Subsonic review
A flexible personal media server with broad playback support, but limited station-hosting depth.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Subsonic is a self-hosted media streaming server for people who want to access music and video stored on their own computer. It supports Windows, macOS, Linux, web browsers, iOS, Android, and API-based client applications. The product is best suited to personal music libraries that need remote playback, internet radio management, playlists, podcast support, and connections to household playback devices. Its browser-based interface includes search, ratings, comments, favorites, and play queues, while server-side jukebox playback can send audio through connected server hardware.
The feature set is broad for personal media playback. On-the-fly transcoding and bitrate resampling can adapt streams, and users can create, import, export, and share playlists. Premium adds mobile and desktop app support, video streaming, Chromecast and Sonos streaming, DLNA/UPnP playback, and a podcast receiver. The platform also offers LDAP and Active Directory authentication, plus an open REST API for client applications. These integrations make Subsonic a practical fit for mixed-device households or users who want to connect an existing media library to several playback environments.
Pricing is available as a free plan, with a 30-day free trial also listed. Premium recurring pricing is USD 1 per month when billed annually, while Premium prepaid covers periods from 1 to 8 years at USD 1 per month. Premium lifetime costs USD 99 as a one-time payment, includes lifetime validity, and provides free upgrades to future releases. Subsonic should appeal to users comfortable managing their own server and prioritizing personal-library playback. A dedicated live-audio operator may prefer another product, because Subsonic is focused on self-hosted media access and does not include scheduling in its published feature set.
Subsonic pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Streams music and video through web, desktop, and mobile clients
- Supports transcoding, playlists, podcasts, jukebox playback, and radio management
- Connects with Sonos, Chromecast, DLNA/UPnP, LDAP, and Active Directory
- Where it doesn't
- Primarily targets personal media libraries rather than live-audio hosting
- No scheduling feature is included in the published feature set
- Some playback and device features require a Premium subscription
Subsonic fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update