Beszel vs Uptime Kuma
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
Lightweight self-hosted server monitoring with history, Docker stats, and alerts.
Open source · MIT
Self-hosted uptime monitor that checks your sites and services and alerts you when they go down.
The short answer
Choose Beszel if you need…
- People running a homelab or a few personal servers
- Anyone who wants a web dashboard for several machines without a heavy setup
- Users who want to monitor Docker or Podman containers alongside the host
- People who want alerts sent to notification services when something goes wrong
Choose Uptime Kuma if you need…
- People who want to monitor their own websites or services without paying a hosted monitoring service
- Home lab and self-hosting users who already run Docker
- Small teams that want a status page for their users
- Developers who want simple uptime checks for their apps
Side-by-side
| Beszel | Uptime Kuma | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | App |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 26.8k | 93.2k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Run with Docker | Run with Docker |
| Main language | Go | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Beszel
Beszel is a server monitoring tool you run yourself. A hub with a web dashboard collects metrics from small agents installed on each machine you want to watch. It keeps historical data, tracks Docker container stats, and can send alerts when metrics cross limits you set.
Uptime Kuma
Uptime Kuma is a monitoring tool you run on your own server or computer. It regularly checks websites, servers, and services (over HTTP, TCP, ping, DNS, and other methods) and shows their status in a web dashboard. When something fails, it can send notifications through services such as Telegram, Discord, Slack, or email.
Best for
Beszel
- People running a homelab or a few personal servers
- Anyone who wants a web dashboard for several machines without a heavy setup
- Users who want to monitor Docker or Podman containers alongside the host
- People who want alerts sent to notification services when something goes wrong
Uptime Kuma
- People who want to monitor their own websites or services without paying a hosted monitoring service
- Home lab and self-hosting users who already run Docker
- Small teams that want a status page for their users
- Developers who want simple uptime checks for their apps
Strengths
Beszel
- Lightweight, according to the README, with a simple setup and little manual configuration
- Covers host metrics, containers, and hardware sensors such as temperature, fans, GPU, and S.M.A.R.T.
- Released under the MIT license, which allows free use and modification
Uptime Kuma
- The README describes a clean, responsive web interface with many monitor types in one tool
- Installation with Docker is a single command, and the README covers both Docker and non-Docker setups
- Open-source under the MIT license with a large, active community on GitHub
Not ideal for
Beszel
- Teams needing large-scale, enterprise monitoring; the README describes a lightweight tool and does not mention large-scale deployments
- People who do not want to host any software themselves, since it is self-hosted
- Users who need a REST API today, since the README shows that feature as commented out
Uptime Kuma
- People who do not want to run and maintain their own server, since the README is built around self-hosting
- Users on FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Replit, or Heroku, which the README lists as unsupported
- Anyone needing enterprise-scale monitoring, since the README does not describe that scale
Trade-offs
Beszel
- Some features, such as the REST API, are not fully documented in the README and are marked as commented out
- Hardware metrics like fan speed are Linux-specific according to the README
- Full setup details are on the external website rather than in the README
Uptime Kuma
- The README warns that NFS file systems are not supported for data storage, so you must use a local volume
- Non-Docker installs need Node.js 20.4 or newer, Git, and optionally pm2, which takes some setup
- Advanced setup such as reverse proxies and updates is delegated to the project wiki, so some details live outside the README
Getting started
Beszel
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/henrygd/beszelUptime Kuma
Docker Compose setup
mkdir uptime-kumaEnter the folder
cd uptime-kumaFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Beszel and Uptime Kuma?
Beszel: Lightweight self-hosted server monitoring with history, Docker stats, and alerts. Uptime Kuma: Self-hosted uptime monitor that checks your sites and services and alerts you when they go down. Beszel suits people running a homelab or a few personal servers, while Uptime Kuma suits people who want to monitor their own websites or services without paying a hosted monitoring service.
Are Beszel and Uptime Kuma free?
Beszel: Free and open source. Uptime Kuma: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Beszel or Uptime Kuma?
Uptime Kuma is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Beszel is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Beszel or Uptime Kuma more popular?
Uptime Kuma has more GitHub stars (93.2k) than Beszel (26.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Beszel and Uptime Kuma?
Other options people compare them with include Dashy, Dockge, Upptime.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.