Glances vs Netdata
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
Netdata
Real-time per-second infrastructure monitoring
| Feature | Glances | Netdata |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 98 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | LGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, bare-metal, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 33,666 | ★ 80,637 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Datadog | Datadog, New Relic |
What are Glances and Netdata?
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
Netdata
Netdata is a real-time monitoring agent that collects thousands of metrics per second and visualizes them with zero configuration. It targets administrators who want instant, granular system insight. It is deployed via Docker or native packages.
- Per-second real-time metrics
- Zero-configuration auto-discovery
- Built-in anomaly detection
- Thousands of collectors
Glances vs Netdata: key differences
Glances is written in Python, while Netdata is built with Go. Licensing differs — LGPL-3.0 for Glances versus GPL-3.0 for Netdata. Glances is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Netdata. Netdata has the considerably larger community, at 80,637 GitHub stars versus 33,666.
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 Netdata if…
- Instant insight out of the box
- Beautiful real-time charts
- Easy install
Watch out for
- Long retention needs tuning
- Cloud features are commercial
Frequently asked questions
Is Glances or Netdata better?
Neither is universally better. Netdata has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Glances and Netdata free and open-source?
Yes. Glances is licensed under LGPL-3.0 and Netdata under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Glances and Netdata with Docker?
Glances: yes. Netdata: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Glances or Netdata?
Glances has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Netdata. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.