SHSelfHostIndex

Heimdall vs Cosmos Server

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
HE Heimdall Simple application dashboard and launcher VS CO Cosmos Server Self-hosted dashboard, app store, and reverse proxy
FeatureHeimdallCosmos Server
CategoryDashboards & StartpagesDashboards & Startpages
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguagePHPJavaScript
Setup difficultyEasyEasy
Min. RAM256 MB512 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker
GitHub stars★ 9,291★ 6,093
First released20172023
ReplacesHeimdallGoogle homepage

Why pick each one

Choose Heimdall if…

  • Very simple to set up
  • Clean look
  • Low maintenance
Heimdall details

Choose Cosmos Server if…

  • All-in-one server platform
  • Easy app installs
Cosmos Server details

Frequently asked questions

Is Heimdall or Cosmos Server better?

Neither is universally better. Heimdall has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Heimdall and Cosmos Server free and open-source?

Yes. Heimdall is licensed under MIT and Cosmos Server under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Heimdall and Cosmos Server with Docker?

Heimdall: yes. Cosmos Server: yes.

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