head to head · open source
Jellyfin vs iptv
Jellyfin has 57,244 GitHub stars, 5,523 forks, 684 open issues and last shipped yesterday. iptv has 737 stars, 241 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Jellyfin leads on adoption by 7,667% (57,244 vs 737 stars). Jellyfin is written in C# under GPL-2.0; iptv is written in JavaScript under GPL-3.0. Jellyfin has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, iptv 33%. 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 | iptv | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 57K | ★ 737 |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-15 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.5K | ⑂ 241 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Jellyfin if
- You weight community size — 57K 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 iptv if
- You want the iptv feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and iptv fits your workflow better
About Jellyfin
Jellyfin is a free and open source media server that lets an individual or an organisation manage and stream their own movies, music, and other media from a dedicated server to end user devices through multiple client apps.
read the full Jellyfin overview →
About iptv
iPTV is a self hosted, modular IPTV live source management and distribution system that aggregates more than 800 channels from sources such as 央视频, 咪咕, Bilibili, Huya, Douyu and regional broadcasters, then de duplicates and re publishes them as clean M3U/TXT playlists with an EPG guide; it is aimed at NAS owners and home theatre users who want a channel lineup they control.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jellyfin or iptv more popular?
Jellyfin has 57,244 GitHub stars and iptv has 737. Jellyfin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Jellyfin and iptv free?
Both are open source. Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and iptv under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Jellyfin and iptv?
Jellyfin is written in C# and iptv in JavaScript. 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 iptv?
Choose Jellyfin if you want the larger community (57,244 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose iptv if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.