Homer vs Mafl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Homer | Mafl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 55 · Fair |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Vue | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,617 | ★ 756 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are Homer and Mafl?
Homer
Homer is a very simple static dashboard for your services, configured with a single YAML file and served as static assets. It targets users wanting the lightest possible start page. It is deployed via Docker or any static host.
- Single YAML configuration
- Pure static, no backend
- Themes and search
- Tiny resource use
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
Homer vs Mafl: key differences
Homer is written in Vue, while Mafl is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Homer versus MIT for Mafl. Homer is the more established project (first released 2019), while Mafl arrived in 2023. Homer has the considerably larger community, at 11,617 GitHub stars versus 756.
Why pick each one
Choose Homer if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Trivial to host
- Fast
Watch out for
- No dynamic widgets
- Manual config edits
Choose Mafl if…
- Clean minimal design
- Easy config
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Few advanced features
- Small community
Frequently asked questions
Is Homer or Mafl better?
Neither is universally better. Homer has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Homer and Mafl free and open-source?
Yes. Homer is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Mafl under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Homer and Mafl with Docker?
Homer: yes. Mafl: yes.