Jellyseerr vs Overseerr: Which Media Request Manager to Pick (2026)

Quick Verdict

Jellyseerr is the better choice for most people. It does everything Overseerr does and adds Jellyfin and Emby support on top. If you run Jellyfin or Emby as your media server, Jellyseerr is your only option between these two. If you run Plex exclusively and never plan to switch, Overseerr offers a slightly more polished experience with fewer rough edges — but Jellyseerr works with Plex too, so the gap is narrow.

Updated March 2026: Verified with latest Docker images and configurations.

Pick Jellyseerr unless you have a specific reason not to.

Overview

Both Jellyseerr and Overseerr solve the same problem: giving your media server users a clean interface to discover movies and TV shows, request them, and have those requests automatically fulfilled through Sonarr and Radarr. No more “hey can you add this show” messages in group chats.

Overseerr is the original. Built by the sctx team, it integrates tightly with Plex and provides a polished discovery and request workflow. It has been around since 2020 and has a mature codebase.

Jellyseerr is a fork of Overseerr created by fallenbagel. The fork exists for one reason: Overseerr only supports Plex, and a large chunk of the self-hosting community runs Jellyfin or Emby instead. Jellyseerr adds first-class support for all three media servers while maintaining full compatibility with the Overseerr feature set.

Both are TypeScript/Node.js applications, both are MIT licensed, and both integrate with the *arr stack (Sonarr, Radarr) for automated media acquisition.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Jellyseerr	Overseerr
Plex integration	Yes	Yes
Jellyfin integration	Yes	No
Emby integration	Yes	No
Sonarr integration	Yes	Yes
Radarr integration	Yes	Yes
User request system	Yes	Yes
Auto-approval rules	Yes	Yes
Request quotas	Yes	Yes
Notification support	Yes (email, Discord, Telegram, Slack, webhooks)	Yes (email, Discord, Telegram, Slack, webhooks)
TMDB discovery/search	Yes	Yes
User management	Yes (local + media server sync)	Yes (Plex users only)
Mobile-responsive UI	Yes	Yes (slightly more polished)
Multi-server support	Yes (multiple Sonarr/Radarr instances)	Yes (multiple Sonarr/Radarr instances)
Issue reporting	Yes	Yes
License	MIT	MIT
Language	TypeScript/Node.js	TypeScript/Node.js
RAM usage (idle)	~150 MB	~120 MB
Active development	Yes (active fork, frequent releases)	Slower (less frequent updates)
Docker image	fallenbagel/jellyseerr	sctx/overseerr

Installation Complexity

Both are dead simple to deploy. Single container, no database dependency (they use SQLite internally), minimal configuration. The setup wizard walks you through connecting your media server and *arr instances.

Jellyseerr has one extra step in the setup wizard: choosing which media server type to connect (Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby). Overseerr skips straight to Plex configuration since that is all it supports.

Jellyseerr Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  jellyseerr:
    image: fallenbagel/jellyseerr:2.7.3
    container_name: jellyseerr
    environment:
      - TZ=America/New_York  # Set to your timezone
      - LOG_LEVEL=debug      # Options: debug, info, warn, error
    ports:
      - "5055:5055"  # Web UI
    volumes:
      - jellyseerr-config:/app/config  # Configuration and SQLite database
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  jellyseerr-config:

Start it:

docker compose up -d

Access the web UI at http://your-server:5055 and walk through the setup wizard. You will choose your media server type (Jellyfin, Emby, or Plex), provide the server URL and credentials, then connect your Sonarr and Radarr instances.

Overseerr Docker Compose

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  overseerr:
    image: sctx/overseerr:1.35.0
    container_name: overseerr
    environment:
      - TZ=America/New_York  # Set to your timezone
      - LOG_LEVEL=debug      # Options: debug, info, warn, error
    ports:
      - "5055:5055"  # Web UI
    volumes:
      - overseerr-config:/app/config  # Configuration and SQLite database
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  overseerr-config:

Start it:

docker compose up -d

Access the web UI at http://your-server:5055. The setup wizard will prompt you to sign in with your Plex account, scan your Plex libraries, then configure your Sonarr and Radarr connections.

Note: Both use port 5055 by default. If you want to run both side by side for testing, change the host port on one of them (e.g., 5056:5055).

Integration with the *arr Stack

Both Jellyseerr and Overseerr integrate identically with Sonarr and Radarr. The workflow is the same:

1. A user browses or searches for a movie or TV show in the web UI
2. They click “Request”
3. The request either auto-approves (if configured) or waits for admin approval
4. Once approved, the request is sent to Radarr (movies) or Sonarr (TV shows)
5. Sonarr/Radarr handle downloading and organizing the media
6. The media appears in your media server library

Both support connecting to multiple Sonarr and Radarr instances with different quality profiles and root folders. You can set up rules like “4K requests go to Radarr-4K, standard requests go to Radarr-HD.” This works identically in both applications.

