Navidrome vs Airsonic: Which Music Server?

Quick Verdict

Navidrome is the better choice. It’s actively maintained, dramatically lighter on resources, has a modern web UI, and implements the Subsonic API more completely. Airsonic-Advanced is effectively abandoned — the last release was in 2023 and development has stalled. Unless you have an existing Airsonic setup you’re maintaining, start with Navidrome.

Overview

Navidrome is a modern, Go-based music server implementing the Subsonic/OpenSubsonic API. It launched in 2019 as a fresh alternative to the aging Subsonic/Airsonic lineage. Single binary, embedded SQLite, minimal resource usage, and a clean React-based web UI. Active development with monthly releases.

Airsonic-Advanced is a community fork of Airsonic, which was itself a fork of the original Subsonic server. It’s written in Java (Spring Boot) and has been the go-to Subsonic-compatible server for years. However, development has effectively stopped — the last GitHub release (v11.1.5-SNAPSHOT) was in early 2023, and the project shows no signs of resuming.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Navidrome	Airsonic-Advanced
Language	Go	Java (Spring Boot)
License	GPL-3.0	GPL-3.0
Subsonic API	Full (OpenSubsonic)	Full (original Subsonic)
Web UI	Modern React-based	Dated, JSP-based
Database	Embedded SQLite	Embedded HSQLDB or external
Transcoding	FFmpeg (built-in config)	FFmpeg (manual config)
Multi-user	Yes	Yes
DLNA/UPnP	No	Yes
Podcast Support	No	Yes
Smart Playlists	Yes (v0.60+)	No
Last.fm Scrobbling	Yes (built-in)	Yes (built-in)
Lyrics	Yes	Yes
ReplayGain	Yes	Yes
Jukebox Mode	No	Yes (server-side playback)
Development Status	Very active	Effectively abandoned
GitHub Stars	13,000+	1,200+
Last Release	Feb 2026 (v0.60.3)	2023 (v11.1.5)

Installation Complexity

Navidrome is trivial to deploy:

services:
  navidrome:
    image: deluan/navidrome:0.60.3
    ports:
      - "4533:4533"
    volumes:
      - navidrome-data:/data
      - /path/to/music:/music:ro
    restart: unless-stopped

One container, one volume for data, one bind mount for music. Start it and it works.

Airsonic-Advanced is also a single container, but it’s a Java application that requires more memory allocation and has a longer startup time:

services:
  airsonic:
    image: airsonicadvanced/airsonic-advanced:11.1.5-SNAPSHOT
    ports:
      - "4040:4040"
    environment:
      JAVA_OPTS: "-Xmx512m"
    volumes:
      - airsonic-data:/var/airsonic
      - /path/to/music:/music:ro
    restart: unless-stopped

Both are straightforward Docker deployments. Navidrome starts in seconds; Airsonic takes 15-30 seconds due to Spring Boot startup.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Navidrome	Airsonic-Advanced
RAM (idle)	30-50 MB	300-512 MB
RAM (active)	50-100 MB	400-700 MB
CPU (library scan)	Low	Moderate-High
Startup Time	1-2 seconds	15-30 seconds
Docker Image Size	~30 MB	~300 MB
Disk (app data)	~10 MB	~50 MB

Navidrome uses 10x less RAM than Airsonic. This isn’t surprising — Go vs Java is a well-known resource trade-off. For a music server that sits idle most of the time, Navidrome’s 30 MB footprint is a significant advantage on resource-constrained hardware.

Airsonic’s JVM requires pre-allocated heap space (-Xmx512m minimum recommended). On a Raspberry Pi or small VPS, this is a meaningful chunk of available memory.

Community and Support

Navidrome has a thriving community with 13,000+ GitHub stars, active Discord, comprehensive documentation, and regular releases. The lead developer is responsive, and the project has a healthy contributor base. Mobile app compatibility is excellent — DSub, Symfonium, play:Sub, Amperfy, and Substreamer all work flawlessly.

Airsonic-Advanced has a small, declining community. GitHub shows minimal activity since 2023. The original Airsonic project was also forked from an abandoned Subsonic fork — there’s a pattern of maintainer burnout in this lineage. Existing documentation works but isn’t being updated.

Use Cases

Choose Navidrome If…

• You’re setting up a new music server (always pick Navidrome for new deployments)
• You want low resource usage and fast startup
• You want active development and security updates
• You need smart playlists and modern features
• You run on constrained hardware

Choose Airsonic-Advanced If…

• You have an existing Airsonic deployment that works and don’t want to migrate
• You need DLNA/UPnP streaming to network receivers
• You need jukebox mode (server-side audio output)
• You need built-in podcast management alongside music

Final Verdict

Navidrome wins decisively. It’s lighter, faster, actively maintained, and has a much larger community. Airsonic-Advanced’s only remaining advantages — DLNA, jukebox mode, and podcasts — are niche features that most users don’t need (and for podcasts, Audiobookshelf is a better dedicated option).

The development status alone makes this an easy call. Navidrome gets regular updates with security fixes and new features. Airsonic-Advanced hasn’t been updated in years. For any new music server deployment, Navidrome is the answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I migrate from Airsonic to Navidrome?

Not directly — there’s no migration tool. However, since both use the Subsonic API, your mobile apps will work with either by just changing the server URL. Your music files don’t need to move. The main thing you’d lose is playlists, which you’d need to recreate (or export as M3U from Airsonic and import into Navidrome).

What happened to the original Subsonic?

Subsonic went closed-source in 2016 after the developer started charging for premium features. This led to the Libresonic fork, which became Airsonic, which became Airsonic-Advanced. Navidrome was built from scratch as a clean-room Subsonic API implementation, avoiding the fork chain entirely.

Does Navidrome support DLNA like Airsonic?

No. Navidrome focuses on the Subsonic API and web streaming. If you need DLNA/UPnP for network audio receivers, you’d need to run a separate DLNA server (like ReadyMedia/MiniDLNA) alongside Navidrome, or stick with Airsonic. Alternatively, Jellyfin provides both web streaming and DLNA in one package.

Related

• How to Self-Host Navidrome
• How to Self-Host Airsonic-Advanced
• Navidrome vs Jellyfin
• Navidrome vs Funkwhale
• Koel vs Navidrome
• Best Self-Hosted Music Streaming
• Replace Spotify