Live365

Best Self-hosted Alternatives to Live365

A curated collection of the 4 best self hosted alternatives to Live365.

Live365 is an internet radio platform for creating, hosting, and streaming online radio stations. It provides streaming infrastructure, apps, scheduling and live broadcasting tools, listener management, and music licensing/royalty handling.

Alternatives List

#1
AzuraCast

AzuraCast

Self-hosted web radio platform for station management, AutoDJ, live DJs, multi-station hosting, analytics and Docker-based deployment.

AzuraCast screenshot

AzuraCast is a free, open-source web radio management suite that provides a modern web interface and APIs to run one or many internet radio stations. It bundles station management, AutoDJ, live DJ support and analytics into a single deployable package.

Key Features

  • Web-based station administration: upload media, build playlists, schedule shows, manage mount points and relays, and configure per-station settings.
  • AutoDJ & live DJ support: Liquidsoap-driven AutoDJ with live DJ/source handoff, recording of live broadcasts, and support for Icecast and optional SHOUTcast relays.
  • Multi-station hosting: run multiple independent stations from one installation with granular user roles and permissions.
  • REST API and built-in public player pages: full API for automation and integrations plus embeddable station player pages and metadata support.
  • Observability & analytics: listener counts, history, per-track statistics and logs for Icecast, Liquidsoap and related services.
  • Easy deployment and updates: installer scripts and Docker Compose-based images for fast installation, updates and environment configuration.

Use Cases

  • Community or independent radio stations that need an all-in-one platform for scheduling, streaming and listener analytics.
  • Internet radio networks hosting multiple themed stations from a single server with role-based access.
  • Automated music/data-driven streams (AutoDJ) with occasional live DJ handoffs and scheduled shows.

Limitations and Considerations

  • SHOUTcast is not bundled due to licensing and must be installed separately if required.
  • The project uses MariaDB as its primary database; some MariaDB limitations (non-transactional ALTER TABLE) can complicate certain schema migrations.
  • Some hosting/container environments (OpenVZ/LXC) and Podman-based setups are known to be incompatible; Docker is the recommended runtime.
  • Running many concurrent stations or heavy transcoding (variable codecs/bitrates) increases CPU and RAM usage; proper host sizing is required for large-scale deployments.

AzuraCast is a mature, production-focused solution for self-hosted internet radio operations, combining automation, live streaming and operational tools in a single package. Its Docker-first deployment and API-driven design make it adaptable to small hobby stations and larger multi-station setups.

3.7kstars
692forks
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#2
Music Assistant

Music Assistant

Self-hosted music library manager that unifies local and streaming sources and streams to many player ecosystems with Home Assistant integration.

Music Assistant screenshot

Music Assistant is a self-hosted music library manager and streaming server that aggregates local files and multiple streaming providers, catalogs them into a compact database, and streams audio to a wide range of supported players. It includes a Progressive Web App frontend and a Home Assistant integration for automation and voice control.

Key Features

  • Multi-provider support: import and link tracks from many streaming services (Spotify, YouTube Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and others) and local files.
  • Wide player support: play to AirPlay, Google Cast, Sonos, DLNA, Snapcast and other player providers.
  • Rich playback features: gapless playback, crossfade, volume normalization, synchronized playback and transfer between players.
  • Home Assistant integration: expose Music Assistant to Home Assistant for automations, media control and voice actions.
  • Server architecture: core server written in Python, designed around asyncio, distributed as a Docker image and as a Home Assistant add-on; depends on OS components like ffmpeg and other binaries.

Use Cases

  • Consolidate local music and multiple streaming subscriptions into a single searchable library and unified playback experience.
  • Stream music to heterogeneous speaker setups (multiroom, Sonos, Cast, AirPlay) and synchronize playback across devices.
  • Automate music playback and voice control via Home Assistant automations and the Music Assistant integration.

