23.2k stars · GPL-3.0 · v0.64.0 (2026-09-12), read from /releases/latest; the date showed no year and falls in the past, so 2026 · Track this in Scout
Turns a folder of music files into your own streaming service, playable from dozens of existing phone apps.
▶Repo detailsthe review · specs · pros & cons · install
What it is
A music server written in Go that indexes a music folder and serves it over the web and over the Subsonic protocol. Subsonic is an old and widely supported way for music apps to talk to a music server, which is why so many phone apps work with this one. It handles almost all audio formats, converts on the fly when a device cannot play a file, keeps play counts and ratings per user, and notices changes in the folder without being told.
What it is good for. Anyone with a music collection and no wish to rent it. The problem it removes is the licence that expires: files you own, played from a machine you own, on the app you prefer. Version 0.64, from September, added an experimental Jellyfin music interface as well, so clients built for Jellyfin can now connect. It also has a practical use for anyone who records audio, because a folder of your own recordings becomes something you can listen to on a phone without copying files around.
- Very light. It runs comfortably on a small server or a Raspberry Pi alongside everything else.
- Dozens of existing phone and desktop apps work with it, so you are not tied to its own screen.
- Multiple users with their own playlists, play counts and favourites.
- GPL-3.0. Running it is free; building a product from its code means publishing your changes.
- It plays music already on disk. It will not find music for you and it is not a shop.
- Version 0.64 rewrote how every item is identified, and that touches every table. Back up the database before upgrading, and expect phone apps to re-sync.
jellyfin/jellyfinA full media server for video as well as music, which is far more capable and far heavier if all you have is music.
Track this in Scout- ampache/ampache
An older web-based audio and video server written in PHP, with a longer feature list and a heavier setup.
Track this in Scout
# With Docker, pointing at your music folder and a data folder: docker run -d \ --name navidrome \ --restart=unless-stopped \ --user $(id -u):$(id -g) \ -v /path/to/music:/music \ -v /path/to/data:/data \ -p 4533:4533 \ -e ND_LOGLEVEL=info \ deluan/navidrome:latest # Then open http://<your-server-address>:4533 and create the first account. # Binaries for Linux, macOS, Windows and Raspberry Pi are at: # https://www.navidrome.org/docs/installation/
