Best self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming software in 2026

Video streaming tools and software.

We track 19 open-source, self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps. 12 of them had commits in the last 90 days, 9 can run with Docker, and the most common licenses are MIT (6), AGPL-3.0 (5), ⊘ Proprietary (4). The most-used languages are Nodejs, Go, C++. Below are the top picks by GitHub stars, followed by every app ranked by stars weighted by maintenance health.

Alternatives to PlexAlternatives to NetflixAlternatives to YouTubeAlternatives to TwitchAlternatives to VimeoAlternatives to EmbyAlternatives to Jellyfin

Top 5 by GitHub stars

#AppStarsHealthLast activityLicenseLanguageDocker
1SRS29.4kActive2026-10-31MITDocker, C++✓
2Invidious25.9kActive2026-11-05AGPL-3.0Docker, Crystal✓
3PeerTube15.4kActive2026-11-09AGPL-3.0Nodejs✓
4Owncast11.6kActive2026-11-09MITGo–
5Tube Archivist8.6kActive2026-10-25GPL-3.0Docker✓
  1. SRS — Simple, high efficiency and real-time video server, supports RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV and SRT.
  2. Invidious — Alternative YouTube front-end.
  3. PeerTube — Decentralized video streaming platform using P2P (BitTorrent) directly in the web browser.
  4. Owncast — Decentralized single-user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options.
  5. Tube Archivist — Organize, search, and enjoy your YouTube collection. Subscribe, download, and track viewed content with metadata indexing and a user-friendly interface.

Head-to-head comparisons

Invidious vs SRSPeerTube vs SRSInvidious vs PeerTubeOwncast vs SRSInvidious vs OwncastOwncast vs PeerTube

All 19 self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps

Ranked by GitHub stars weighted by maintenance health.

SRS

Simple, high efficiency and real-time video server, supports RTMP, WebRTC, HLS, HTTP-FLV and SRT.

Active ★ 29.4k MIT 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

Invidious

Alternative YouTube front-end.

Active ★ 25.9k AGPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

PeerTube

Decentralized video streaming platform using P2P (BitTorrent) directly in the web browser.

Active ★ 15.4k AGPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$10/mo

Owncast

Decentralized single-user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options.

Active ★ 11.6k MIT ~$20/mo

Tube Archivist

Organize, search, and enjoy your YouTube collection. Subscribe, download, and track viewed content with metadata indexing and a user-friendly interface.

Active ★ 8.6k GPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

MediaCMS

Modern, fully featured video and media CMS, written in Python/Django/React, featuring a REST API.

Active ★ 5.2k AGPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

OvenMediaEngine

Streaming Server with Sub-Second Latency.

Active ★ 3.3k AGPL-3.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

CyTube

Synchronize media, chat, and more for an arbitrary number of channels.

Active ★ 1.6k MIT ~$20/mo

Restreamer

Access H.264 real-time video streaming on your website without a streaming provider.

Maintained ★ 5.2k Apache-2.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

Rapidbay

Videostreaming service/torrent client that allows searching and playing videos from torrents in the browser or from a Chromecast/AppleTV/Smart TV.

Active ★ 907 MIT 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

SyncTube

Lightweight and very simple to setup CyTube alternative to watch videos with friends and chat.

Active ★ 397 MIT ~$20/mo

Tiramisu

BitTorrent engine with a FUSE virtual filesystem that streams torrents live to Plex/Jellyfin without downloading (alternative to Real-Debrid).

Active ★ 156 GPL-2.0 🐳 Docker~$20/mo

VideoLAN Client (VLC)

Cross-platform multimedia player client and server supporting most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio CDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols.

Active ★ 45 GPL-2.0 ~$20/mo

Tube

Youtube-like (without censorship and features you don't need!) video sharing app written in Go which also supports automatic transcoding to MP4 H.265 AAC, multiple collections and RSS feed.

Maintained ★ 6 MIT ~$20/mo

Channels DVR Server

Flexible server providing a whole home DVR experience for Channels.

Unknown ⊘ Proprietary ~$20/mo

ClyoCloud

Personal cloud storage and media management application built for privacy, efficiency, and aesthetics.

Unknown AGPL-3.0 ~$20/mo

Emby

Home media server supporting both DLNA and DIAL (Chromecast) devices out-of-the-box.

Unknown ⊘ Proprietary ~$20/mo

Plex

Centralized home media playback system with a powerful central server.

Unknown ⊘ Proprietary ~$20/mo

Subsonic

Web-based media streamer and jukebox.

Unknown ⊘ Proprietary ~$20/mo

Frequently asked questions

What is the best self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming software in 2026?

By GitHub stars, the most popular self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps are SRS (29,440 stars), Invidious (25,908 stars), PeerTube (15,395 stars). Popularity is only one signal: also check maintenance health, license and whether it fits your setup.

How many self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps are actively maintained?

12 of the 19 apps listed had commits in the last 90 days and 2 more in the last 12 months; for 5 we have no repository activity data.

Which self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps can I run with Docker?

9 of the 19 apps can run with Docker; 2 publish an image on Docker Hub, including PeerTube and Restreamer.

Which licenses do self-hosted Media Streaming - Video Streaming apps use?

The most common licenses in this category are MIT (6 apps), AGPL-3.0 (5 apps), ⊘ Proprietary (4 apps).

How much does it cost to self-host Media Streaming - Video Streaming software?

The software itself is free to download. Based on our rough hardware estimates, the cheapest suitable VPS plan starts at about $10/month (median $20/month across apps in this category). Several light apps can share one server.

Related categories

Video SurveillanceMedia Streaming - Multimedia StreamingPhoto GalleriesMedia Management

Figures from GitHub and Docker Hub as of 2026-11-15; hosting costs are rough estimates.