head to head · open source
Jellyfin vs Nuclear
Jellyfin has 58,942 GitHub stars, 5,757 forks, 684 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Nuclear has 18,856 stars, 1,356 forks, 7 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Jellyfin leads on adoption by 213% (58,942 vs 18,856 stars). Jellyfin is written in C# under GPL-2.0; Nuclear is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Jellyfin has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Nuclear 7%. Nuclear 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 | Nuclear | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 59K | ★ 19K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | C# | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 1.4K |
| 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 Nuclear if
- You want the Nuclear 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 Nuclear 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 Nuclear
Nuclear Nuclear is a free, open source music player without ads or tracking. Search for any song or artist, build playlists, and start listening. Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Screenshots Nuclear comes with multiple built in themes: Download Grab the latest release for your platform from the Releases page. Features Search for music and stream it from any source Browse artist pages with biographies, discographies, and similar artists Browse album pages with track listings Queue management with shuffle, repeat, and drag and drop reordering Favorites (albums, artists, and tracks) Playlists (create, import…
read the full Nuclear overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jellyfin or Nuclear more popular?
Jellyfin has 58,942 GitHub stars and Nuclear has 18,856. Jellyfin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Jellyfin and Nuclear free?
Both are open source. Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Nuclear under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Jellyfin and Nuclear?
Jellyfin is written in C# and Nuclear 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 Nuclear?
Choose Jellyfin if you want the larger community (58,942 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose Nuclear if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.