Grafana vs Netdata: Which Monitoring to Self-Host?

Quick Verdict

Netdata is better for quick, zero-config server monitoring with real-time dashboards out of the box. Grafana is better if you need custom dashboards, multi-source data visualization, or already use Prometheus. For most self-hosters monitoring a few servers, Netdata is the faster path to useful monitoring.

Overview

Grafana and Netdata solve monitoring differently. Netdata is an agent that auto-discovers everything running on your server and immediately starts collecting thousands of metrics with pre-built dashboards. Grafana is a visualization platform that connects to data sources (Prometheus, InfluxDB, Loki, etc.) and lets you build custom dashboards.

Netdata is monitoring in a box. Grafana is a monitoring framework you build on.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Grafana	Netdata
Primary function	Dashboard and visualization platform	Real-time monitoring agent with built-in dashboards
Data collection	Requires external sources (Prometheus, InfluxDB, etc.)	Built-in collector — auto-discovers services
Pre-built dashboards	Community dashboards (must be imported)	800+ built-in charts, zero configuration
Custom dashboards	Excellent — drag-and-drop builder	Limited customization
Data resolution	Depends on source (typically 15-60 seconds)	1-second resolution by default
Alerting	Grafana Alerting (built-in, powerful)	Built-in alerts with email, Slack, Discord, etc.
Multi-server	Yes (connect multiple data sources)	Yes (Netdata Cloud or parent-child streaming)
Log aggregation	Via Loki integration	Not a primary feature
Docker monitoring	Via cAdvisor + Prometheus	Built-in Docker container monitoring
Setup complexity	High (Grafana + Prometheus + exporters)	Minimal (single container, auto-configures)
Query language	PromQL, SQL, LogQL (depends on source)	NIDL (Netdata’s own query language)
License	AGPL-3.0	GPL-3.0

Installation Complexity

Netdata deploys as a single Docker container that immediately starts working:

services:
  netdata:
    image: netdata/netdata:v2.3.0
    # ... minimal config needed

Within 30 seconds of starting, you have 2,000+ metrics with pre-built dashboards. No configuration files, no data source setup, no dashboard importing.

Grafana requires a multi-container stack at minimum:

1. Grafana (visualization)
2. Prometheus (metrics collection and storage)
3. Node Exporter (system metrics)
4. cAdvisor (Docker metrics) — optional

Each component needs configuration. Prometheus needs scrape targets defined. Grafana needs data sources configured and dashboards imported or built. Expect 30-60 minutes to get a useful dashboard running.

Netdata wins decisively on time-to-value.

Performance and Resource Usage

Metric	Grafana (+ Prometheus stack)	Netdata
RAM usage	300-500 MB (Grafana) + 500 MB-2 GB (Prometheus)	100-200 MB
CPU usage	Low (Grafana) + Moderate (Prometheus scraping)	Low-Moderate (per-second collection)
Disk usage	Grows with retention (Prometheus TSDB)	~1 GB default retention
Containers	3-4 minimum	1

Netdata uses significantly fewer resources because everything runs in one process. The Grafana + Prometheus stack requires multiple containers and Prometheus’s time-series database grows continuously with retention.

Community and Support

Metric	Grafana	Netdata
GitHub stars	~67K	~73K
Enterprise version	Grafana Cloud / Enterprise	Netdata Cloud (free tier + paid)
Plugin ecosystem	Massive (300+ data source plugins)	Growing but smaller
Documentation	Excellent	Good
Community size	Very large (industry standard)	Large

Grafana is the industry standard for monitoring dashboards. It’s used in production by major companies and has the largest ecosystem of plugins, integrations, and community dashboards. If you’re building monitoring for a team, Grafana’s ubiquity means your colleagues probably already know it.

Netdata has a strong community but is less prevalent in professional environments.

Use Cases

Choose Netdata If…

• You want monitoring up and running in under 5 minutes
• You’re monitoring 1-5 home servers or VPS instances
• You want per-second resolution without complex setup
• You don’t want to learn PromQL or manage Prometheus
• You want built-in Docker container monitoring with zero configuration
• You prefer a single container over a multi-service stack

Choose Grafana If…

• You need custom dashboards for specific use cases
• You’re already using Prometheus, InfluxDB, or other time-series databases
• You want to combine metrics from multiple data sources in one view
• You need log aggregation alongside metrics (Grafana + Loki)
• You’re monitoring production infrastructure at scale
• You want the industry-standard tool that looks great on a resume

Final Verdict

For self-hosters monitoring their home lab or a few VPS instances, Netdata is the better starting point. It gives you comprehensive monitoring with zero configuration. Install it, and you’re done.

Grafana is the right choice when you’ve outgrown simple monitoring — when you need custom dashboards, multi-source data, team collaboration, or integration with a broader observability stack. It’s more powerful but requires more investment to set up.

The best approach for many self-hosters: start with Netdata for instant monitoring, then add Grafana + Prometheus later when you need custom dashboards or centralized monitoring across many servers. They complement each other well.

Related

• How to Self-Host Grafana
• How to Self-Host Netdata
• How to Self-Host Prometheus
• How to Self-Host Uptime Kuma
• Grafana vs Prometheus
• Grafana vs Uptime Kuma
• Best Self-Hosted Monitoring Tools