Owncast
Decentralized single-user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options.
Owncast vs PeerTube
Two self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Owncast | PeerTube | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Decentralized single-user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options. | Decentralized video streaming platform using P2P (BitTorrent) directly in the web browser. |
| GitHub stars | 11,645 | 15,387 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 1.3k | 1.9k |
| Last activity | 2026-10-25 | 2026-11-04 |
| Latest release | v0.3.0 (2026-09-03) | v8.3.2 (2026-10-26) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language / platform | Go | Nodejs |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~4 GB, 2 vCPU | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $20/mo | $10/mo |
| Categories | Media Streaming - Video Streaming | Media Streaming - Video Streaming |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- PeerTube is more popular on GitHub: 15.4k stars vs 11.6k for Owncast.
- PeerTube had more commits in the last 12 months (1,867 vs 1,321).
- PeerTube published a release more recently (v8.3.2 on 2026-10-26; Owncast's latest is v0.3.0 on 2026-09-03).
- Owncast is licensed under MIT, PeerTube under AGPL-3.0. Owncast's license is permissive; PeerTube's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- Owncast is written in Go; PeerTube in Nodejs.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for PeerTube (~2 GB server) than Owncast (~4 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: PeerTube leads on GitHub popularity and commit activity. 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 Owncast or PeerTube more popular?
PeerTube has more GitHub stars (15,387 vs 11,645 for Owncast, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, Owncast or PeerTube?
PeerTube had more commits over the last 12 months (1,867 vs 1,321). The last recorded activity was 2026-10-25 for Owncast and 2026-11-04 for PeerTube. Our health labels: Owncast is “Active”, PeerTube is “Active”.
What licenses do Owncast and PeerTube use?
Owncast: MIT. PeerTube: AGPL-3.0. Owncast's license is permissive; PeerTube's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run Owncast and PeerTube with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
PeerTube
Decentralized video streaming platform using P2P (BitTorrent) directly in the web browser.
Browse all self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps.