head to head · open source
Jellyfin vs BlokDust
Jellyfin has 59,379 GitHub stars, 5,817 forks, 684 open issues and last shipped yesterday. BlokDust has 629 stars, 44 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Jellyfin leads on adoption by 9,340% (59,379 vs 629 stars). Jellyfin is written in C# under GPL-2.0; BlokDust is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Jellyfin has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, BlokDust 7%. Jellyfin was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Jellyfin | BlokDust | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 59K | ★ 629 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-14 | 2026-11-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 44 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Jellyfin if
- You weight community size — 59K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick BlokDust if
- You want the BlokDust feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and BlokDust fits your workflow better
About Jellyfin
Jellyfin The Free Software Media System Jellyfin is a Free Software Media System that puts you in control of managing and streaming your media. It is an alternative to the proprietary Emby and Plex, to provide media from a dedicated server to end user devices via multiple apps. Jellyfin is descended from Emby's 3.5.2 release and ported to the .NET platform to enable full cross platform support. There are no strings attached, no premium licenses or features, and no hidden agendas: just a team that wants to build something better and work together to achieve it. We welcome anyone who is interested in joining us in…
read the full Jellyfin overview →
About BlokDust
BlokDust 2 A visual, physics driven music playground. Drop blocks on a grid; nearby blocks connect; particle emitters and lasers fire into sound sources to make self playing musical environments. A faithful, much faster rebuild of BlokDust v1 (2015), for the web and as VST3/AU plug ins and a standalone app. Play it: blokdust.funputs.com · Plug ins: Settings › DOWNLOAD on the site (macOS and Windows, free) Status: 2.0 is out (November 2026): the website and the free plug ins for macOS and Windows. Next: an iPad (AUv3) version. See the roadmap and what's new since v1. Docs: docs/ · architecture · decisions · specs…
read the full BlokDust overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jellyfin or BlokDust more popular?
Jellyfin has 59,379 GitHub stars and BlokDust has 629. Jellyfin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Jellyfin and BlokDust free?
Both are open source. Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and BlokDust under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Jellyfin and BlokDust?
Jellyfin is written in C# and BlokDust in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Jellyfin or BlokDust?
Choose Jellyfin if you want the larger community (59,379 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose BlokDust if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.