Free, open-source alternatives to Spotify
Music streaming subscription. 9 apps you can run yourself instead of Spotify, sorted by how well they replace it. Each one is open source, so your data stays with you.
Navidrome Music ServerBest match
Modern Music Server and Streamer, compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic.
koel
Personal music streaming server that works.
Funkwhale
Modern, web-based, convivial, multi-user and free music server.
Ampache
Web based audio/video streaming application.
gonic
Lightweight music streaming server. Subsonic compatible.
Black Candy
Music streaming server.
SwingMusic
Swing Music is a beautiful, self-hosted music player and streaming server for your local audio files. Like a cooler Spotify ... but bring your own music.
Polaris
Music browsing and streaming application optimized for large music collections, ease of use and high performance.
mStream
Music streaming server with GUI management tools. Runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Side by side
| App | Stars | License | Activity | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navidrome Music Server | 24,134 | GPL-3.0 | Docker, Go | |
| koel | 17,278 | MIT | PHP | |
| Funkwhale | - | BSD-3-Clause | Python | |
| Ampache | 3,833 | AGPL-3.0 | PHP | |
| gonic | 2,572 | GPL-3.0 | Go, Docker | |
| Black Candy | 4,428 | MIT | Docker, Ruby | |
| SwingMusic | 2,083 | MIT | Python, Docker | |
| Polaris | 2,735 | MIT | Rust, Docker | |
| mStream | 2,410 | GPL-3.0 | Node.js |
Why replace Spotify?
Spotify works, but your data lives in someone else's account, the price can change at any time, and features can disappear. An open-source app you run yourself is yours: you choose where it runs, who can see the data, and when to update.
Questions
What is the best free alternative to Spotify?
Navidrome Music Server is the closest open-source replacement for Spotify in our list. koel and Funkwhale are worth a look too, depending on what you need.
Can I self-host an alternative to Spotify?
Yes. All 9 apps on this page are open source and can run on your own server, usually with Docker, or on a managed host that installs them for you.