Navidrome vs Emby: Which Music Server Should You Self-Host?
Quick Verdict
Navidrome wins for music. It’s purpose-built for music streaming, uses a fraction of Emby’s resources, supports 50+ mobile apps via the Subsonic API, and is completely free. Emby is a general-purpose media server where music is a secondary feature — and its best capabilities require a paid Premiere license.
Overview
Navidrome is a lightweight, Go-based music server that implements the Subsonic API. It runs as a single container with embedded SQLite, uses ~50 MB of RAM idle, and gives you access to a massive ecosystem of polished music clients on every platform. It does one thing — music streaming — and does it well.
Emby is a proprietary media server for video, music, photos, and live TV. It handles music as part of a broader media management system. Native apps exist for most platforms, but advanced music features like hardware-accelerated transcoding and smart playlists require Emby Premiere ($5/month or $119 lifetime).
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Navidrome | Emby |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Music only | Video, music, photos, live TV |
| Subsonic API | Full compatibility | No |
| Compatible mobile apps | 50+ (Subsonic ecosystem) | Emby native app only |
| Web player | Modern, music-focused | General media UI |
| Smart playlists | Yes (free) | Yes (Premiere required) |
| Gapless playback | Yes | Client-dependent |
| Lyrics (embedded + external) | Yes | Yes |
| Last.fm/ListenBrainz scrobbling | Built-in | Via plugin |
| ReplayGain | Yes | Yes |
| Internet radio | Yes | Yes |
| Transcoding | FFmpeg (software) | FFmpeg (HW accel with Premiere) |
| Multi-user | Yes | Yes |
| External database required | No (embedded SQLite) | No (embedded SQLite) |
| Docker containers | 1 | 1 |
| RAM usage (idle) | ~50 MB | ~300-500 MB |
| License | GPL-3.0 (open source) | Proprietary |
| Cost | Free | Free (limited) + $5/mo Premiere |
Installation Complexity
Navidrome is trivially simple. One container, one volume for config, one volume for your music. Point it at your music directory and it starts scanning. No database to configure, no setup wizard.
Emby is also straightforward as a single container. The initial setup wizard walks you through library configuration. However, configuring music-specific features (lyrics plugins, scrobbling, smart playlists) requires navigating Emby’s broader settings UI, which is designed primarily around video content.
Neither is difficult, but Navidrome gets you streaming music faster with less configuration.
Performance and Resource Usage
| Metric | Navidrome | Emby |
|---|---|---|
| RAM (idle) | ~50 MB | ~300-500 MB |
| RAM (streaming) | ~100 MB | ~500 MB-1 GB |
| CPU (idle) | Negligible | Low |
| CPU (transcoding) | Moderate (software only) | Low-moderate (HW accel available) |
| Disk (application) | ~30 MB | ~500 MB |
| Startup time | 2-3 seconds | 10-15 seconds |
Navidrome is dramatically lighter. On a Raspberry Pi 4 or low-powered mini PC, Navidrome barely registers while Emby consumes meaningful resources — especially if it’s also serving video.
Emby’s advantage is hardware-accelerated transcoding (Intel Quick Sync, NVIDIA NVENC), but this only matters for video. Music transcoding is lightweight enough that software transcoding handles it without issue on any modern hardware.
Community and Support
Navidrome has an active open-source community on GitHub (~13K stars) and a Discord server. Issues get tripled quickly, and the maintainer is responsive. Documentation is clear and covers most configurations.
Emby has a community forum and Reddit presence. Support quality varies — free users get community support, while Premiere subscribers get priority support. Documentation exists but some features are poorly documented. Being proprietary means you can’t inspect source code to debug issues.
Use Cases
Choose Navidrome If…
- Music streaming is your primary or only media need
- You want access to 50+ Subsonic-compatible mobile apps (Symfonium, Ultrasonic, play:Sub)
- You’re running on limited hardware (Raspberry Pi, low-power NAS)
- You want everything free with no feature gates
- You already run Jellyfin or Plex for video and want a dedicated music server
Choose Emby If…
- You already use Emby for video and want music in the same interface
- You want a single app on your phone for all media types
- You need hardware-accelerated transcoding for a mixed media library
- You’re willing to pay for Premiere to unlock advanced features
- You prefer a managed, polished experience over open-source flexibility
Final Verdict
Navidrome is the clear winner for music streaming. It’s purpose-built, lightweight, free, and gives you access to the best music client ecosystem through the Subsonic API. Apps like Symfonium (Android) and play:Sub (iOS) provide a better music experience than Emby’s native client.
The only scenario where Emby makes sense for music is if you already use it for video and don’t want to manage a second service. Even then, running Navidrome alongside Emby takes minimal resources and gives you a significantly better music experience.
FAQ
Can I run Navidrome and Emby side by side?
Yes. Point both at the same music directory (read-only for safety). Navidrome uses ~50 MB of RAM, so the overhead is negligible. This gives you the best of both — Emby for video, Navidrome for music.
Does Navidrome support video at all?
No. Navidrome is music-only. If you need video, keep Emby, Jellyfin, or Plex for that purpose.
Is Emby Premiere worth it for music features?
Not if music is your primary concern. Navidrome offers equivalent or better music features for free. Premiere’s value is in video features — hardware transcoding, sync, live TV.
Which has better mobile apps for music?
Navidrome, easily. The Subsonic API ecosystem includes polished, music-focused apps like Symfonium, Ultrasonic, DSub, and play:Sub. Emby has one native app that tries to handle all media types.
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