Dashy vs Homepage
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Homepage
Fast, file-configured application dashboard
| Feature | Dashy | Homepage |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 98 · Excellent |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Vue | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,552 | ★ 32,822 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are Dashy and Homepage?
Dashy
Dashy is a highly configurable personal dashboard with status checks, widgets, themes, and authentication. It targets home labbers who want a feature-packed start page. It is deployed via Docker.
- Status checking for services
- Many widgets and themes
- Optional authentication
- Cloud backup option
Homepage
Homepage is a highly customizable application dashboard configured via YAML files, with Docker and service integrations. It targets users who like config-as-code start pages. It is deployed via Docker.
- YAML-based configuration
- Docker auto-discovery
- Hundreds of service widgets
- Very fast and lightweight
Dashy vs Homepage: key differences
Dashy is written in Vue, while Homepage is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — MIT for Dashy versus GPL-3.0 for Homepage. Homepage is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Dashy.
Why pick each one
Choose Dashy if…
- Very feature-rich
- Lots of themes
- Built-in status checks
Watch out for
- Many options to configure
- Slower recent development
Choose Homepage if…
- Config as code
- Lightweight and fast
- Tons of widgets
Watch out for
- No web-based editing
- Editing YAML can intimidate
Frequently asked questions
Is Dashy or Homepage better?
Neither is universally better. Homepage has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dashy and Homepage free and open-source?
Yes. Dashy is licensed under MIT and Homepage under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dashy and Homepage with Docker?
Dashy: yes. Homepage: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dashy or Homepage?
Homepage has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Dashy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.