The XDA piece about giving Jellyfin a “more premium feel” made a point that is easy to forget: the media server is only the front. Everything upstream (finding files, managing quality profiles, requesting content, translating subtitles) sits inside the *arr stack, and that stack has quietly become the biggest volunteer software project on Docker Hub. Getting the pieces right saves an afternoon a month.
We tested seven apps for the *arr media stack on desktop across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Every pick is free and open-source, most run comfortably in Docker on a modest home server, and a few can be run standalone on a laptop if you are testing.
What to look for in an *arr stack app
Indexer support. Torrent trackers and Usenet indexers vary; a single-point solution beats maintaining ten separate configurations.
Quality profiles that hold. Nothing is worse than the app “upgrading” a perfect 1080p BluRay rip to a lower-quality 4K web release.
Container-friendly. Docker Compose is where most of these live; Windows-native builds exist but the container path is smoother.
Subtitle handling. Multi-language households need Bazarr or an equivalent, and it needs to survive OS-level file rename cycles.
Request UI for non-technical household users. Family should be able to request Ted Lasso without SSH.
Config-as-code. Recyclarr and Configarr treat quality profiles as YAML so upgrades stop drifting.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonarr | TV series library management | Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker | Yes | Multi-episode “season pack” logic that just works |
| Radarr | Movie library management | Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker | Yes | Best custom-formats system in the stack |
| Prowlarr | One-place indexer manager | Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker | Yes | Single sync point for every torrent tracker |
| Bazarr | Subtitle automation | Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker | Yes | Language-scoring picks the right subtitle track |
| Jellyseerr | Requests UI for Jellyfin/Emby users | Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker | Yes | Native Jellyfin sync and account import |
| Overseerr | Requests UI for Plex users | Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker | Yes | Deep Plex integration, best UI |
| Recyclarr | Config-as-code for quality profiles | Windows, macOS, Linux | Yes | Syncs TRaSH-Guides YAML into Sonarr/Radarr |
The apps
1. Sonarr, Best for TV series library management
Sonarr is the backbone of any TV library. Point it at a folder, add series from TheTVDB, and it handles ongoing episode monitoring, quality upgrades, and season-pack imports without babysitting. The season-pack detection is the feature that separates it from every home-built alternative: a full-season BluRay rip lands as episodes, gets renamed, and passes to your media server as if you did the work by hand.
Where it falls short: the UI still feels like a 2015 admin panel. The v4 (currently the stable release) is faster but not prettier.
Pricing: free. Open-source (GPL).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker.
Download: sonarr.tv
Bottom line: the start of every *arr stack. Install first.
2. Radarr, Best for movie library management
Radarr is Sonarr for movies, and the two projects share code and design conventions. The custom-formats system in Radarr is more mature than Sonarr’s, which is why the TRaSH-Guides community focused there first: you can score IMAX Enhanced above HDR above SDR, exclude specific release groups, and prefer 1080p Remux over 4K web-dl automatically.
Where it falls short: movie discovery through TMDb sometimes finds duplicates for a given title. Manual cleanup is a maintenance tax.
Pricing: free. Open-source (GPL).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker.
Download: radarr.video
Bottom line: install alongside Sonarr. They share the same download client and indexer setup.
3. Prowlarr, Best for indexer management
Prowlarr replaces Jackett as the single source of truth for indexers. Configure a torrent tracker or Usenet indexer once, and Prowlarr pushes it into every other *arr app in the stack. The tracker categories are pre-mapped so search behaves the same across Sonarr, Radarr, Lidarr, and Readarr.
Where it falls short: occasional Prowlarr version bumps break specific tracker plugins for a few days. The community fixes fast; the friction is real.
Pricing: free. Open-source (GPL).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker.
Download: prowlarr.com · Servarr wiki
Bottom line: if you run more than one *arr app, run Prowlarr. Non-negotiable.
4. Bazarr, Best for subtitle handling
Bazarr watches your Sonarr and Radarr libraries and downloads matching subtitles as episodes and movies land. The scoring system picks the best track per language (title match, release-group match, framerate) rather than grabbing the first hit. Multi-language households can score English + Spanish + Portuguese without collisions.
Where it falls short: subtitle providers change API terms often. Expect a config revisit every few months.
Pricing: free. Open-source (GPL).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker.
Download: bazarr.media · GitHub
Bottom line: add after Sonarr and Radarr. Non-optional for non-English households.
5. Jellyseerr, Best for a family-friendly request UI on Jellyfin
Jellyseerr is the Overseerr fork tuned for Jellyfin and Emby. It reads your Jellyfin server library, exposes a “request this” search UI for household users, and pipes approved requests into Sonarr or Radarr with the right root folder and quality profile. Household members log in with their Jellyfin credentials; no separate account.
Where it falls short: newer than Overseerr. A few edge cases (parental blocking, multi-server routing) lag the upstream project by a release.
Pricing: free. Open-source (MIT).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker.
Download: jellyseerr.dev · GitHub
Bottom line: if the media server is Jellyfin or Emby, this is the request front-end.
6. Overseerr, Best for Plex users
Overseerr is the same category as Jellyseerr but Plex-first. The Plex integration is deeper (movie collections, watch history, individual user 4K permissions) because Overseerr was built around Plex’s API from day one. UI is the best on this list.
Where it falls short: Plex-only. Jellyfin and Emby users need Jellyseerr instead.
Pricing: free. Open-source (MIT).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker.
Download: overseerr.dev · GitHub
Bottom line: if the media server is Plex, this is the request front-end.
7. Recyclarr, Best for keeping quality profiles honest
Recyclarr is a CLI that syncs YAML profiles from the TRaSH-Guides project into Sonarr and Radarr. The idea: quality profiles are complicated, the community has already figured out the good defaults, and you should not be editing sliders by hand every few months. Run Recyclarr on a cron, and the profiles update automatically when the guides do.
Where it falls short: it is opinionated. If your household prefers 4K WEB-DL over 1080p Remux, the TRaSH defaults will fight you.
Pricing: free. Open-source (MIT).
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (single binary or Docker).
Download: recyclarr.dev · GitHub
Bottom line: the pick that stops the quality-slider tweaking. Set once, forget.
How to pick the right one
Every home library needs, in order: Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr.
If you use Jellyfin or Emby: add Jellyseerr.
If you use Plex: add Overseerr.
If your household is not English-first, or watches with subtitles: add Bazarr.
If you have been fiddling with quality profiles more than once a quarter: add Recyclarr.
FAQ
*Do I need Docker to run arr apps? No. Sonarr, Radarr, Prowlarr, Bazarr, Overseerr, and Jellyseerr all have native installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Docker is popular because it makes updates and backups easier, not because it is required.
What is the difference between Overseerr and Jellyseerr? Overseerr is Plex-first. Jellyseerr is a Jellyfin/Emby fork of Overseerr. Both do the same job for their respective media servers.
Is Jackett dead? Not dead, but Prowlarr is now the recommended choice. Prowlarr is the same project’s evolution of Jackett’s indexer proxy.
*Can I use the arr stack legally? The apps themselves are legal software. What people index and download with them is their responsibility; the *arr apps do not care whether the source is a public tracker, a private tracker, or a Usenet provider. Use responsibly and understand local laws.
*Which arr app should I install first? Prowlarr, then Sonarr and Radarr. Prowlarr handles indexers for all downstream apps, so bootstrapping there means you configure trackers once.
