the container and your music library is ready.
Jellyfin is a single container but requires more setup: library type selection through the web UI, optional plugin installation (Subsonic, lyrics, scrobbling), user account creation, and metadata configuration. It’s not difficult, but it’s more steps.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Resource | Navidrome | Jellyfin |
|---|---|---|
| Idle RAM | ~30 MB | ~300 MB |
| Streaming | 50-200 MB | 500 MB-2 GB |
| Library scan (10K tracks) | Seconds | Minutes |
| Disk (app) | ~20 MB | ~200 MB |
| Minimum server | 512 MB RAM | 2 GB RAM |
Navidrome is 10x lighter. It runs on a Raspberry Pi Zero. Jellyfin’s overhead comes from its video transcoding engine, database management, and plugin system — all present even if you only use music features.
Community and Support
Navidrome: ~13,000 GitHub stars, active development (v0.60+ with significant improvements), responsive maintainer. The Subsonic ecosystem adds decades of mobile app development.
Jellyfin: ~40,000+ stars, massive community, very active development. However, music features sometimes lag behind video priorities. The OpenSubsonic plugin was community-contributed, not core-team developed.
Use Cases
Choose Navidrome If…
- Music is your only or primary self-hosted media
- You want the lightest possible server (Pi-friendly)
- Access to 50+ mobile music apps matters
- Last.fm/ListenBrainz scrobbling is important
- You want the fastest library scanning
- Resource efficiency is a priority
Choose Jellyfin If…
- You want music alongside video in one server
- You prefer Jellyfin’s native apps over third-party Subsonic apps
- Music videos are part of your library
- You already run Jellyfin for TV/movies
- You want audiobook support (Bookshelf plugin) in the same app
- Hardware-accelerated transcoding matters
Final Verdict
Navidrome wins for music. If music streaming is what you need, Navidrome does it better with 10x less resources and 50x more mobile app options. It’s the better tool for the job.
Jellyfin wins for media consolidation. If you run Jellyfin for movies and TV and want “good enough” music in the same interface, it delivers. Adding the OpenSubsonic plugin even gives you Subsonic app compatibility.
Best of both: Run Navidrome alongside Jellyfin. They can share the same music directory. Use Subsonic apps (Symfonium, DSub) for daily music listening and Jellyfin for when you want video + music in one UI. Navidrome uses so little RAM you won’t notice it running.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Jellyfin’s OpenSubsonic plugin make it equal to Navidrome?
Close, but not equal. The plugin adds Subsonic API compatibility, so Subsonic apps can connect to Jellyfin. However, some advanced Subsonic features may not work perfectly through the plugin. Navidrome’s Subsonic implementation is native and more complete.
Which has better audio quality?
Identical for direct play — both stream the original file. Both support on-the-fly transcoding when needed. Neither introduces quality loss unless transcoding is forced by bandwidth constraints.
Can I scrobble from Jellyfin?
Yes, via the Last.fm plugin or Jellyfin-LastFM-Plugin. It’s not built-in like Navidrome, but it works. ListenBrainz scrobbling is also available via plugin.
Related
Get self-hosting tips in your inbox
New guides, comparisons, and setup tutorials — delivered weekly. No spam.