CarbonvsUniversal Media Server
Two self-hosted Plex alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Carbon | Universal Media Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 60/100 | 62/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 14 in ERP | #24 of 118 in Media Server |
| GitHub stars | 2 778 | 2 668 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +29 | +14 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 11 |
| Latest release | — | 15.9.0 · 5 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Universal Media Server scores 62/100 against 60/100 for Carbon, so it is the safer default.
Universal Media Server ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Carbon.
If you want the quickest setup, Universal Media Server is easier to run; Carbon needs more configuration.
Carbon is growing faster right now (+29 stars in 30 days).
Carbon details →Universal Media Server details → All Plex alternatives →