Homarr vs Mafl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Homarr
Customizable dashboard for your self-hosted services
VS
Mafl
Minimalist customizable start page
| Feature | Homarr | Mafl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 89 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,778 | ★ 756 |
| First released | 2022 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are Homarr and Mafl?
Homarr
Homarr is a sleek, customizable dashboard that organizes links and widgets for your self-hosted services with deep integrations. It targets home labbers wanting a polished start page. It is deployed via Docker.
- Drag-and-drop layout editor
- Service status integrations
- Built-in widgets and search
- Theming support
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
Homarr vs Mafl: key differences
Both projects are written in TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Homarr versus MIT for Mafl. Mafl is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Homarr. Homarr has the considerably larger community, at 4,778 GitHub stars versus 756.
Why pick each one
Choose Homarr if…
- Beautiful modern UI
- Easy drag-and-drop config
- Good integrations
Watch out for
- Newer with evolving features
- Mostly single-dashboard focus
Choose Mafl if…
- Clean minimal design
- Easy config
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Few advanced features
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Homarr or Mafl better?
Neither is universally better. Homarr has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Homarr and Mafl free and open-source?
Yes. Homarr is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Mafl under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Homarr and Mafl with Docker?
Homarr: yes. Mafl: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Homarr or Mafl?
Mafl has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Homarr. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.