CarbonvsK7
Two self-hosted Plex alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Carbon | K7 | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 60/100 | 51/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 14 in ERP | #59 of 118 in Media Server |
| GitHub stars | 2 778 | 344 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +29 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 10 |
| Latest release | — | v1.17.1 · 25 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | C# |
Which one should you pick?
Carbon scores 60/100 against 51/100 for K7, so it is the safer default.
K7 ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Carbon.
If you want the quickest setup, K7 is easier to run; Carbon needs more configuration.
Carbon is growing faster right now (+29 stars in 30 days).
Carbon details →K7 details → All Plex alternatives →
Swap a project
Keep Carbon, compare it with
Keep K7, compare it with