Glance 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 | Glance | Mafl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,187 | ★ 756 |
| First released | 2024 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are Glance and Mafl?
Glance
Glance is a self-hosted dashboard that aggregates feeds, weather, calendars, and service widgets into a single page. It targets users who want an information-dense home page. It is deployed via Docker or a binary.
- Aggregates RSS, weather and more
- YAML configuration
- Lots of built-in widgets
- Single lightweight binary
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
Glance vs Mafl: key differences
Glance is written in Go, while Mafl is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Glance versus MIT for Mafl. Mafl is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Glance. Glance has the considerably larger community, at 37,187 GitHub stars versus 756.
Why pick each one
Choose Glance if…
- Information-dense layout
- Very lightweight
- Easy config
Watch out for
- YAML-only configuration
- Young project
Choose Mafl if…
- Clean minimal design
- Easy config
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Few advanced features
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Glance or Mafl better?
Neither is universally better. Glance has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Glance and Mafl free and open-source?
Yes. Glance is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Mafl under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glance and Mafl with Docker?
Glance: yes. Mafl: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Glance or Mafl?
Mafl has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Glance. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.