Where they diverge is the media server side. Overseerr syncs user accounts and library data exclusively from Plex. Jellyseerr can sync from Jellyfin, Emby, or Plex — pulling in user lists, library contents, and watch status from whichever server you run.

Performance and Resource Usage

Neither application is demanding. Both are lightweight Node.js apps with SQLite databases.

Metric	Jellyseerr	Overseerr
RAM (idle)	~150 MB	~120 MB
RAM (under load)	~250 MB	~200 MB
CPU	Minimal	Minimal
Disk (application)	~500 MB	~500 MB
Disk (database)	Grows with request history, typically < 100 MB	Same

The 30 MB RAM difference is negligible. Neither will stress any server capable of running a media stack. If you are already running Jellyfin/Plex, Sonarr, Radarr, and a download client, adding either of these barely registers.

Community and Support

Overseerr has the longer track record. It was the first to market and built a solid community. However, development has slowed. Updates are less frequent, and the GitHub issue tracker has a growing backlog. The project is not abandoned, but it is clearly in maintenance mode rather than active feature development.

Jellyseerr has inherited most of Overseerr’s community and added the Jellyfin and Emby crowds. Development is more active with more frequent releases. The fork has diverged enough that it is effectively its own project at this point, not just a patch set on top of Overseerr. Community support (Discord, GitHub discussions) tends to be more responsive.

Both have decent documentation, though neither is exceptional. The setup wizards do most of the heavy lifting, and the *arr community (Reddit’s r/selfhosted, r/Jellyfin, r/PleX) provides ample troubleshooting resources for both.

Use Cases

Choose Jellyseerr If…

• You run Jellyfin as your media server (Overseerr does not support Jellyfin at all)
• You run Emby as your media server (same reason)
• You run multiple media servers (e.g., Plex for some users, Jellyfin for others)
• You want more active development and faster bug fixes
• You might switch from Plex to Jellyfin in the future and want to avoid a migration
• You want a single request manager that works regardless of your media server choice

Choose Overseerr If…

• You run Plex exclusively and have no plans to change
• You prefer the slightly more polished Plex-specific UI experience
• You want the marginally lower memory footprint (~30 MB less)
• You are already running Overseerr and have no issues — there is no compelling reason to migrate if everything works

Final Verdict

Jellyseerr wins for the majority of self-hosters. The math is straightforward: it does everything Overseerr does, plus it supports Jellyfin and Emby. The only trade-off is a marginal difference in polish on the Plex integration and ~30 MB more RAM — neither of which matters in practice.

If you are starting fresh, install Jellyseerr. It gives you flexibility regardless of which media server you use today or might switch to tomorrow. The self-hosting community has been steadily moving from Plex to Jellyfin (no subscription, fully open source, no phone-home), and Jellyseerr ensures your request manager moves with you.

If you are already running Overseerr with Plex and everything works, there is no urgency to switch. But if you hit a bug that is not getting fixed or you add Jellyfin to your stack, Jellyseerr is a drop-in replacement — same port, same workflow, minimal migration effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I migrate from Overseerr to Jellyseerr?

Yes. Jellyseerr reads Overseerr’s database format directly. Stop Overseerr, copy the /app/config volume to your Jellyseerr container’s config path, and start Jellyseerr. All request history, user accounts, notification settings, and Sonarr/Radarr connections carry over.

Do Jellyseerr and Overseerr use the same port?

Yes, both default to port 5055. You cannot run both simultaneously without remapping one container’s host port (e.g., 5056:5055 for the second instance).

Does Jellyseerr work with Plex as well as Overseerr does?

Functionally, yes. Jellyseerr started as an Overseerr fork and maintains full Plex compatibility — library sync, user import, watch status tracking. Overseerr’s Plex UI might feel slightly more polished in edge cases, but the difference is marginal.

Is Overseerr abandoned?

The GitHub repository was archived in 2024. No new releases, bug fixes, or security patches are planned. Existing installations continue to work, but the project is effectively end-of-life. Jellyseerr is the community-accepted successor.

Can Jellyseerr connect to multiple Sonarr and Radarr instances?

Yes. Both Jellyseerr and Overseerr support multiple Sonarr and Radarr instances with different quality profiles and root folders. You can route 4K requests to one Radarr instance and standard requests to another.

Do I need Sonarr and Radarr to use Jellyseerr?

You need at least one — Sonarr for TV shows, Radarr for movies. Without them, Jellyseerr has no way to fulfill requests. The request workflow is: user requests → Jellyseerr approves → Sonarr/Radarr downloads → media appears in your library.

Related

• How to Self-Host Jellyseerr
• How to Self-Host Overseerr
• Best Self-Hosted Media Servers
• How to Self-Host Jellyfin
• How to Self-Host Sonarr
• How to Self-Host Radarr
• Docker Compose Basics