Last verified
Manage movies, TV, and anime in a single self-hosted Rust binary with automated quality upgrades, subtitle sync, and indexer search.
If you currently maintain Sonarr, Radarr, Bazarr, and Seerr as separate containers, Scryer collapses all four into one binary with one config store. The migration target is the same functionality with less maintenance overhead.
If your current setup works reliably and you prefer established, community-documented tools, the *arr stack has a larger support base and more third-party integrations than a project created in early 2026.
Scryer uses AniDB, AniList, and MAL as concurrent metadata sources and understands anime-specific conventions: split-cour season numbering, episode and multi-season pack handling, and the filler vs canon distinction. This covers the metadata accuracy gap that makes Sonarr unreliable for large anime libraries.
If your anime library is small and you are already satisfied with Sonarr's handling or a dedicated tool, the additional migration effort may not be worthwhile.
Scryer runs as a single native binary, which uses less memory than running Sonarr, Radarr, and Bazarr as separate Docker containers. The first-party Unraid community app makes installation a one-click process on that platform, and native binaries are published for macOS ARM and Intel.
If your NAS runs a platform with no Docker or native binary support, verify that a Scryer binary exists for your architecture before committing to it.
Running a home media automation setup typically means maintaining Sonarr for TV, Radarr for movies, Bazarr for subtitle management, and Seerr for discovery requests as separate services. Each runs its own database and requires individual upgrades; a broken indexer or misconfigured quality profile in one affects the others, and debugging spans multiple admin interfaces.
Anime adds another layer of complexity. The standard *arr tools were designed around Western TV conventions and struggle with anime's distinct numbering systems: multi-season packs, split-cour seasons, and the difference between filler arcs and canon episodes often result in mismatched library entries. Users typically bolt on separate anime-specific tooling or accept persistent metadata mismatches.
Monitors libraries and tracked titles, queries indexers, evaluates releases against quality and rules policies, coordinates downloads, and organizes files for your media server, all within a single Rust binary. No cross-service communication or shared database setup required.
Uses AniDB, AniList, and MAL simultaneously as metadata sources rather than relying on a single database. Understands anime season and episode numbering conventions, handles multi-season and episode packs cleanly, and distinguishes filler episodes and arcs from canon material.
Finds missing subtitles across configured providers and downloads them automatically. Includes timing correction to resync subtitle tracks when release timing drifts from the reference, which covers the most common reason subtitles go out of sync with a video file.
An embedded plugin runtime handles indexers, download clients, subtitle providers, and notification targets. The GraphQL API and SQLite or PostgreSQL-backed state make it straightforward to integrate with existing home-lab tooling without additional middleware.
Plex is the dominant commercial media platform for home use. Its free tier provides basic streaming, while Plex Pass (a paid subscription) unlocks library metadata management, subtitle sync, and download automation features. Scryer and Plex Pass serve different functions in the same ecosystem: Plex Pass is a media server with acquisition as an add-on, while Scryer is a dedicated acquisition manager that delivers organized files to any media server, including Plex.
| Feature | Scryer | Plex Pass |
|---|---|---|
| License | GPL-3.0 (free) | Proprietary (subscription) |
| Media server | No | Yes |
| Acquisition automation | Yes | Limited |
| Anime metadata | AniDB, AniList, MAL | Limited |
| Self-hosting | Single binary, no account | Server self-hosted; account required |
| Cost | Free | Paid subscription |
Scryer is the better choice when you want granular release quality control, deep anime metadata handling, and a self-hosted pipeline with no recurring costs or account requirements. Plex Pass is worth choosing when you prioritize a polished playback experience across smart TVs, mobile devices, and streaming sticks, and the commercial app ecosystem that comes with it.
Emby Premiere (a paid subscription tier) extends the free Emby media server with premium subtitle management, hardware transcoding, and live TV features. Like Plex, Emby focuses on media playback rather than automated acquisition. Scryer handles the acquisition pipeline that feeds an Emby library but does not replace Emby's playback and transcoding role.
If you currently pay for Emby Premiere primarily for its subtitle management features, Scryer's built-in subtitle sync with timing correction covers the same need at no recurring cost. The combination of Scryer plus a free media server covers most of what Emby Premiere's subscription adds for acquisition-focused users.
Self-hosting setup starts from the official repository.
```bash
git clone https://github.com/scryer-media/scryer
```Yes. Scryer is designed as a single-binary replacement for the combined Sonarr, Radarr, Bazarr, and Seerr stack. It handles TV, movies, and anime library monitoring, release search, quality management, file organization, and subtitle sync in one service. The README describes it as 'Sonarr + Radarr + Seerr + Bazarr, with some extra bits from other *arr tools.'
Yes, and anime handling is an explicit design goal. Scryer pulls metadata from AniDB, AniList, and MAL simultaneously rather than a single source, which improves accuracy for titles with complex episode numbering. It also understands which episodes are filler and which are canon, and handles multi-season and episode packs without the manual corrections Sonarr often requires.
Scryer is released under GPL-3.0. This means you can run it freely on your own infrastructure, use it for internal commercial purposes, and modify it. If you distribute a modified version to others, GPL-3.0 requires you to share those changes under the same license. Running it self-hosted for personal or team use does not trigger that requirement.
Yes. The website explicitly lists a Raspberry Pi and a NAS as target deployment environments. Scryer runs as a single native binary, which keeps resource usage lower than running multiple separate arr containers. Docker, native binaries, and a first-party Unraid community app are the available install paths.
Open-source tools that work instantly, no signup required
Alternative to
iText 7
Open source Java library for creating and parsing PDFs
Alternative to
Muse
Self-hosted AI assistant for WhatsApp, Telegram, and more
Alternative to
Superhuman
AI email assistant that drafts replies and clears your inbox
Alternative to
Grok Bot
AI teammates you own: your keys, your model, your machine.
Alternative toGrok Bot
Self-hosted AI agent management with org charts and budgets
Run Scryer on your own server
Self-host Scryer on a Hostinger VPS.
Deploy on HostingerFeatured
Alternative toClaude Managed Agents
Open-source agent deployment API. Self-host or use Omnara Cloud.
Alternative toSuperhuman
AI email assistant that drafts replies and clears your inbox
Alternative toGrok Bot
AI teammates you own: your keys, your model, your machine.
The projects we add and every new guide. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Claude Code to 
OpenCode
Jira to 
Windshift
Notion to 
AppFlowy
Slack to 
Mattermost
Linear to 
GitLab
Wispr Flow to 
Handy
CapCut to 
Concat
Grok Bot to 
rakazo
Superhuman to 
Inbox Zero
Airtable to 
AITable
Muse to 
OpenClaw
GitHub Copilot to 
Cline
Datadog to 
Netdata
Microsoft Teams to 
Rocket.Chat
Pinecone to 
Qdrant
Zapier to 
n8n
Devin AI to 
OpenHands
Firebase to 
Supabase
1Password to 
KeePassXCConfluence to 
Docmost
Contentful to 
Strapi
Adobe Premiere Pro to 
Shotcut
ChatGPT to 
AnythingLLM
LangSmith to 
Langfuse
