Encore vs native Soloist
You can run Spotify Soloist directly on a Pi. This table compares that with running it through Encore.
| Soloist on its own | With Encore | |
|---|---|---|
| Audio stack | Install and run PipeWire and a session manager (WirePlumber) on a headless system, with no desktop session to start them | Bundled and preconfigured in the container |
| Getting Soloist | Download the right build for your CPU by hand | Downloaded automatically for arm64 or x86_64 |
| 90-day expiry | Builds stop working after 90 days. You notice when the music stops | Refreshed on start-up once 60 days old, and replaced automatically if one expires |
| Running at boot | Write and maintain your own systemd unit | restart: unless-stopped |
| Configuration | Command-line flags | Web console, or a commented config.yaml |
| Control socket | Local only, no authentication | Token-authenticated, safe to expose on your LAN |
| Multi-room | Not included | Built-in Snapcast server, or send to your own |
| Extra speakers | One output | Fan out to several outputs, each with its own delay |
| Integrations | None | Webhooks, relay, Pusher/Reverb, lyrics overlay |
When native Soloist makes sense
If you already run PipeWire on the machine, only need one output and don't mind managing updates, Soloist on its own is fine. Encore also has a standalone mode that uses your existing PipeWire and adds the console and integrations without Docker.