Media server privacy ratings
Self-hosted servers for streaming your own films, music, books and photos.
7 media servers are rated against 4 public criteria, and 7 have enough evidence for a letter grade. Of the 2 with a known jurisdiction, 1 is based in a Five Eyes country, and 1 in the wider Fourteen Eyes.
Open-source media servers only · Criteria for this category · Suggest an addition · Markdown
| Name | Grade | Score | Data | Jurisdiction | Open source | No trackers or telemetry | No ads or data sales | Independent audit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Self-hosted audiobook and podcast server with a web player and mobile apps, supporting multiple users, progress sync across devices, podcast downloads and offline listening. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Self-hosted media server for movies, TV, music, books and live TV, with client apps for web, mobile and TV devices. All features are free, with no account on a central server. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Self-hosted media server for comics, manga, magazines and eBooks, with a web reader, OPDS and Kobo sync support, multiple users and a REST API used by third-party reader apps. |
Grade B | 80 | 100% | – | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Self-hosted reading server for manga, comics and books, with web readers for comics, EPUB and PDF, OPDS support and multiple users. An optional paid Kavita+ subscription adds metadata and scrobbling features. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | – | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Self-hosted music server and streamer with a web player, compatible with Subsonic and OpenSubsonic client apps, supporting multiple users, smart playlists and scrobbling. |
Grade D | 50 | 100% | – | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Media server that organizes personal movies, TV, music and photos and streams them to Emby apps on phones, TVs and browsers. Core features are free and some, such as offline sync and DVR, need a paid Emby Premiere subscription. |
Grade F | 35 | 100% | United States Five Eyes | No | Partial | Yes | No |
Proprietary media server and client apps for streaming a personal video, music and photo library to other devices. It requires a Plex account and also offers free ad-supported movies, TV and live channels. |
Grade F | 0 | 100% | Switzerland Outside Eyes | No | No | No | No |
Questions
What is the most private option among media servers?
No pick has been made yet. The table above is sorted by score, based on public evidence.
How are media servers rated?
Each entry answers 4 questions: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales and independent audit. Answers need links to evidence. See the full criteria.
Does jurisdiction matter?
Jurisdiction decides which laws can compel a provider to hand over data. Each entry shows its country and whether it is in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes. The data a provider can hand over depends mostly on what it stores and who holds the keys. Read about jurisdictions and the CLOUD Act.