Mafl vs Organizr
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Mafl | Organizr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 55 · Fair | 62 · Good |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 756 | ★ 5,817 |
| First released | 2023 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Heimdall | Heimdall |
What are Mafl and Organizr?
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
Organizr
Organizr provides a tabbed front end that brings all your self-hosted services together behind one portal with authentication. It targets users who want a unified, single-pane interface. It is deployed via Docker.
- Tabbed iframe portal
- Built-in authentication
- User management
- Service health pings
Mafl vs Organizr: key differences
Mafl is written in TypeScript, while Organizr is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Mafl versus GPL-3.0 for Organizr. Mafl is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Organizr. Organizr is the more established project (first released 2017), while Mafl arrived in 2023. Organizr has the considerably larger community, at 5,817 GitHub stars versus 756.
Why pick each one
Choose Mafl if…
- Clean minimal design
- Easy config
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Few advanced features
- Small community
Choose Organizr if…
- Unified single-page access
- Built-in auth
- Mature
Watch out for
- Iframe approach has quirks
- Dated UI
Frequently asked questions
Is Mafl or Organizr better?
Neither is universally better. Organizr has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Mafl and Organizr free and open-source?
Yes. Mafl is licensed under MIT and Organizr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mafl and Organizr with Docker?
Mafl: yes. Organizr: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Mafl or Organizr?
Mafl has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Organizr. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.