Flame 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 | Flame | Mafl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 83 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,551 | ★ 756 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are Flame and Mafl?
Flame
Flame is a minimalist, self-hosted start page for organizing applications and bookmarks with a clean interface. It targets users who want a fast, simple home page. It is deployed via Docker.
- Clean minimalist interface
- App and bookmark management
- Docker label integration
- Built-in weather widget
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
Flame vs Mafl: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Mafl is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Flame. Flame is the more established project (first released 2021), while Mafl arrived in 2023. Flame has the considerably larger community, at 6,551 GitHub stars versus 756.
Why pick each one
Choose Flame if…
- Simple and fast
- Lightweight
- Easy to set up
Watch out for
- Few advanced features
- Limited active development
Choose Mafl if…
- Clean minimal design
- Easy config
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Few advanced features
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Flame or Mafl better?
Neither is universally better. Flame has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Flame and Mafl free and open-source?
Yes. Flame is licensed under MIT and Mafl under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Flame and Mafl with Docker?
Flame: yes. Mafl: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Flame or Mafl?
Mafl has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Flame. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.