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WaveFlow
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Comparison

WaveFlow Server vs Jellyfin

A media server for everything you own, and a music server that does only music.

WaveFlow Server 2.2.1 and Jellyfin 12.4 facts read on November 8, 2026

The short answer

Jellyfin is free, open source and serves films, series, live TV and books as well as music, with official apps and installers for every system. For music it leans on community plugins for smart playlists and scrobbling, and Subsonic support is neither built in nor in its official plugin catalogue. WaveFlow Server only does music, podcasts and radio, but builds the music parts in: OpenSubsonic for the apps you already use, scrobbling to three services, share links, podcasts and a check that catches fake lossless files. If your music sits next to your films, Jellyfin keeps them together; if music is the point, WaveFlow Server is made for it.

What matters

Eighteen equally weighted criteria for your music server. Each confirmed advantage earns one point; equal or unconfirmed capabilities remain neutral.

  1. Spots lossless files made from lossy ones

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Analyses the audio of lossless files to flag suspicious encodings.

    Jellyfin

    No

  2. Smart-playlist rule editor in the built-in web player

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Yes · Built in.

    Jellyfin

    No

  3. Accounts and sharing

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Several accounts, share links, and scrobbling to Last.fm, ListenBrainz and Maloja built in.

    Jellyfin

    Several accounts with their own rights; scrobbling through community plugins.

  4. Sends nothing out unless you allow it

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    At its default settings it contacts no outside service; you switch each one on, and its documentation lists every request.

    Jellyfin

    No telemetry, but it checks its plugin catalogue at start-up and every day, and new libraries fetch metadata online.

  5. A new server cannot be claimed by a stranger

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    The first setup asks for a one-time token written on the server, so only the person running it can create the admin account.

    Jellyfin

    Until the setup wizard is finished, anyone who reaches the server can run it.

  6. Backs up its database before every upgrade

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Copies the database and its key before every upgrade, and backs up on demand with one command.

    Jellyfin

    Copies the database before a migration but deletes the copy once it succeeds; full backups are made by hand.

  7. Mixes made from your own listening, free and built in

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Builds mixes from what you actually play, in the web player.

    Jellyfin

    Instant Mix is built from the genres of one item, not from your history.

  8. Offline listening in the web player

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Yes · Built in.

    Jellyfin

    Not confirmed

  9. Podcasts

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Yes · Built in.

    Jellyfin

    Not confirmed

  10. Converts on the fly

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    MP3 · Opus · AAC · ReplayGain

    Jellyfin

    Yes · Built in.

  11. Price and openness

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Free and open source, under the AGPL.

    Jellyfin

    Free and open source, under the GPL, with no premium tier.

  12. Apps that play from it

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Any OpenSubsonic app, with dated test results for four of them; no phone app of its own yet.

    Jellyfin

    Official apps on phones, televisions and the web, and community music apps such as Finamp; Subsonic is not built in.

  13. Synced lyrics found online, free and built in

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Fills in synced lyrics from LRCLIB when a file has none, once you switch it on.

    Jellyfin

    Through the official LRCLIB plugin, installed from its own catalogue.

  14. Listening statistics, free and built in

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    A statistics page with plays and listening time per day, and your top tracks, artists and albums.

    Jellyfin

    Through the official Playback Reporting plugin.

  15. Starts on Windows and macOS without a terminal

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Archives for Windows and macOS start with a double-click, FFmpeg included, and open the web player.

    Jellyfin

    A menu-bar app on macOS and an installer on Windows, FFmpeg included.

  16. Setting it up

    WaveFlow Server

    One container for amd64 and arm64, or an archive for Windows, macOS or Linux with FFmpeg inside.

    Jellyfin Better here

    Installers for Windows and macOS, Linux packages and a container, on amd64 and arm64.

  17. Beyond your music

    WaveFlow Server

    Music, podcasts and radio, with no plugins.

    Jellyfin Better here

    Films, series, live TV, books and music, with a plugin catalogue.

  18. Track record

    WaveFlow Server

    First release in August 2026, stable since October 2026.

    Jellyfin Better here

    Released since January 2019, on code that goes back further, with a large community.

TallyWaveFlow Server 7Jellyfin 3Neutral 8

What each one can do

Yes, no or not confirmed: not confirmed means no official page settles it either way. WaveFlow Server is read at 2.2.1.

