Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Funkwhale VS Airsonic

Compare Funkwhale VS Airsonic and see what are their differences

Funkwhale logo Funkwhale

Funkwhale is a modern, self-hosted, free and open-source music server

Airsonic logo Airsonic

Airsonic is a Free and Open Source community driven media server which allows you to stream...
  • Funkwhale Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-24
  • Airsonic Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14

Funkwhale features and specs

  • Federation
    Funkwhale supports the ActivityPub protocol, allowing users to connect with other instances and share music across a decentralized network.
  • Open Source
    Funkwhale is fully open-source, which means anyone can audit the code, contribute to its development, and fork it for their own needs.
  • Privacy
    Being a self-hosted solution, Funkwhale offers greater privacy and control over your data compared to commercial streaming services.
  • Community-Driven
    As an open-source project, Funkwhale benefits from community feedback and contributions, which can lead to a more user-focused development.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize their instances to fit specific needs, from appearance to functionality, making it a very flexible choice.
  • No Advertisements
    Funkwhale does not include any advertisements, offering an uninterrupted listening experience.

Possible disadvantages of Funkwhale

  • Technical Complexity
    Setting up and maintaining a Funkwhale instance requires a certain level of technical expertise, which might be challenging for non-technical users.
  • Server Costs
    Self-hosting a Funkwhale instance involves costs associated with server hosting and maintenance.
  • Limited Music Database
    Unlike major streaming services, the music available on Funkwhale is only as extensive as the tracks uploaded by its users and participating instances.
  • Dependency on Federation
    While federation is a strong feature, its effectiveness depends on the number and quality of other instances connected to the network.
  • Lack of Third-Party Integrations
    Compared to mainstream services, Funkwhale may lack integration with popular third-party applications and devices.
  • Support and Documentation
    While the community is active, the level of professional support and extensive documentation might not match that of commercial services.

Airsonic features and specs

  • Open Source
    Airsonic is an open-source project, allowing users to modify and customize the software according to their needs without licensing restrictions.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Airsonic can be installed on multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it versatile for different user environments.
  • Media Streaming
    It effectively streams audio from your personal media library to any internet-connected device, making it convenient for music lovers.
  • Web-Based Interface
    Airsonic offers a user-friendly web interface, making it easy to manage and navigate your media collection from any browser.
  • Multiple User Support
    The software allows multiple user accounts with customizable permissions, making it suitable for family or community use.

Possible disadvantages of Airsonic

  • Technical Setup
    Airsonic may require some technical knowledge to set up, including installation and network configuration, which can be challenging for non-technical users.
  • Maintenance Requirements
    Being self-hosted, Airsonic requires regular maintenance and updates by the user to ensure security and efficiency.
  • Limited Mobile Support
    While it provides a web interface, Airsonic lacks dedicated mobile apps, which can limit user experience on smartphones and tablets.
  • No New Features
    As a fork of the now-discontinued Subsonic, Airsonic development focuses on maintenance and bug fixes rather than introducing new features.
  • Performance Dependent on Hardware
    Streaming performance heavily relies on the server's hardware capabilities and internet connection, which may require investment in infrastructure.

Funkwhale videos

Les Tutos: Docker No. 9: Funkwhale - Music streaming server

Airsonic videos

"Affordable Favorites" - Reverend Airsonic | Norman's Rare Guitars

More videos:

  • Demo - A Solidbody Hollowbody?! - Reverend Guitars Airsonic W Demo & Review
  • Review - REVEREND AIRSONIC RA | PT. 2 REVIEW | MORE TALK, LESS ROCK! | SJSS

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Funkwhale and Airsonic)
Music Streaming
70 70%
30% 30
Media Players And Streaming Platforms
Online Music
100 100%
0% 0
Audio & Music
41 41%
59% 59

