OmniFeed Search

Ampache

A web catalog that streams music and video to many kinds of player

Visit ampache.org

Our verdict

Tied #3 of 4 in Self-hosted music servers · For every kind of player

Pros

  • One catalog for phones, iTunes-style DAAP, and a TV's DLNA player
  • Release 8.4.0 is timestamped 2026-11-06
  • The project says those players are included, with no paid tier

Cons

  • Ampache 8 needs PHP 8.5 or newer, plus Node.js and MySQL or MariaDB
  • The README says it is not a media organizer and depends on tags

Who should skip:Anyone who will not run PHP 8.5, Node, and MySQL or MariaDB.

Read the full review →

Rankings and alternatives

Self-hosted music servers scores

Evaluated Nov 8, 2026 Evidence ↓
  • Setup 1

    1/5 means: A web server, a language runtime, Node, and a database server

    Ampache 8 needs PHP 8.5 or newer, Node.js from version 7 onward, MySQL or MariaDB, and a web server. The README lists Apache, lighttpd, nginx, and IIS.

  • Players 5

    5/5 means: Subsonic or OpenSubsonic plus at least two other protocols, such as DLNA, DAAP, or a Jellyfin-compatible API

    One catalog is served over the native API, Subsonic, OpenSubsonic, a Jellyfin-compatible API, DAAP, and UPnP/DLNA.

  • Catalog 4

    4/5 means: Several extras, such as separate libraries, podcasts, video, or scrobbling

    Video, scheduled podcasts, and live radio sit in the catalog, and the README says usefulness depends on tags because Ampache is not a media organizer. The pages checked do not document MusicBrainz release groups.

  • Playback 4

    4/5 means: Transcoding and one other listening feature, or scrobbling to two services

    The docs say it can convert music on the fly when the player cannot read a format, and it streams to a web browser or an external player. The pages checked do not document Last.fm or ListenBrainz.

  • Recent release 5

    5/5 means: Within the last month

    Release 8.4.0 is marked latest, and its source zip is timestamped 2026-11-06, two days before this evaluation.

Pricing

  • Self-hosted Free The project says the server is free, with the features it lists included.

From the vendor’s pricing page, checked Nov 8, 2026. That page is authoritative.

Evidence and sources

Self-hosted music servers scores

Setup 7 quotes
Show all 7
Players 1 quote
  • “Ampache doesn't lock you into one app. The same catalog is served over its native API, a full Subsonic and OpenSubsonic backend, a Jellyfin-compatible backend, DAAP and UPnP/DLNA, all at once.”
    ampache.org · checked
Catalog 2 quotes
  • “Video lives in the same catalog as your music. Podcasts sync on a schedule, live radio streams play alongside your library, and Collections let you group anything (songs, albums, videos, playlists) into a single browsable shelf.”
    ampache.org · checked
  • “Ampache's usefulness is heavily dependent on being able to extract correct metadata from embedded tags in your files and/or the file name. Ampache is not a media organizer; it is meant to be a tool which presents an already organized collection in a useful way.”
    github.com/ampache/ampache · checked
Playback 1 quote
  • “Ampache doesn't use codecs. It simply streams the music to your player / web browser. If set up properly, it can convert music on the fly in case you use a player that doesn't read a specific format.”
    ampache.org/docs · checked
Recent release 1 quote

Facts

License 1 quote
  • “Ampache is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPL-3.0-or-later) as published by the Free Software Foundation.”
    github.com/ampache/ampache · checked
Runs on 4 quotes
Needs 3 quotes

Other quotes

Not cited by a score or fact 1 quote
  • “Completely Free and Open Source since 2001, AGPLv3 license.”
    ampache.org · checked

Pricing

ampache.org · checked