Best Self Hosted Alternatives to SoundCloud

Ampache is a web-based audio and video streaming application and file manager for browsing and streaming an already organized media collection. It provides a web UI and API so you can access your music and videos from almost any internet-enabled device.

Key Features

• Music library browsing and management via a web interface
• Audio and video streaming, including in-browser playback with an HTML5 player
• Catalog synchronization across local and remote sources into a consistent collection
• Client compatibility via a REST-style API for external players and apps
• Supports common web server deployments and database-backed libraries

Use Cases

• Self-hosted music streaming for your home media library
• Centralized access to audio/video collections for multiple users and devices
• Providing an API-backed media library for compatible third-party clients

Limitations and Considerations

• Metadata quality depends heavily on embedded tags and/or file naming
• It is designed to present an existing library rather than reorganize or curate files

Ampache is a mature, long-running project focused on giving you consistent access to your media collection through the web and compatible clients. It is well-suited for users who already maintain an organized library and want streaming, browsing, and API access in one place.

Beatbump is an alternative web frontend for YouTube Music focused on improving privacy while providing a full music listening experience. It runs as a SvelteKit web app and uses a custom wrapper around the YouTube Music API for searching and playback.

Key Features

• Ad-free, audio-only playback experience
• Search for artists, albums, songs, and playlists
• Automix for continuous listening
• Local playlist management stored in-browser (IndexedDB)
• Favorites library for saving individual tracks
• Background playback support on mobile browsers (platform-dependent)
• Peer-to-peer sync and group sessions using WebRTC mesh networking
• Progressive Web App (PWA) support

Use Cases

• Private, ad-free YouTube Music listening via a web interface
• Shared listening experiences with group sessions
• Lightweight music web app for mobile devices with offline-like local playlist storage

Limitations and Considerations

• The project is no longer being actively developed due to upstream YouTube changes, and functionality may break over time
• Playback is audio-only

Beatbump is a strong option for users who want a cleaner YouTube Music experience with privacy-oriented design and modern web app features. It is especially useful for those who prefer a PWA-based player with local playlists and optional real-time, peer-to-peer session features.

Meelo is an open-source, self-hosted music server and web app designed for music collectors and heavy music libraries. It organizes music by albums/releases/versions, supports rich metadata sources and treats music videos as first-class media.

Key Features

• Collector-focused data model: albums with multiple releases, songs with versions and tracks, explicit handling of B-sides and rare tracks
• Flexible metadata parsing from embedded tags and filenames; integrates external providers for genres, descriptions and ratings
• Music video support integrated into album/artist/song pages and differentiated from interviews or behind-the-scenes videos
• Automatic detection of featured artists/duets and de-duplication when browsing large libraries
• Supports wide range of audio/video formats via on-the-fly transcoding; designed to work with ffmpeg-based transcoder
• Dockerized microservices architecture for easy deployment, including separate front, server, scanner and supporting services
• Search/indexing backed by a dedicated search service, plus optional scrobbling to ListenBrainz/Last.fm and synced lyrics support

Use Cases

• Manage and browse large personal music collections with multiple releases and rare tracks
• Host a private music web app for family or a small group with centralized metadata and playback
• Run on a home server using Docker Compose with Postgres and Redis for persistence and caching

Limitations and Considerations

• Mobile support is experimental: an Android app exists but is alpha and some mobile features are still missing
• Not all consumer features are present (for example, gapless playback and advanced smart-playlist capabilities are on the roadmap)
• Requires some setup knowledge (Docker, environment variables, and a clean metadata/file layout) and occasional tuning of the transcoder

Meelo is aimed at users who need deep collection organisation and metadata flexibility rather than a plug-and-play streaming service. It is actively maintained and distributed as Docker images for straightforward deployment.

Castopod is a free and open-source podcast hosting and publishing platform designed for podcasters who want to keep control of their content and distribution. It provides tools to manage podcasts and episodes, publish RSS feeds, and engage with listeners directly.

