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Comparison

WaveFlow Server vs Navidrome

Your music, with offline web playback, visual smart playlists and podcasts.

WaveFlow Server 2.2.1 and Navidrome 0.64.2 facts read on November 8, 2026

The short answer

WaveFlow Server brings offline listening in its web player, a visual editor for smart-playlist rules, podcasts and audio analysis that flags fake lossless files. Both are free, open source and speak OpenSubsonic. Navidrome keeps the advantage in hardware coverage, plugins, interface languages and years of releases.

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.

    Navidrome

    No

  2. Offline listening in the web player

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Yes · Built in.

    Navidrome

    No

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

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Yes · Built in.

    Navidrome

    No · In beta, from .nsp files or a client; no editor in the web player.

  4. Podcasts

    WaveFlow Server Better here

    Yes · Built in.

    Navidrome

    No

  5. 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.

    Navidrome

    Sends anonymous usage statistics every day and looks artists up on Deezer and Last.fm by default; all of it can be switched off.

  6. 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.

    Navidrome

    The first person to open a new server creates the admin account.

  7. 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.

    Navidrome

    Backup commands and scheduled backups, off by default; no copy is made before an upgrade changes the database.

  8. Synced lyrics found online, free and built in

    WaveFlow Server Better here

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

    Navidrome

    Reads lyrics from files and tags; finding them online takes a community plugin.

  9. 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.

    Navidrome

    Instant Mix starts from one song, through online services; mixes from your history take a community plugin.

  10. Listening statistics, free and built in

    WaveFlow Server Better here

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

    Navidrome

    Lists of the most played albums and songs, without a statistics page.

  11. Starts on Windows and macOS without a terminal

    WaveFlow Server Better here

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

    Navidrome

    An installer with FFmpeg on Windows; on macOS, setup goes through the terminal.

  12. Converts on the fly

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    MP3 · Opus · AAC · ReplayGain

    Navidrome

    MP3, Opus, AAC or FLAC, per user or player.

  13. Accounts and sharing

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Several accounts, share links with an expiry and a visit limit, Last.fm, ListenBrainz and Maloja.

    Navidrome

    Several accounts, share links, Last.fm and ListenBrainz.

  14. Price and openness

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Free and open source, under the AGPL.

    Navidrome

    Free and open source, under the GPL, with paid one-click hosting from a partner if you want it.

  15. Apps that play from it

    Neutral

    WaveFlow Server

    Any OpenSubsonic app, with dated test results for four of them; WaveFlow on the desktop plays from it.

    Navidrome

    Any OpenSubsonic app, and an optional Jellyfin-compatible API; no app of its own.

  16. Setting it up

    WaveFlow Server

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

    Navidrome Better here

    Containers and native packages for many more kinds of hardware, 32-bit ARM and RISC-V included, and an installer on Windows.

  17. Beyond your music

    WaveFlow Server

    Music, podcasts and radio, with no plugins.

    Navidrome Better here

    Music and radio, extended by WebAssembly plugins.

  18. Track record

    WaveFlow Server

    First release in August 2026, stable since October 2026, in nine languages.

    Navidrome Better here

    Developed since 2016, released since 2020, with steady releases and 37 interface languages.

TallyWaveFlow Server 11Navidrome 3Neutral 4

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 Navidrome
CapabilityWaveFlow ServerNavidrome
Music first
Offline listening in the web player
Yes
No
Smart-playlist rule editor in the built-in web player
Yes
NoIn beta, from .nsp files or a client; no editor in the web player.
Spots lossless files made from lossy ones
Yes
No
Podcasts
Yes
No
Synced lyrics from LRCLIB when the file has none
YesOff until you switch it on.
YesCommunity plugin
Mixes from your listening history
Yes
YesCommunity plugin
Listening statistics page
Yes
No
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
YesPaid hosting from PikaPods, which shares its revenue with the project.
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, and 32-bit ARM (v6, v7).
Runs without Docker
YesArchives for Windows, macOS and Linux, FFmpeg included.
YesBinaries, an MSI installer, deb and rpm.
Starts on Windows and macOS without a terminal
Yes
No
Listening
Web player built in
Yes
Yes
OpenSubsonic API, for Subsonic apps
YesSymfonium, Feishin, DSub and Juliet tested, results published.
Yes
Official phone apps
NoWaveFlow on the desktop plays from it; the phone apps are not released yet.
No
Converts on the fly
YesMP3, Opus or AAC, with volume levelling on the server.
YesMP3, Opus, AAC or FLAC, per user or player.
Offline listening in its own player
Yes
No
Library
Synced lyrics for your apps
Yes
Yes
Smart playlists
Yes
YesIn beta, from .nsp files or a client; no editor in the web player.
Internet radio
Yes
Yes
People
Several accounts
Yes
Yes
Sharing with other people
YesShare links, with an optional expiry and visit limit.
YesPublic share links, on by default.
Last.fm scrobbling
Yes
Yes
ListenBrainz scrobbling
Yes
Yes
Beyond the basics
Films and series too
No
No
Reachable from outside without opening a port
NoThrough your own reverse proxy; a Caddy setup comes with it.
No
Plugins
No
YesWebAssembly plugins.

Which one to pick

Choose WaveFlow Server if…

  • you want a web player that also works offline, installed like an app
  • you want to know which of your lossless files really are lossless
  • you listen to podcasts, or want WaveFlow on the desktop to play from your server

Choose Navidrome if…

  • you run an older or 32-bit ARM board, or want a native package for your distribution
  • you want plugins, or an interface in a language WaveFlow Server does not have yet
  • you want a server with years of releases behind it

Where WaveFlow Server still loses

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

  1. Hardware: Navidrome ships for 32-bit ARM, 32-bit x86 and RISC-V; WaveFlow Server only for amd64 and arm64.

  2. Plugins: Navidrome has WebAssembly plugins; WaveFlow Server has none.

  3. Languages: Navidrome's interface comes in 37 languages, WaveFlow Server's in nine.

  4. Track record: Navidrome has been released since 2020; WaveFlow Server's first stable release is from October 2026.

About Navidrome

Navidrome is a self-hosted music server and streamer written in Go, known for staying light and quick on large libraries. It has a web player of its own and works with the wide family of Subsonic apps.

Made by
The Navidrome Authors
Licence
GPL-3.0
Price
Free; paid hosting from a partner if you want it
Its own builds for
Linux · Windows · macOS
Version compared
0.64.2released September 24, 2026
WebsiteSource code

Method and sources

Every fact about Navidrome 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 Navidrome

Sources for WaveFlow Server

Questions

  • Can I move from Navidrome to WaveFlow Server and keep my apps?

    Your apps, yes: both speak OpenSubsonic, so a Subsonic app signs in to either. Favourites, ratings and plays live in each server's own database, and WaveFlow Server has no importer for Navidrome's; playlists can move as .m3u files.

  • Does Navidrome spot fake lossless files?

    Not that its documentation shows. WaveFlow Server measures the audio of every lossless file and shows where its highs stop, so a FLAC made from an MP3 stands out.

  • Can WaveFlow on the desktop play from Navidrome?

    Not yet: the WaveFlow player only talks to WaveFlow Server for now. A Subsonic app such as Feishin or Symfonium plays from both.

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