Dashy vs Mafl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Dashy | Mafl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Vue | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 26,548 | ★ 756 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are Dashy and Mafl?
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
Mafl
Mafl is a minimalist, easy-to-use start page that organizes services and apps using a single YAML configuration. It targets users who want a tidy, simple home page. It is deployed via Docker.
- Single YAML configuration
- Service status checks
- Light and dark themes
- Lightweight footprint
Dashy vs Mafl: key differences
Dashy is written in Vue, while Mafl is built with TypeScript. Mafl is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Dashy. Dashy is the more established project (first released 2021), while Mafl arrived in 2023. Dashy has the considerably larger community, at 26,548 GitHub stars versus 756.
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 Mafl if…
- Clean minimal design
- Easy config
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Few advanced features
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Dashy or Mafl better?
Neither is universally better. Dashy has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Dashy and Mafl free and open-source?
Yes. Dashy is licensed under MIT and Mafl under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Dashy and Mafl with Docker?
Dashy: yes. Mafl: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Dashy or Mafl?
Mafl has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Dashy. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.