Key Features

• Podcast and episode management with RSS distribution for podcast directories
• Fediverse integration to let episodes be shared, liked, and commented on in a decentralized social network
• Built-in, anonymized analytics aligned with IAB guidelines and designed with privacy regulations in mind
• Podcasting 2.0 support for richer metadata such as transcripts, chapters, persons, and locations
• Promotion tools such as generating shareable video clips and soundbites
• Monetization options including subscriptions, tips, and Podcasting 2.0-style payments (where supported)

Use Cases

• Host and publish one or multiple podcasts while maintaining ownership of the feed and media
• Engage listeners through decentralized social interactions around episodes
• Track podcast performance with privacy-conscious analytics for episodes and downloads

Castopod fits creators and organizations that want an open, standards-based podcast platform with modern Podcasting 2.0 capabilities. It combines publishing, audience interaction, and analytics in a single service that you can run under your own control.

PinePods is a self-hosted podcast management system for subscribing, listening, downloading, and tracking podcasts across devices. It provides a server-backed library with multi-user support, a fast web UI, and optional compatibility with external podcast apps through gPodder sync.

Key Features

• Centralized podcast library with multi-user accounts and server-stored settings
• Web client plus native apps for iOS and Android, desktop clients, and a TUI/CLI client
• Universal sync of listening progress, subscriptions, themes, and preferences
• Podcast discovery via Podcast Index and iTunes search
• Built-in gPodder server (and support for external gPodder servers)
• Smart playlists with custom rules and filters
• Episode download management and offline playback support (client-dependent)
• Optional subscriptions to YouTube channels with audio-only downloads
• OPML import/export for migrating subscriptions

Use Cases

• Replace proprietary podcast services with a private, synced podcast ecosystem
• Provide separate podcast libraries for family members or teams on one server
• Curate and export custom feeds and subscriptions across multiple devices and apps

Limitations and Considerations

• Search functionality may require external API keys depending on the configured provider
• Requires a supported database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, or MariaDB) and typical server maintenance

PinePods fits users who want a complete, server-centric podcast setup with strong synchronization and broad client options. It works well from small home servers to larger deployments, while keeping listening data and subscriptions under your control.

Stretto is an open-source, web-based music player that lets you build and play a personal library backed by YouTube or SoundCloud sources. It focuses on a clean player experience, playlist importing, and syncing your library across devices.

Key Features

• Builds your music library by matching tracks to YouTube videos or SoundCloud audio
• Spotify playlist import to quickly populate your library
• Library syncing between machines
• Automatic lyric fetching for the currently playing track
• Music discovery via popular charts and search-based adding of tracks
• Multiple themes and a progressive web app style experience for mobile use

Use Cases

• Create a personal web music library without managing local audio files
• Import existing Spotify playlists to a self-hosted web player
• Sync a listening library across multiple computers and browsers

Limitations and Considerations

• Some functionality relies on third-party services (YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify) and their availability/quotas
• Full experience may depend on a companion browser extension for downloading tracks into the browser

Stretto is a good fit if you want a polished, browser-first music player with playlist import and cross-device syncing. It is best suited for users comfortable integrating external music sources into a self-hosted web app.

It's MyTabs is a web-based guitar and bass tablature viewer and player focused on synchronized playback and simple, mobile-friendly UI. It renders imported tab files and can sync playback to local audio files or YouTube videos for practice and playback.

Key Features

• Web-based tab viewer/player for guitar and bass with both tab and score views
• Supports common tab formats: .gp, .gpx, .gp3, .gp4, .gp5, .musicxml, .capx
• Sync tabs with local audio files (.mp3, .ogg) or YouTube videos for timed playback
• Built-in MIDI synth allowing mute/solo per track and basic mixing controls
• Multiple cursor modes: no cursor (auto-scroll), highlight current bar, or follow cursor
• Notes coloring, dark/light tab color themes, and mobile-friendly responsive UI
• Shareable links for tabs and a simple UI designed for learning and practice
• Multiple deployment options: Docker, Docker Compose, Deno runtime, or packaged desktop executable
• Uses the AlphaTab rendering engine for notation and tab playback

Use Cases

• Practice and learn songs by syncing tab playback with recorded audio or video
• Quickly preview and share tab arrangements with students or bandmates via links
• Portable self-hosted tab library for personal study, rehearsal, or teaching

Limitations and Considerations

• YouTube-synced playback may not work from private IP addresses; a public hostname or localhost is recommended for reliable video playback
• Focused primarily on viewing and playback rather than advanced score editing; complex editing workflows are limited
• Playback/sync accuracy depends on source files and timing metadata; manual fine-grain sync controls are limited

It's MyTabs provides a lightweight, self-hostable alternative for viewing and practicing guitar and bass tabs with synchronized audio playback and simple sharing features. It is optimized for ease of use and quick deployment for personal or small-group practice.

