Glances vs Monitoror
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Glances
Cross-platform system monitoring at a glance
VS
Monitoror
Unified monitoring wallboard for builds and services
| Feature | Glances | Monitoror |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 33 · At risk |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,666 | ★ 4,389 |
| First released | 2012 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Datadog | Datadog |
What are Glances and Monitoror?
Glances
Glances is a cross-platform system monitoring tool that presents a wide range of host metrics in a terminal or web view. It targets administrators wanting a quick overview of a single machine. It is deployed via Docker, pip, or packages.
- Terminal and web monitoring views
- Wide range of metrics
- REST API and exporters
- Cross-platform support
Monitoror
Monitoror is a unified monitoring wallboard that displays the status of CI pipelines, services, and other checks on a single screen. It is designed for office TVs and team information radiators.
- Wallboard-style display
- CI and HTTP monitors
- Single-binary deployment
- Configurable tiles
Glances vs Monitoror: key differences
Glances is written in Python, while Monitoror is built with Go. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Glances versus MIT for Monitoror. Monitoror is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Glances. Glances is the more established project (first released 2012), while Monitoror arrived in 2019. Glances has the considerably larger community, at 33,666 GitHub stars versus 4,389.
Why pick each one
Choose Glances if…
- Very easy to run
- Lightweight
- Good single-host overview
Watch out for
- Best for one host at a time
- Limited history
Choose Monitoror if…
- Great for office TVs
- Very lightweight
Watch out for
- Limited monitor types
- Less active development
Frequently asked questions
Is Glances or Monitoror better?
Neither is universally better. Glances has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Glances and Monitoror free and open-source?
Yes. Glances is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Monitoror under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glances and Monitoror with Docker?
Glances: yes. Monitoror: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Glances or Monitoror?
Monitoror has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Glances. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.