1
Also covers media · open source
Play multiple videos side by side with gridplayer, a desktop video player project.
Alternatives
The Best Music Player Daemon Alternatives in 2026
14 alternatives2 free · 5 open source
Looking for something like Music Player Daemon? Here are 14 alternatives, ranked by how closely they match it on purpose, features and platforms. Of these, 2 are free or have a free plan and 5 are open source.
About Music Player Daemonmusicpd.org
VisitMusic Player Daemon plays music as a server-side application and can be controlled through its network protocol.
Top picks at a glance
First suggestiongridplayerPlay multiple videos side by side with gridplayer, a…Free or freemium optionGerberaStream a personal media collection to devices on a home…
Quick comparison
| # | Alternative | Pricing | Open source | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | gridplayer | — | Yes | — |
| 2 | Gerbera | Free | Not stated | Android, iOS, Web |
| 3 | Flyleaf | — | Yes | — |
| 4 | Lyrion | — | Not stated | Web, Windows |
| 5 | Extensions | — | Not stated | Android, iOS, Web |
| 6 | Harmonoid | — | Not stated | Android, iOS, Linux |
| 7 | SMTube | Free | Not stated | Linux, Web, Windows |
| 8 | SMPlayer | — | Not stated | Linux, Web, Windows |
| 9 | polsy.org.uk | — | Not stated | Web |
| 10 | mpv | — | Not stated | Web |
All Music Player Daemon alternatives
2
Also covers media · same kind of website · free
Stream a personal media collection to devices on a home network with Gerbera, a media server with optional on-the-fly transcoding.
3
Also covers media · open source
Flyleaf provides a .NET media player library for WinUI 3, WPF, and WinForms, supporting audio, video, images, playlists, and protocols.
4
Lyrion
lyrion.orgAlso covers media · same kind of website
Lyrion Music Server controls and streams music to compatible physical and virtual audio players.
5
Extensions
lyrion.org/extensions/applicationsAlso covers media · same kind of website
Browse applications for Lyrion Music Server, including player controllers and remote control tools.
6
Harmonoid
harmonoid.comAlso covers media · same kind of website
Harmonoid plays and manages a personal music library through a dedicated music player.
7
Also covers media · same kind of website · free
SMTube browses, searches, and plays YouTube videos through a media player such as SMPlayer.
8
SMPlayer
smplayer.infoAlso covers media · same kind of website
Play audio and video formats with SMPlayer, a media player for Windows and Linux that includes built-in codecs.
9
polsy.org.uk
polsy.org.ukAlso covers media · same kind of website
Polsy.org.uk collects Let’s Play archiving information and links to alternative players for several video streaming sites.
10
mpv
mpv.ioAlso covers media · same kind of website
Play media from the command line with mpv, a free, open-source player supporting many formats, codecs, and subtitle types.
11
Swing
swingmx.comAlso covers media
Swing Music is a self-hosted streaming server for playing a personal music collection.
12
Also covers media · open source
Musikcube combines a terminal music player with an audio engine, metadata indexer, and server in C++.
13
Also covers media · open source
Syncplay synchronizes playback position and play state across media players such as mpv, VLC, MPC-HC, and MPC-BE over the internet.
14
Open source
Kawaii-Player combines multimedia playback, media library management, and a portable media server with PC-to-PC casting.
No alternatives match this filter.
Alternatives to similar tools
SMPlayer13 alternativesMusikcube24 alternativesExtensions8 alternativesSwing24 alternativesKawaii-Player24 alternativesgridplayer24 alternatives
TopicMedia Players & Servers · 194 sites Best-of listBest Free Media Players: 8 Choices for Files, Subtitles and TV ListingMusic Player Daemon details
What is the best alternative to Music Player Daemon?
Based on features, tags and platforms, the closest alternatives to Music Player Daemon are gridplayer, Gerbera, and Flyleaf.
Is there a free alternative to Music Player Daemon?
Yes. Gerbera and SMTube are free or offer a free plan.
Are there open-source alternatives to Music Player Daemon?
Yes: gridplayer, Flyleaf, Musikcube, and Syncplay.
Alternatives are suggested from the purpose and features described in our listings. Different pages for the same product appear once. Read each description to check whether it fits your task. How we choose alternatives · Suggest an alternative