Top Ampache Alternatives for Self-Hosted Music Streaming

Ampache is a popular web-based audio/video streaming application, offering centralized access to your media. However, users often seek alternatives for various reasons, including specific feature requirements, different platform compatibility, or a preference for open-source solutions. If you're looking to explore other options beyond Ampache for Linux, Windows, Web, Self-Hosted, Android, and more, this guide will help you discover the best alternatives, including free and open-source choices.

Best Ampache Alternatives

Whether you're prioritizing a sleek user interface, extensive platform support, or robust self-hosting capabilities, these Ampache alternatives offer diverse solutions for your media streaming needs.

Plex

Plex is a highly versatile freemium media server that bridges your computer and home theater with an appealing interface. It's an excellent Ampache alternative for users who need broad platform support, including Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iPhone, and many more. Plex excels in organizing media, automatically retrieving metadata, and offering features like media transcoding, streaming, sharing, and robust remote access. It also supports local servers and DNLA.

Emby

Emby, formerly Media Browser, is a powerful freemium media aggregator that provides a fast and intuitive media experience. While its source code is available on GitHub, full functionality requires a subscription. Emby is a strong Ampache alternative for users on Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, iPhone, and self-hosted environments, offering media streaming, transcoding, and optimized remote access, making it great for families.

Funkwhale

Funkwhale is an excellent free and open-source Ampache alternative for those looking for a self-hosted music streaming service. Available on Linux, Web, and Self-Hosted platforms, Funkwhale allows you to upload, share, and enjoy music with features like ad-free streaming, decentralization, a robust music library, and support for ActivityPub. It's also mobile-friendly and supports multiple accounts for unlimited music streaming.

Subsonic

Subsonic is a free (with some freemium features) web-based media streamer offering ubiquitous access to your music and video. It's a reliable Ampache alternative for Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, and self-hosted setups. Key features include local server support, media and music streaming, and the ability to play and organize your local content, making it perfect for sharing your music with friends or personal listening.

Sonerezh

Sonerezh is a free and open-source self-hosted, web-based application designed for streaming your music everywhere. As a direct Ampache alternative focusing purely on music, it's ideal for Linux and Self-Hosted environments, offering a straightforward music player and music streaming capabilities accessible via a web interface.

Koel

Koel is another free and open-source personal music streaming server that simply works. It serves as an excellent Ampache alternative for users on Linux and Self-Hosted platforms, providing a solid music streaming experience with a clean music library and player, offering unlimited music playback through its web-based interface.

Volumio

Volumio is a free and open-source Linux Distribution optimized for music playback, making it a unique Ampache alternative for audiophiles. It runs on small computers like Raspberry Pi and UDOO, controllable via mobile phones or tablets. Available for Android, iPhone, and Self-Hosted setups, Volumio focuses on being a high-quality headless Audiophile Music Player, perfect for dedicated music systems.

Airsonic

Airsonic is a free and open-source media server for streaming personal audio, serving as a robust Ampache alternative. Available for Web, Airsonic is a fork of Libresonic (which itself forked Subsonic), providing extensive features including media management, scrobbling, transcoding, sharing, and user access control. It also supports DLNA and the Subsonic API, making it highly versatile for personal audio streaming.

Madsonic

Madsonic is a freemium and open-source web-based media streamer and jukebox, forking from Subsonic. Written in Java, it's a cross-platform Ampache alternative compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, iPhone, iPad, BSD, and self-hosted environments. Madsonic offers dedicated server hosting, GPLv3 licensing, support for multiple users and accounts, and comprehensive music management features including a music collection, library, player, and audio streaming via its web-based interface.

Choosing the best Ampache alternative depends on your specific requirements, such as platform compatibility, open-source preference, and desired features like video streaming, multi-user support, or advanced library management. Explore these options to find the perfect media server that fits your needs.