Startpunkt vs SUI
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted dashboards & startpages options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Startpunkt | SUI |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 65 · Good | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | Dashboards & Startpages | Dashboards & Startpages |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Java | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3 | ★ 1,574 |
| First released | 2024 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Google homepage | Google homepage |
What are Startpunkt and SUI?
Startpunkt
Startpunkt is a clean, modern startpage that automatically discovers applications running in Kubernetes and Docker through annotations. It presents them as bookmarks in a themeable interface.
- Kubernetes app auto-discovery
- Annotation-based config
- Multiple themes
- Lightweight footprint
SUI
SUI is a simple startpage for self-hosted services. It shows app links and bookmarks defined in plain config files, offers search across multiple providers, and runs as a lightweight JavaScript app with no database, deployable via Docker. The project is archived.
Startpunkt vs SUI: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: SUI's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Startpunkt is actively maintained. Startpunkt is written in Java, while SUI is built with JavaScript. SUI is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Startpunkt. SUI is the more established project (first released 2018), while Startpunkt arrived in 2024. SUI has the considerably larger community, at 1,574 GitHub stars versus 3.
Why pick each one
Choose Startpunkt if…
- Great cluster integration
- Modern look
Watch out for
- Newer project
- Best suited for Kubernetes
Choose SUI if…
- Dead simple setup
- Tiny footprint
Watch out for
- Limited widgets
- Manual config edits
Frequently asked questions
Is Startpunkt or SUI better?
Neither is universally better. SUI has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Startpunkt and SUI free and open-source?
Yes. Startpunkt is licensed under MIT and SUI under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Startpunkt and SUI with Docker?
Startpunkt: yes. SUI: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Startpunkt or SUI?
SUI has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Startpunkt. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.