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Funkwhale and Airsonic

Funkwhale Reviews

Best Spotify Alternatives In The World [Top 10] 2024
Funkwhale is a leading choice among open-source enthusiasts seeking alternatives to mainstream music smooth platforms like Spotify. Funkwhale allows users to maintain complete control over their personal music libraries, free from concerns about content disappearance.
35 Open-source Free Music and Audio Streaming Servers (Self-hosted)
Funkwhale is a music server and player designed for small to medium communities. It also serves as a social platform for music and podcast enthusiasts to discover new content.
Source: medevel.com
List of Top Free Open Source & Self Hosted Application for Media Streaming
Funkwhale – Modern, web-based, convivial, multi-user and free music server. BSD-3-Clause Python/Django

Airsonic Reviews

35 Open-source Free Music and Audio Streaming Servers (Self-hosted)
Airsonic is a free, web-based media streamer that allows you to access and share your music collection. It supports streaming of various audio and video formats, including MP3, AAC, OGG, WMA, FLAC, and more. It is designed to handle large music collections and can stream to multiple players simultaneously.
Source: medevel.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Funkwhale should be more popular than Airsonic. It has been mentiond 38 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Funkwhale mentions (38)

  • Ask HN: Feedback on this proposed funding model for supporting musicians?
    For context: I recently set up a Funkwhale[0] instance [1] for Communick subscribers, where people can upload their music collection, stream on mobile/web and share with their friends. That's useful already and can be thought of as a replacement to the original Google Play Music, but I guess that those with large music collections will either just play from their dedicated devices or self-host a service like... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Favourite music streaming service?
    I use my own service, but have heard great things about https://funkwhale.audio/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What 'selfhosting' solution is for me?
    I run Funkwhale. I can listen to my songs online from the browser, or on my phone using the Subsonic protocol (I use an app called dsub on Android). Source: about 2 years ago
  • I don't want streaming music, I just want to stream my music
    For multi-room-audio, I use Iris+Mopidy+Snapcast [2] alternative frontend to my Funkwhale library. [1]: https://funkwhale.audio/ [2]: https://github.com/jaedb/Iris. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Looking for a simple audio hosting solution with comments
    I hear funkwhale can also do comments. Worth checking it out too. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Airsonic mentions (11)

  • Music Media Manager for linux server (with web frontend?)
    Https://airsonic.github.io/ seems like it might be what you're looking for? Not sure about duplicates, but it can deal with tags and artwork. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • self-hosted alternative to spotify?
    Airsonic is another choice that I've heard good things about. Installation video via docker here. I believe DSub will work with Airsonic too. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Looking for advice on streaming MPD database over local network to multiple clients
    On the other hand, if you want a single Spotify-esque service from which multiple clients can stream the audio without managing their own databases, there are Subsonic and derivatives which also offer transcoding options. I use Airsonic for this purpose and use it to stream my music collection from my phone via Ultrasonic (available from F-Droid if you use Android). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is Kodi or any addon able to stream or download media from cloud storage services?
    You should look into one of the subsonic forks. Airsonic https://airsonic.github.io/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Most private music streaming available?
    What they're talking about is starting up a server so you can stream your own music files. This would involve setting up a server (either renting a hosted server or setting up your own machine) starting up an application like Airsonic (one of many Subsonic compliant applications), finding a good client to use like Ultrasonic (one of many Subsonic compliant clients), setting up domain names and DNS to point to that... Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Funkwhale and Airsonic, you can also consider the following products

Spotify - Map shows when two people play same song at same time

Ampache - Web ( HTTP centralized ) based audio/video streaming application

Deezer - Deezer is a music streaming app created in France. It is available in 180 counties and gets 16 million users a month. 6 million of the users have paid subscriptions. Read more about Deezer.

Navidrome - Music Server and Streamer compatible with Subsonic/Airsonic.

SoundCloud - Enjoy music & follow favourite artists

Subsonic - Subsonic is a free, web-based media streamer, providing ubiquitous access to your music and video.