CarbonvsJellyfin
Two self-hosted Plex alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Carbon | Jellyfin | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 60/100 | 88/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 14 in ERP | #1 of 118 in Media Server |
| GitHub stars | 2 778 | 58 740 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +29 | +1 297 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 15 |
| Latest release | — | v12.4 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | C |
Which one should you pick?
Jellyfin scores 88/100 against 60/100 for Carbon, so it is the safer default.
Jellyfin ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Carbon.
If you want the quickest setup, Jellyfin is easier to run; Carbon needs more configuration.
Jellyfin is growing faster right now (+1 297 stars in 30 days).
Carbon details →Jellyfin details → All Plex alternatives →
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