YouTube

Best Self Hosted Alternatives to YouTube

A curated collection of the 4 best self hosted alternatives to YouTube.

YouTube is a video-sharing platform where users upload, view, search, and share videos. It offers subscriptions, recommendations, live streaming, and monetization options (ads and YouTube Premium) for creators and viewers to publish and discover video content.

Alternatives List

#1
Ampache

Ampache

Self-hosted web app to catalog your music and stream it anywhere via web UI, Subsonic-compatible API clients, playlists, and user access controls.

Ampache is a web-based music streaming server and media library manager that catalogs your audio collection and lets you stream it from a browser or compatible apps. It focuses on organizing large libraries, multi-user access, and broad client compatibility via common APIs.

Key Features

  • Catalog indexing of local music libraries with metadata extraction and browsing by artist/album/genre
  • Web player and library UI for searching, filtering, and playback
  • Subsonic-compatible API (and other supported APIs) for use with many third-party mobile/desktop clients
  • User and access management (multiple users, permissions) suitable for shared servers
  • Playlist creation/management and support for common playlist workflows
  • Album art/metadata handling and library maintenance tools (scan/update/clean)
  • Optional transcoding support for streaming to bandwidth-limited clients (when configured)
  • Extensible architecture with integrations/plugins and multiple backend options for storage/catalogs

Use Cases

  • Host a personal “Spotify-like” music library accessible on LAN/VPN and on the go
  • Provide multi-user streaming for a household or small community with per-user accounts
  • Use existing Subsonic-compatible apps to stream your own collection from a central server

Limitations and Considerations

  • Some advanced features (e.g., transcoding) depend on external tools and careful server configuration
  • Client experience varies depending on which third-party API client you use

Ampache is a mature option for people who want a browser-based music server with strong library management and wide client support. It is particularly useful if you want to reuse the ecosystem of Subsonic-compatible players while keeping control of your own collection.

3.7kstars
607forks
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#2
Swing Music

Swing Music

Self-hosted web music player and streaming server that scans your library, builds a media index, and lets you browse, search, and play music from any device.

Swing Music screenshot

Swing Music is a self-hosted, browser-based music player and streaming server for personal audio libraries. It scans folders on disk, builds a searchable catalog, and provides a modern web UI to browse artists/albums, create playlists, and play music remotely.

Key Features

  • Library scanning and indexing from local folders
  • Web-based player UI with artist/album/track browsing
  • Search across the music library (artists, albums, tracks)
  • Playlist creation and management
  • Streaming playback in the browser with queue management
  • Metadata and cover-art handling based on embedded tags/files
  • Multi-user support (where configured) for separating access

Use Cases

  • Stream a home music collection (MP3/FLAC, etc.) to phones/laptops via a web browser
  • Replace a paid music locker/streaming app for privately owned music
  • Centralize music playback for a household with shared playlists

Limitations and Considerations

  • Feature depth and ecosystem (clients/integrations) may be smaller than mature Subsonic-compatible servers; confirm needed integrations before adopting.

Swing Music focuses on providing a lightweight, pleasant web listening experience over your own library. It is best suited for users who want a straightforward browser player with library scanning, search, and playlists without relying on third-party streaming services.

1.6kstars
96forks
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#3
Lyrion Music Server

Lyrion Music Server

Server-based music library and streaming system with multi-room playback, web UI, plugins, and wide player support (Squeezebox and compatible clients).

Lyrion Music Server screenshot

Lyrion Music Server (LMS) is a server application for managing a music library and streaming audio to one or many networked players. It originates from Logitech Media Server/Squeezebox Server and is maintained by the community as a flexible platform with extensive device support and a large plugin ecosystem.

Key Features

  • Multi-room playback and synchronization across multiple players
  • Library management with browsing by artist/album/genre, playlists, and search
  • Streams local music as well as internet radio; supports many audio formats via transcoding
  • Web-based user interface plus support for numerous third-party controller apps
  • Plugin system for adding services, metadata providers, UI extensions, and integrations
  • Supports Squeezebox hardware and many compatible software clients/players
  • User accounts and player-level settings (volume, sync groups, alarms/timers depending on plugins)

Use Cases

  • Whole-home audio with synchronized playback to multiple rooms
  • Centralized music library for a household or small office with multiple controllers
  • Internet radio hub with presets and per-room playback

Limitations and Considerations

  • Feature set and service integrations depend heavily on plugins; availability varies by provider
  • Some modern streaming services may require third-party plugins and can break when providers change APIs

LMS is a mature, extensible music server suited to users who want a centralized library and flexible playback targets. Its strengths are multi-room sync, broad client compatibility, and a long-standing plugin ecosystem that can adapt the system to many setups.

1.6kstars
347forks
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#4
Meelo

Meelo

Meelo is a self-hosted music server to scan, organize, and stream your personal music library through a web interface.

Meelo is a self-hosted music server for managing and streaming a personal music library. It scans local audio files, builds a browsable catalog, and provides playback through a web UI.

Key Features

  • Library scanning/indexing of local music files into an organized catalog
  • Browsing by common music facets (artists, albums, tracks) in a web interface
  • In-browser playback/streaming of your library
  • Metadata handling based on embedded tags (as supported by the project)

Use Cases

  • Run a private “home Spotify” for a household’s local music collection
  • Centralize a music library on a server/NAS and play it from multiple devices
  • Replace ad‑supported music services for listening to owned/ripped music

Limitations and Considerations

  • Project documentation and feature coverage appear limited in the repository; expect gaps compared to mature media servers (e.g., advanced metadata matching, mobile apps, integrations).

Meelo is best suited for users who primarily want a lightweight, web-based way to browse and play an existing local music library. If you need rich ecosystem integrations or advanced library tooling, consider more established music servers.

1kstars
33forks
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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running