Best Self-Hosted Dashboards: Homepage vs Homarr vs Dashy (2026)

Our Top Pick

Homepage is the best self-hosted dashboard for most people. It integrates with over 100 services out of the box, loads fast, and looks polished without any customization. If you want something more visual with drag-and-drop editing, Homarr is the runner-up.

Quick Picks

Use Case	Best Choice	Why
Best overall	Homepage	Deep service integrations, fast, clean design
Best for customization	Dashy	Themes, widgets, layouts — configure everything
Best drag-and-drop	Homarr	Visual editor, no YAML editing required
Best lightweight	Flame	Minimal resources, simple bookmark-style dashboard
Best for beginners	Heimdall	Zero configuration, add apps through the UI

The Full Ranking

1. Homepage — Best Overall

Homepage stands out with native integrations for over 100 self-hosted services. Point it at your Sonarr, Radarr, Jellyfin, or Pi-hole instance and it pulls live stats — no custom API calls needed. Configuration is YAML-based, which is familiar territory for anyone running Docker Compose stacks.

The widget system is where Homepage separates itself. Rather than just showing links, it displays real data: download queue progress, media library counts, system resource usage, and weather. It renders server-side with no client-side JavaScript framework, so pages load in milliseconds.

Pros:

• 100+ native service integrations with live data widgets
• Server-side rendering — extremely fast page loads
• Active development with frequent releases
• Clean, modern UI that looks good out of the box
• Bookmark and service groups for logical organization

Cons:

• YAML-only configuration — no web-based editor
• Adding custom widgets requires code knowledge
• Less visually customizable than Dashy

Best for: Anyone running 5+ self-hosted services who wants a dashboard that shows live data, not just links.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Homepage]

2. Homarr — Best for Drag-and-Drop

Homarr takes a different approach: everything is configured through a visual drag-and-drop editor. No YAML files, no config reloads. Add widgets, rearrange them, resize them — all in the browser.

Version 1.x (the current generation, rewritten from scratch) adds proper user management, a cleaner widget system, and significantly better performance compared to the v0.x series. It integrates with *arr apps, Docker containers, and various monitoring services.

Pros:

• Visual drag-and-drop layout editor
• No configuration files to manage
• Built-in user management with multiple users
• Integrations with *arr stack, Docker, and monitoring tools
• Modern UI with a polished look

Cons:

• Heavier resource usage than Homepage or Flame
• Fewer native integrations than Homepage
• The v0.x to v1.x migration broke some features

Best for: Users who want a dashboard they can configure entirely through the browser without touching YAML files.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Homarr]

3. Dashy — Most Customizable

Dashy is the “make it exactly how you want” option. Themes, custom CSS, icon packs, multiple layout modes (sections, minimal, workspace), status checks, and a built-in widget library covering everything from system info to crypto prices.

Configuration is JSON or YAML, and there’s a built-in config editor in the web UI. Dashy also supports authentication, multi-user access, and can even function as a startpage/new-tab replacement.

Pros:

• Extreme customization — themes, CSS, layouts, icon packs
• Built-in config editor in the UI
• Status monitoring for all services
• Multiple page support — different dashboards for different purposes
• Active community with shared configurations

Cons:

• Can be overwhelming — too many options for simple use cases
• Vue.js client-side rendering is slower than Homepage’s server-side approach
• Configuration complexity grows quickly with many services

Best for: Power users who want complete control over how their dashboard looks and behaves.

[Read our full guide: How to Self-Host Dashy]

4. Heimdall — Best for Beginners

Heimdall keeps it simple: add your apps through a web interface, organize them into categories, and you’re done. It has enhanced support for certain apps (showing search bars for Sonarr, login forms for others), but it’s fundamentally a well-organized bookmarks page.

There’s no widget system, no live data integration, and no complex configuration. That’s the point — Heimdall is for people who just want a clean landing page for their services.

Pros:

• Dead simple — add apps through the UI, no config files
• Enhanced app support for popular self-hosted services
• Clean, responsive design
• Minimal resource usage
• Stable and mature

Cons:

• No live data widgets — just links and basic app info
• Limited customization compared to Dashy or Homepage
• Development has slowed significantly
• No multi-user support

Best for: Beginners who want a simple, attractive landing page without configuring YAML or JSON.

5. Flame — Best Lightweight Option

Flame is a minimalist dashboard that uses virtually no resources. It’s a single Docker container with a SQLite database — no external dependencies. You can add bookmarks and applications through the web UI, organize them with categories, and optionally show weather data.

That’s about it. Flame doesn’t try to compete with Homepage’s integrations or Dashy’s customization. It’s a fast, clean bookmark page that stays out of your way.

