Lidarr is a free, open-source music collection manager that automates album downloads and organization. See features, setup and top *arr alternatives.
Category
Media & Audio/Video Tools
Pricing
Open Source, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2017
WindowsWeb AppAPIOpen SourceSelf-HostedMac
Overview
Lidarr is a free, open-source music collection manager launched in May 2017 as part of the Servarr family of self-hosted media automation tools, built on the same codebase and design philosophy as Sonarr but adapted specifically for music.
With no company behind it, Lidarr is maintained entirely by volunteer contributors under the GPL-3.0 license and is typically deployed via Docker alongside Sonarr, Radarr, and Prowlarr as part of a broader self-hosted media stack.
Key Features
Lidarr monitors artists for new releases via RSS and periodic searches, automatically grabbing matching albums according to configurable quality profiles and retrieving metadata and album art from MusicBrainz.
It integrates with download clients such as SABnzbd and qBittorrent and with media servers like Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, and Navidrome, and can automatically upgrade existing files when higher-quality versions become available.
Pricing
Lidarr is entirely free and open source, with no paid tiers, license fees, or feature restrictions of any kind for self-hosted use.
Users who do not want to manage their own server can rent a pre-configured Lidarr instance from third-party self-hosting providers such as ElfHosted, which charge a hosting fee rather than a software license.
Key Features
Artist Monitoring and RSS Automation — Automatically watches monitored artists for new album releases across configured indexers.
Quality Profiles and Automatic Upgrades — Grabs releases matching a configured quality profile and upgrades files as better versions appear.
MusicBrainz Metadata and Album Art — Retrieves accurate album art, track listings, and artist metadata automatically.
Download Client Integration — Works with SABnzbd, NZBGet, qBittorrent, Deluge, and Transmission.
Custom File Renaming and Organization — Organizes downloaded music into a user-defined folder and naming structure.
Failed Download Handling — Automatically searches for an alternative release when a download fails or stalls.
Media Server Integration — Syncs with Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, and Navidrome for immediate streaming after import.
Cross-Platform, Docker-Ready Deployment — Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, and ARM devices including the Raspberry Pi.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free and open source with no license fees
Fully automates finding, downloading, and tagging new music releases
Tight integration with the rest of the *arr suite and Prowlarr
Active community development with frequent releases
Runs on almost any hardware, including a Raspberry Pi, via Docker
Cons
Requires technical setup, including configuring indexers and download clients
No official cloud-hosted version, so most users must self-host
No formal customer support, only community Discord and GitHub
Relies on the availability of releases on the user's chosen indexers
Can raise legal and content-licensing considerations depending on indexer sources
Pricing
Open Source (Self-Hosted) Free N/A
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lidarr free?
Yes, Lidarr is completely free and open-source software under the GPL-3.0 license.
What is the *arr suite?
The *arr suite is a family of open-source, self-hosted media automation tools, including Sonarr for TV, Radarr for movies, Readarr for books, and Lidarr for music.
Does Lidarr download music itself?
Lidarr does not download files directly; it searches indexers via Prowlarr or Jackett and sends grabs to a download client such as SABnzbd or qBittorrent.
Can Lidarr upgrade existing music quality automatically?
Yes, Lidarr can automatically replace a file with a higher-quality version when one matching your quality profile becomes available.
What media servers work with Lidarr?
Lidarr integrates with Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi, and Navidrome, among others, for streaming the organized library.
Can I run Lidarr on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes, Lidarr supports Windows, Linux, macOS, and ARM devices including the Raspberry Pi, and is commonly run via Docker.