Beets vs Navidrome Music Server

Two self-hosted Media Streaming - Audio Streaming apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.

Side by side

BeetsNavidrome Music Server
DescriptionMusic library manager and MusicBrainz tagger (command-line and Web interface).Modern Music Server and Streamer, compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic.
GitHub stars15,89324,530
Forks––
Open issues––
Commits (12 months)2.3k770
Last activity2026-11-042026-11-03
Latest releasev2.14.1 (2026-09-17)v0.64.2 (2026-09-24)
Maintenance healthActiveActive
LicenseMITGPL-3.0
Language / platformPython, debDocker, Go
Docker Hub image––
Docker pulls––
Est. server size~1 GB, 1 vCPU~1 GB, 1 vCPU
Est. hosting from$5/mo$5/mo
CategoriesMedia Streaming - Audio StreamingMedia Streaming - Audio Streaming
LinksWebsite · SourceWebsite · Source

What the numbers say

Summary: Beets leads on commit activity; Navidrome Music Server leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.

This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.

Frequently asked questions

Is Beets or Navidrome Music Server more popular?

Navidrome Music Server has more GitHub stars (24,530 vs 15,893 for Beets, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.

Which is more actively maintained, Beets or Navidrome Music Server?

Beets had more commits over the last 12 months (2,317 vs 770). The last recorded activity was 2026-11-04 for Beets and 2026-11-03 for Navidrome Music Server. Our health labels: Beets is “Active”, Navidrome Music Server is “Active”.

What licenses do Beets and Navidrome Music Server use?

Beets: MIT. Navidrome Music Server: GPL-3.0. Beets's license is permissive; Navidrome Music Server's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).

Can I run Beets and Navidrome Music Server with Docker?

We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Navidrome Music Server. Check each project's documentation for install options.

Read more

Beets

Music library manager and MusicBrainz tagger (command-line and Web interface).

Active ★ 15.9k MIT ~$5/mo

Navidrome Music Server

Modern Music Server and Streamer, compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic.

Active ★ 24.5k GPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$5/mo

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