CasaOS vs DashMachine
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
CasaOS
Simple, easy-to-use home cloud system and dashboard
VS
DashMachine
Application dashboard for keeping services organized
| Feature | CasaOS | DashMachine |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 45 · Fair | 15 · At risk |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Unlicense |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, one-click | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,253 | ★ 1,264 |
| First released | 2021 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Google homepage | Google homepage |
What are CasaOS and DashMachine?
CasaOS
CasaOS is a community-based open-source home cloud operating system and dashboard built on Docker. It provides an elegant app store and dashboard for managing self-hosted applications.
- Elegant app store
- Drag-and-drop dashboard
- File management
- Docker app management
DashMachine
DashMachine is a self-hosted application dashboard for organizing and accessing your services. It supports widgets, platform integrations, and themes to build a personalized homelab landing page.
- Application tiles and widgets
- Platform integrations
- Theming support
- Search functionality
CasaOS vs DashMachine: key differences
CasaOS is written in Go, while DashMachine is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CasaOS versus Unlicense for DashMachine. DashMachine is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for CasaOS. CasaOS has the considerably larger community, at 37,253 GitHub stars versus 1,264.
Why pick each one
Choose CasaOS if…
- Very beginner-friendly
- Polished interface
Watch out for
- Best on dedicated hardware
- Less control than raw Docker
Choose DashMachine if…
- Flexible widget system
- Simple deployment
Watch out for
- Development has slowed
- Smaller community
Frequently asked questions
Is CasaOS or DashMachine better?
Neither is universally better. CasaOS has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CasaOS and DashMachine free and open-source?
Yes. CasaOS is licensed under Apache-2.0 and DashMachine under Unlicense. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CasaOS and DashMachine with Docker?
CasaOS: yes. DashMachine: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CasaOS or DashMachine?
DashMachine has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for CasaOS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.