Limitations and Considerations

  • Not distributed as a simple pip package; installation is intended via Docker or the Home Assistant add-on because the server requires external OS-level binaries (for example ffmpeg) and custom components.
  • Designed to run on an always-on device (Raspberry Pi, NAS, Intel NUC or similar); resource needs vary with number of providers and concurrent streams.

Music Assistant provides a modular, extensible server plus a Vue 3 PWA frontend to manage, search and stream music across local and cloud sources. It is actively developed and oriented toward integration with Home Assistant and self-hosted deployments.

1.4kstars
307forks
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#3
LibreTime

LibreTime

Open-source radio broadcast and automation platform with scheduling, library management, live broadcasting and playout integration (Icecast, Liquidsoap).

LibreTime screenshot

LibreTime is an open-source radio broadcast and automation platform designed to run internet and terrestrial radio stations. It provides web-based scheduling, library management and automated playout, and is maintained by a community that forked and continued development from the AirTime project.

Key Features

  • Web-based scheduling and show management with a calendar-driven interface
  • Central media library supporting tracks, playlists, smart blocks and podcasts
  • Automated playout with live broadcast support and DJ input endpoints
  • Integrations with playout and streaming components such as Liquidsoap and Icecast
  • Installer and Docker Compose deployment options for single-server or containerized setups
  • Backend services using PostgreSQL and message queueing (RabbitMQ) for task coordination
  • API and worker processes (Python services) alongside legacy PHP frontend components
  • Support for recording, stream outputs, and multi-mount Icecast configuration

Use Cases

  • Run an internet radio station with scheduled automation and live DJ shows
  • Operate a community or campus FM/AM station with automated playout and logging
  • Manage podcast scheduling, recording and on-demand archives from a single interface

Limitations and Considerations

  • The codebase contains legacy PHP components alongside newer Python services; some deployments may require managing both runtimes and migration awareness
  • Streaming depends on external components (Icecast, Liquidsoap) which must be configured and secured separately (SSL/reverse proxy recommended)
  • Full production setups typically require configuring PostgreSQL, RabbitMQ and a reverse proxy; administrators should be comfortable with Linux service management or container orchestration

LibreTime is a mature, community-driven platform for broadcast automation and internet radio. It is suitable for stations that need scheduling, live input and integrated playout, but administrators should plan for the mixed legacy stack and external streaming components when deploying.

916stars
241forks
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#4
Icecast

Icecast

Icecast is an open source streaming media server for hosting internet radio and live audio streams using common streaming protocols and formats.

Icecast screenshot

Icecast is an open source streaming media server used to broadcast live audio (and other media) to listeners over the internet. It acts as a central mountpoint-based server that can accept source streams from encoders and relay them to many concurrent clients.

Key Features

  • Live streaming server with mountpoints for multiple stations/streams
  • Supports common streaming formats such as MP3 and Ogg Vorbis, and can carry AAC/Opus depending on your source setup
  • Listener management features including basic authentication and access controls per mount
  • Stream relaying and cascading to distribute load across multiple servers
  • Built-in web status pages and stream metadata reporting
  • Extensible architecture with optional modules (for example, authentication backends)

Use Cases

  • Hosting an internet radio station with one or many channels
  • Broadcasting live event audio (talks, DJ sets, community radio)
  • Relaying streams to regional servers to reduce bandwidth and latency

Limitations and Considerations

  • Primarily focused on live audio distribution; advanced on-demand media library features are out of scope
  • Scaling to very large listener counts typically requires relays, careful tuning, and sufficient outbound bandwidth

Icecast is a mature choice for self-hosted audio streaming when you need a reliable server for live broadcasts, broad client compatibility, and a straightforward operational model. It fits well for internet radio, community streaming, and lightweight live audio infrastructure.

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Why choose an open source alternative?

  • •Data ownership: Keep your data on your own servers
  • •No vendor lock-in: Freedom to switch or modify at any time
  • •Cost savings: Reduce or eliminate subscription fees
  • •Transparency: Audit the code and know exactly what's running