Compare / Jellyfin vs Emby
Jellyfin vs Emby
Pick Jellyfin if you want the GPL fork that stayed free software (the published c17 stack). Pick Emby only if you already depend on Emby's current proprietary server and Premiere features.
Facts checked 18 Oct 2026. License, language, and GitHub activity come from the catalog or the project's own repo. "Not in the catalog row" means the public catalog dump does not store that number.
Jellyfin in the catalog Emby in the catalogStart on Railway
How they compare
| Jellyfin | Emby | |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-2.0 (catalog) source | Current product: proprietary (emby.tv terms). Historical GitHub repo was GPL-2.0 source |
| Language | C# (catalog) | C# (historical MediaBrowser/Emby repo) |
| GitHub activity | 58,196 stars in the catalog source | MediaBrowser/Emby: 4,997 stars, last pushed 27 Mar 2024 (not the current product) source |
| Self-host | Published as /stacks/jellyfin-media. | Install current Emby Server; Premiere is a paid add-on. |
| Best for | A GPL library you host. | An existing Emby install you are not ready to leave. |
Self-hosting and resource needs
Jellyfin is /stacks/jellyfin-media. Jellyfin forked Emby 3.5.2 in December 2018 after Emby 4 went closed-source (jellyfin.org/docs/general/about). The historical MediaBrowser/Emby GitHub repo is GPL-2.0 and last pushed 27 Mar 2024; current Emby Server is licensed under Emby's terms, which forbid copying, modifying, and distributing the software.
FAQ
- Is Emby still open source?
- The current server is proprietary per emby.tv/terms.html. Jellyfin exists because Emby 4 went closed-source.
- Is this a Plex comparison too?
- Plex is the other proprietary media server — /compare/jellyfin-vs-plex.
- Do I get Netflix catalogs?
- No. These play files you already have.
- How do I deploy Jellyfin?
- Open /stacks/jellyfin-media. Persist a large volume.
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