DashMachine vs Portainer CE
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?
DashMachine
Application dashboard for keeping services organized
VS
Portainer CE
Lightweight management UI for Docker and Kubernetes
| Feature | DashMachine | Portainer CE |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | Unlicense | Zlib |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,263 | ★ 38,184 |
| First released | 2020 | 2016 |
| Replaces | Google homepage | Rancher, Docker Desktop |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is DashMachine or Portainer CE better?
Neither is universally better. Portainer CE has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are DashMachine and Portainer CE free and open-source?
Yes. DashMachine is licensed under Unlicense and Portainer CE under Zlib. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DashMachine and Portainer CE with Docker?
DashMachine: yes. Portainer CE: yes.