Pros:

• Extremely lightweight — tiny Docker image, minimal RAM
• Simple web-based app and bookmark management
• Built-in weather widget
• Docker integration to auto-discover containers
• Fast and responsive

Cons:

• Very limited functionality compared to other dashboards
• No service integrations or live data
• Fewer active contributors
• Limited theme options

Best for: Users who want the simplest possible dashboard with the smallest resource footprint.

6. Homer — Honorable Mention

Homer is a static dashboard generated from a single YAML file. No database, no backend — it compiles to static HTML files. This makes it the fastest option and trivially easy to back up (one YAML file). But it’s also the most limited: no web UI for editing, no integrations, and customization is restricted to what YAML allows.

Homer works well as a simple link page served alongside other services. It’s not trying to be a full dashboard — it’s a configurable bookmark page with a clean look.

Best for: Minimal setups where you want a static link page with no backend dependencies.

Full Comparison Table

Feature	Homepage	Homarr	Dashy	Heimdall	Flame	Homer
Service integrations	100+	30+	Status checks only	Enhanced for ~30 apps	Docker labels	None
Live data widgets	Yes	Yes	Limited	No	No	No
Configuration	YAML	Web UI	JSON/YAML + Web editor	Web UI	Web UI	YAML
Docker image size	~150 MB	~300 MB	~400 MB	~200 MB	~25 MB	~15 MB
RAM usage (idle)	~40 MB	~120 MB	~80 MB	~60 MB	~15 MB	~5 MB
Multi-user	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
Search	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Custom CSS/themes	Limited	Yes	Extensive	Limited	Limited	Limited
Status monitoring	Via widgets	Via widgets	Built-in	No	No	No
Active development	Very active	Active (v1.x rewrite)	Active	Slow	Moderate	Moderate
License	GPL-3.0	MIT	MIT	MIT	MIT	Apache 2.0

How to Choose

The decision comes down to what you want from a dashboard:

“I want live data from my services” → Homepage. No other dashboard matches its integration depth. If you’re running Sonarr, Radarr, Jellyfin, Plex, Pi-hole, or any major self-hosted app, Homepage will show you real-time stats from those services.

“I don’t want to edit config files” → Homarr. Everything is point-and-click. Add widgets, rearrange them, configure services — all in the browser.

“I want it to look exactly how I want” → Dashy. Custom themes, CSS overrides, multiple layout modes, icon packs. If you care about aesthetics and are willing to spend time tweaking, Dashy rewards the effort.

“I just need a simple link page” → Heimdall or Flame. Heimdall if you want a web UI for adding apps, Flame if you want the smallest possible footprint.

Docker Compose Quick Start — Homepage

services:
  homepage:
    image: ghcr.io/gethomepage/homepage:v1.11.0
    container_name: homepage
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - ./config:/app/config  # YAML configuration files
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro  # Docker integration
    restart: unless-stopped

Start with docker compose up -d and access at http://your-server:3000. Edit config/services.yaml to add your services with widgets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a dashboard if I already use Portainer?

Yes — they serve different purposes. Portainer manages Docker containers (start, stop, logs, networking). A dashboard provides a single page to access all your services with status indicators, bookmarks, and widgets. Most home lab users run both: Portainer for container management and Homepage or Homarr as a daily landing page.

Can I use a dashboard as a public status page?

Not directly. Dashboards are designed for internal use and typically show service links and widgets, not uptime history. For public status pages, use Uptime Kuma or Gatus. You can embed Uptime Kuma’s status page widget into some dashboards (Homarr supports custom iframes, Homepage supports custom widgets).

How do dashboards discover my services automatically?

Homepage and Homarr support Docker label-based auto-discovery. Add labels to your Docker containers (e.g., homepage.name=Nextcloud) and the dashboard picks them up automatically. This means adding a new service to your dashboard requires zero manual configuration — just label the container. Dashy requires manual configuration via YAML.

Which dashboard loads fastest?

Homepage. It uses server-side rendering and static generation, resulting in near-instant page loads. Dashy and Homarr use client-side JavaScript frameworks (Vue.js and React respectively), which means a brief loading delay on first visit. For a dashboard you open dozens of times a day, Homepage’s speed advantage is noticeable.

Can I customize the look and feel?

All three top dashboards support theming. Dashy is the most customizable — it has 50+ built-in themes and supports custom CSS. Homepage uses a clean, consistent design with configurable color schemes. Homarr offers a drag-and-drop layout editor with widget resizing. For pixel-perfect custom designs, Dashy gives you the most control.

Related

• How to Self-Host Homepage
• How to Self-Host Dashy
• How to Self-Host Homarr
• Homepage vs Dashy
• Homarr vs Homepage
• Homarr vs Dashy
• Homarr vs Heimdall
• Dashy vs Flame
• Heimdall vs Homer
• Docker Compose Basics
• Reverse Proxy Setup
• Getting Started with Self-Hosting