Koel
Self-hosted web music streaming server for your own music library, built on Laravel and Vue.
- Stars
- 17.3k
- Forks
- 2.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- PHP
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Koel is a free, open-source music streaming app that scans your personal music collection and serves it through a web-based player you can use in any browser. Beyond playback, the README lists playlists, smart playlists, scrobbling, podcasts, radio, Last.fm, Spotify and MusicBrainz integrations, and an AI assistant that takes natural-language commands. It is built with Laravel and Vue.
- Stream your personal music collection to any browser
- Build smart playlists and regular playlists from your library
- Scrobble listening history to Last.fm
- Listen to podcasts and radio alongside your music
Great for
- People who want to listen to their own music library from a browser
- Users who want playlists, scrobbling, and radio in one self-hosted place
- Developers who want to read or extend a Laravel and Vue codebase
- Users comfortable running their own server
Not ideal for
- People who want a hosted service with no setup, since the README points to self-installation via its documentation
- Users who need multi-user libraries, SSO or cloud storage drivers without the premium Koel Plus edition, which the README describes as a separate paid product
- Users looking for a native mobile app, since the README points to a separate Koel Player project for that
How to get it
- 1
See the README
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/koel/koel.git - 2
Run it
- Read the official installation guide at docs.koel.dev
- Check the system requirements listed in the documentation
- Follow the install steps for your environment
- Point Koel at your music library and let it scan
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Connect Last.fm for scrobbling, as listed in the README integrations
- Try the AI assistant for natural-language commands
- Use smart playlists to automatically group tracks
- Install the separate Koel Player app for iOS or Android
Downloads
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Works in any modern browser, per the README
- Covers playlists, scrobbling, podcasts and radio in one app
Trade-offs
- Requires running your own server, so some setup is needed; the README defers installation details to external documentation
- Some features such as multi-user libraries and SSO are described as part of the separate paid Koel Plus edition
- The README is truncated here, so specific system requirements are not confirmed from this source
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| koel (this) | 17.3k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | People who want to listen to their own music library from a browser |
| YesPlayMusic | 33.5k | App | beginner | 27 days ago | Existing NetEase Cloud Music users who want a different player interface |
| pear-desktop | 34k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | People who want YouTube Music in a standalone desktop window |
| ultimatevocalremovergui | 26.9k | App | beginner | 30 days ago | Musicians who want karaoke or practice backing tracks from existing songs |
| AlgerMusicPlayer | 17.2k | App | beginner | 9 days ago | Chinese-speaking users who want a desktop music player with a separate desktop lyrics window |
| xiaomusic | 10k | App | intermediate | 5 months ago | Owners of supported Xiaomi Xiaoai speakers who want their own music library on the speaker |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.