Capabilities of WaveFlow Server and Jellyfin
CapabilityWaveFlow ServerJellyfin
Music first
Offline listening in the web player
Yes
Not confirmed
Smart-playlist rule editor in the built-in web player
Yes
No
Spots lossless files made from lossy ones
Yes
No
Podcasts
Yes
Not confirmed
Synced lyrics from LRCLIB when the file has none
YesOff until you switch it on.
YesOfficial add-on
Mixes from your listening history
Yes
No
Listening statistics page
Yes
YesOfficial add-on
Peace of mind
Nothing sent out at default settings
Yes
No
First setup protected by a one-time token
Yes
No
Database copied before every upgrade
Yes
No
Getting it
Free to use in full
Yes
Yes
Open source
YesAGPL-3.0.
Yes
Official Docker image
Yes
Yes
64-bit ARM, such as a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5
Yesamd64 and arm64; no 32-bit ARM image.
Yesamd64 and arm64; 32-bit ARM was dropped in 10.11.
Runs without Docker
YesArchives for Windows, macOS and Linux, FFmpeg included.
YesWindows installer, macOS disk image, Linux packages.
Starts on Windows and macOS without a terminal
Yes
Yes
Listening
Web player built in
Yes
Yes
OpenSubsonic API, for Subsonic apps
YesSymfonium, Feishin, DSub and Juliet tested, results published.
Not confirmedNot built in, and not in the official plugin catalogue.
Official phone apps
NoWaveFlow on the desktop plays from it; the phone apps are not released yet.
YesAndroid and iOS; Finamp, for music, is a community app.
Converts on the fly
YesMP3, Opus or AAC, with volume levelling on the server.
Yes
Offline listening in its own player
Yes
YesIn the Android app; iOS not confirmed.
Library
Synced lyrics for your apps
Yes
Yes
Smart playlists
Yes
YesCommunity plugin
Internet radio
Yes
YesAs channels, through the live TV tuner.
People
Several accounts
Yes
Yes
Sharing with other people
YesShare links, with an optional expiry and visit limit.
Not confirmedAccounts only; sharing points to an item's page, not a stream.
Last.fm scrobbling
Yes
YesCommunity pluginThe main plugin is archived.
ListenBrainz scrobbling
Yes
YesCommunity pluginThrough a plugin; built in only for suggestions.
Beyond the basics
Films and series too
No
Yes
Reachable from outside without opening a port
NoThrough your own reverse proxy; a Caddy setup comes with it.
No
Plugins
No
Yes

Which one to pick

Choose WaveFlow Server if…

  • music is what you serve, and you want the music parts built in
  • you already use a Subsonic app such as Symfonium or Feishin
  • you want share links, podcasts and a check for fake lossless files

Choose Jellyfin if…

  • you want films, series and music on one server
  • you want official apps for your television and your phone
  • you want a large community and years of releases behind it

Where WaveFlow Server still loses

What Jellyfin does better today, said plainly. A loss stays on this page until it is no longer true.

  1. Video: Jellyfin serves films, series and live TV; WaveFlow Server is for audio only.

  2. Apps: Jellyfin has official phone and television apps; WaveFlow Server's phone apps are not released yet.

  3. Installers: Jellyfin has a Windows installer and a macOS disk image; WaveFlow Server ships archives.

  4. Track record: Jellyfin has been released since 2019; WaveFlow Server's first stable release is from October 2026.

About Jellyfin

Jellyfin is a free-software media system, built by volunteers since 2018 from the code of Emby. One server holds your films, series, music, books and live TV, with official apps on phones, televisions and the web.

Made by
The Jellyfin Project
Licence
GPL-2.0
Price
Free, with no paid tier
Its own builds for
Linux · Windows · macOS
Version compared
12.4released October 26, 2026
WebsiteSource code

Method and sources

Every fact about Jellyfin was read on its own website, documentation, repository or store page on November 8, 2026; nothing comes from reviews or from memory. A capability is yes only when an official page shows it, no when an official page rules it out or the area is covered and it is absent, and not confirmed otherwise. Descriptions are our own words.

WaveFlow Server facts come from its repository, at the 2.2.1 release (November 10, 2026).

This page has no speed or memory figures: we only publish a measure we can rerun, with the versions, the machine and the method beside it.

The data behind this pageReport a mistake

Sources for Jellyfin

Sources for WaveFlow Server

Questions

  • Can I keep Jellyfin for my films and use WaveFlow Server for music?

    Yes. They are separate programs and can read the same music folder; WaveFlow Server only reads it and never rewrites your files. Each one keeps its own favourites and plays.

  • Can my Subsonic app play from Jellyfin?

    Not out of the box: Jellyfin has its own API, and its official plugin catalogue does not add Subsonic. Apps such as Finamp speak Jellyfin's API instead. WaveFlow Server speaks OpenSubsonic, so Symfonium, Feishin, DSub or Juliet sign in as they are.

  • Is Jellyfin 12.4 the same line as Jellyfin 10.x?

    Yes. Jellyfin dropped the leading 10 from its version numbers, so what would have been 10.12 shipped as 12.0.

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