# Guardian vs Jellyfin

> Two self-hosted [Media Server projects](https://selfhost.directory/media-server), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Guardian | Jellyfin |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 41/100 | 88/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #95 of 118 in Media Server | #1 of 118 in Media Server |
| GitHub stars | 174 | 58 740 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +1 297 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 | 15 ✓ |
| Latest release | v2.1.0 · 26 Oct 2026 | v12.4 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | C |

## Which one should you pick?

Jellyfin scores 88/100 against 41/100 for Guardian, so it is the safer default.

Jellyfin ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for Guardian.

Jellyfin is growing faster right now (+1 297 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Guardian](https://selfhost.directory/project/guardian) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/guardian.md)
- [Jellyfin](https://selfhost.directory/project/jellyfin) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/jellyfin.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/guardian-vs-jellyfin