Cube vs Cosmos Server
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Cube
Semantic layer and headless BI for building data apps
VS
Cosmos Server
Self-hosted dashboard, app store, and reverse proxy
| Feature | Cube | Cosmos Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 20,572 | ★ 6,093 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Looker, AtScale | Google homepage |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Cube or Cosmos Server better?
Neither is universally better. Cube has the larger community, while Cosmos Server is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Cube and Cosmos Server free and open-source?
Yes. Cube is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Cosmos Server under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Cube and Cosmos Server with Docker?
Cube: yes. Cosmos Server: yes.