ELEMENT.FM is an open source podcast hosting platform for publishing, managing, and distributing podcasts. It focuses on Podcasting 2.0 features and aims to provide a scalable hosting stack that can be run as a hosted service or self-managed.

Key Features

• Unlimited shows and episode lengths
• Automatic transcript generation for episodes
• Podcasting 2.0 support, including advanced RSS/XML extensions and V4V (Value for Value)
• AI-assisted generation of show notes and chapters
• Collaborative workspaces for teams
• Chapter-level analytics to understand listener behavior
• Import and migration from existing podcast RSS feeds
• Microservices-based architecture designed for scaling

Use Cases

• Hosting and distributing one or many podcasts with modern Podcasting 2.0 capabilities
• Migrating existing podcasts from another host via RSS import
• Running a team-based podcast production workflow with shared access and analytics

Limitations and Considerations

• Microservices architectures can be operationally complex compared to single-container apps

ELEMENT.FM is a good fit for creators and organizations that want a modern, standards-forward podcast hosting platform with automation features. It is especially relevant when Podcasting 2.0 support, transcripts, and chapter analytics are key requirements.

Pods-Blitz is an open-source podcast hosting and publishing server implemented in Rust. It provides multi-tenant podcast sites, automated RSS feed generation, episode management and analytics for independent podcasters.

Key Features

• Multi-tenant hosting: host many podcasts on a single instance with per-podcast sites and domains
• RSS feed generation and management with support for multiple feeds per podcast
• Episode management features including scheduling, transcripts, chapters and import of existing podcasts
• Built-in analytics that are kept up-to-date for episodes and feeds
• Support for premium episodes/feeds (subscriber-restricted content)
• Per-podcast website templates and embedded Podlove web player integration
• Optional storage of media files in any S3-compatible bucket; assets and generated RSS files managed on the server
• Small standalone binary with configuration via a TOML config file; designed to run on Linux with a reverse proxy

Use Cases

• Self-hosted podcast networks for independent podcasters who want full control over RSS and hosting
• Shared community hosting where multiple podcasters use a single multi-tenant instance to reduce cost
• Migrating podcasts from a third-party host by importing existing feeds and enclosures into a self-hosted server

Limitations and Considerations

• Requires a MySQL-compatible database (MySQL or MariaDB); alternative disk-only SQLite support is noted as planned but not yet available
• Admin-level permissions are required to create or import podcasts, which affects decentralized onboarding workflows
• By default media files are stored on the instance filesystem, so administrators must ensure adequate disk capacity unless S3 is used
• HTTPS and an external reverse proxy are recommended for production deployments; some deployment components (database, reverse proxy, TLS) must be configured separately

Pods-Blitz focuses on performance, stability and independence for podcast publishing. It is geared toward administrators and podcasters who prefer an open-source, self-hosted solution with multi-tenant capabilities and optional S3 media storage.

Funkwhale is a self-hostable audio platform that lets you upload, organize, and stream your music library and podcasts from a web interface and compatible client apps. It supports federation so content and profiles can be shared across independent servers.

Key Features

• Music library management with artists, albums, tracks, and playlists
• Podcast publishing and consumption, including subscriptions from podcast apps
• Federation between instances using ActivityPub, with moderation controls
• Sharing options for playlists, albums, or sections of a library with others
• Discovery features to explore audio shared by the wider Funkwhale network
• Privacy-respecting by design (no third-party analytics, no tracking, no ads)

Use Cases

• Personal audio server to access your music collection from anywhere
• Community or organization “pod” to share freely licensed music and curated playlists
• Artist/podcaster publishing hub with follower-based updates and distribution

Limitations and Considerations

• Federation and moderation require active administration to handle unwanted content or actors
• Large libraries may require careful storage and performance planning

Funkwhale combines a modern audio library/podcast experience with decentralized networking, making it suitable for personal collections, communities, and independent creators. It is community-driven and designed to keep control of content and data in the hands of operators and users.