head to head · open source
mediamtx vs UniversalMediaServer
mediamtx has 20,587 GitHub stars, 2,444 forks, 188 open issues and last shipped yesterday. UniversalMediaServer has 2,668 stars, 526 forks, 405 open issues and last shipped yesterday. mediamtx leads on adoption by 672% (20,587 vs 2,668 stars). mediamtx is written in Go under MIT; UniversalMediaServer is written in Java under GPL-2.0. mediamtx has attracted 12% as many forks as stars, UniversalMediaServer 20%. mediamtx was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (media-server), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| mediamtx | UniversalMediaServer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 21K | ★ 2.7K |
| License | MIT | GPL-2.0 |
| Written in | Go | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 526 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick mediamtx if
- You weight community size — 21K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick UniversalMediaServer if
- You want the UniversalMediaServer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and UniversalMediaServer fits your workflow better
About mediamtx
MediaMTX is a ready to use and zero dependency live media server and media proxy that allows to publish, read, proxy, record and playback real time video and audio streams. It has been conceived as a "media router" that routes media streams from one end to the other, with a focus on efficiency and portability. Features Publish streams to the server with Media over QUIC, SRT, WebRTC, RTSP, RTMP, HLS, MPEG TS, RTP, using FFmpeg, GStreamer, OBS Studio, Python , Golang, Unity, Web browsers, Raspberry Pi Cameras and more. Read streams from the server with Media over QUIC, SRT, WebRTC, RTSP, RTMP, HLS, using FFmpeg…
read the full mediamtx overview →
About UniversalMediaServer
Universal Media Server [ ][1] Universal Media Server is a DLNA, UPnP and HTTP/S Media Server. It is capable of sharing video, audio and images between most modern devices. It was originally based on PS3 Media Server by shagrath, in order to ensure greater stability and file compatibility. Universal Media Server supports all major operating systems, with versions for Windows, Linux and macOS. The program streams or transcodes many different media formats with little or no configuration. It is powered by [FFmpeg][27], [MediaInfo][28], [Crowdin][29], [MEncoder][26], tsMuxeR, AviSynth, VLC, and more, which combine…
read the full UniversalMediaServer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is mediamtx or UniversalMediaServer more popular?
mediamtx has 20,587 GitHub stars and UniversalMediaServer has 2,668. mediamtx has the larger community by that measure.
Are mediamtx and UniversalMediaServer free?
Both are open source. mediamtx is licensed under MIT and UniversalMediaServer under GPL-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between mediamtx and UniversalMediaServer?
mediamtx is written in Go and UniversalMediaServer in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, mediamtx or UniversalMediaServer?
Choose mediamtx if you want the larger community (20,587 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose UniversalMediaServer if its feature set, stack or GPL-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.