Hertzbeat vs Pulse Monitor
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted monitoring & status options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Hertzbeat | Pulse Monitor |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | Monitoring & Status | Monitoring & Status |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,405 | ★ 6,742 |
| First released | 2022 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Zabbix, Datadog | Datadog |
What are Hertzbeat and Pulse Monitor?
Hertzbeat
HertzBeat is an open-source real-time monitoring system that checks websites, APIs, databases, servers, and more using customizable YAML templates. It includes alerting and a friendly dashboard with no agents required.
- Agentless monitoring
- Customizable YAML templates
- Threshold alerting
- Built-in dashboards
Pulse Monitor
Pulse is a self-hosted monitoring application focused on Proxmox VE and PBS environments, surfacing node, VM, and backup health. It provides real-time dashboards and alerting.
- Proxmox monitoring
- VM and node health
- Backup status
- Real-time dashboards
Hertzbeat vs Pulse Monitor: key differences
Hertzbeat is written in Java, while Pulse Monitor is built with Go. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Hertzbeat versus MIT for Pulse Monitor. Pulse Monitor is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat. Hertzbeat is the more established project (first released 2022), while Pulse Monitor arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Hertzbeat if…
- No agents to deploy
- Flexible templates
Watch out for
- JVM resource needs
- Newer project
Choose Pulse Monitor if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.7k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Hertzbeat or Pulse Monitor better?
Neither is universally better. Hertzbeat has the larger community, while Pulse Monitor is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Hertzbeat and Pulse Monitor free and open-source?
Yes. Hertzbeat is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Pulse Monitor under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Hertzbeat and Pulse Monitor with Docker?
Hertzbeat: yes. Pulse Monitor: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Hertzbeat or Pulse Monitor?
Pulse Monitor has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Hertzbeat. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.