Music Player Daemon

Spec sheet

What it does

MPD is a server-side application for playing music, using plugins and libraries to play sound files and a network protocol for control.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Supported platforms

Linux,Windows,macOS,AndroidRead 21 Sep 2026 · musicpd.org

Free plan

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · musicpd.org

Support

The project lists a help page, forum, IRC, and bug tracker as support channels.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Android availability

The download page links to an MPD Android APK on F-Droid, while the manual describes the Android build as experimental and says local playback uses OpenSL ES because ALSA is unavailable.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Audio outputs

MPD supports configurable audio output devices, and requires at least one output, though it attempts to autodetect one if none is configured.Read 11 Oct 2026 · mpd.readthedocs.io

Client integrations

The project lists command-line, console, web, graphical, Android, iOS, and voice clients, including an Alexa skill.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Client/server design

MPD acts as the server and requires a separately installed client or interface for users to control it.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Commercial use

Vendors may sell products containing MPD, but must comply with the GPL, including providing source code for GPL components and MPD modifications.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Format support

WAV,AIFF,AAC,FLAC,DSDIFF,DSF,MP3,FFmpeg-supported codecsRead 21 Sep 2026 · musicpd.org

License model

freeRead 21 Sep 2026 · musicpd.org

Linux package caveat

The project labels its official Debian packages outdated and unsupported by the project.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Network playback

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · musicpd.org

Network security

By default, clients are unauthenticated and have full permissions; access can be restricted with permission and password settings, but MPD warns that passwords travel in clear text and do not authenticate the server.Read 11 Oct 2026 · mpd.readthedocs.io

Playback configuration

MPD supports configurable decoder, encoder, filter, and playlist plugins, along with settings such as ReplayGain and cross-fading.Read 11 Oct 2026 · mpd.readthedocs.io

Release signing

The project says release tarballs and Git tags are signed with GPG key C6DB4512.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Remote storage

Storage plugins can access remote file servers, including SMB/CIFS and NFS, and multiple storages can be combined into a virtual music directory.Read 11 Oct 2026 · mpd.readthedocs.io

Resource limits

MPD documents configurable denial-of-service safeguards, including a default maximum of 100 simultaneous client connections and a default maximum playlist length of 16,384 songs.Read 11 Oct 2026 · mpd.readthedocs.io

Windows availability

The project provides a Windows x64 binary and documents compiling MPD for Windows; its build process may feel awkward to Windows users.Read 11 Oct 2026 · musicpd.org

Plans and prices

Every Music Player Daemon plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Media Player Software#11 of 768.5
• Audio Player Software#7 of 188.1