head to head · open source
Jellyfin vs neko
Jellyfin has 58,942 GitHub stars, 5,757 forks, 684 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. neko has 22,592 stars, 1,648 forks, 151 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. Jellyfin leads on adoption by 161% (58,942 vs 22,592 stars). Jellyfin is written in C# under GPL-2.0; neko is written in Go under Apache-2.0. Jellyfin has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, neko 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 | neko | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 59K | ★ 23K |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | C# | Go |
| Last push | 2026-11-01 | 2026-10-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 5.8K | ⑂ 1.6K |
| 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 neko if
- You want the neko feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and neko 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 neko
n.eko Welcome to Neko, a self hosted virtual browser that runs in Docker and uses WebRTC technology. Neko is a powerful tool that allows you to run a fully functional browser in a virtual environment , giving you the ability to access the internet securely and privately from anywhere . With Neko, you can browse the web, run applications , and perform other tasks just as you would on a regular browser, all within a secure and isolated environment . Whether you are a developer looking to test web applications, a privacy conscious user seeking a secure browsing experience , or simply someone who wants to take…
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Frequently asked questions
Is Jellyfin or neko more popular?
Jellyfin has 58,942 GitHub stars and neko has 22,592. Jellyfin has the larger community by that measure.
Are Jellyfin and neko free?
Both are open source. Jellyfin is licensed under GPL-2.0 and neko under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Jellyfin and neko?
Jellyfin is written in C# and neko in Go. 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 neko?
Choose Jellyfin if you want the larger community (58,942 stars) or its GPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose neko if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.