Dashy vs Flame
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
A self-hosted personal start page for your homelab, showing your apps, links, and service status.
The short answer
Choose Dashy if you need…
- People running a homelab or home server who want one page for all their services
- Anyone who wants a customizable browser start page with links and search
- Self-hosters who want status checks on their apps and hosts
- People comfortable editing a config file or running Docker
Choose Flame if you need…
- Flutter developers who want to add a game to an app
- Developers making 2D games in Dart
- Learners exploring game loops and component systems with a familiar language
- Teams that want optional bridge packages for physics, tile maps, or animation tools
Side-by-side
| Dashy | Flame | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | App | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 26.9k | 10.8k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Run with Docker | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Vue | Dart |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 4 days ago |
What each one is
Dashy
Dashy is a self-hosted dashboard that gathers your links, apps, and services onto one page. It can check whether each service is up, show widgets with live info from self-hosted services, and be used as a browser start page. You configure it mainly through a YAML file, or through its built-in UI editor.
Flame
Flame is a game engine built on Flutter, the Google UI toolkit, and written in Dart. It provides common game building blocks such as a game loop, a component system, collision detection, input handling, sprites and animations, and effects. It is meant for developers who want to make games using Flutter instead of a dedicated game engine.
Best for
Dashy
- People running a homelab or home server who want one page for all their services
- Anyone who wants a customizable browser start page with links and search
- Self-hosters who want status checks on their apps and hosts
- People comfortable editing a config file or running Docker
Flame
- Flutter developers who want to add a game to an app
- Developers making 2D games in Dart
- Learners exploring game loops and component systems with a familiar language
- Teams that want optional bridge packages for physics, tile maps, or animation tools
Strengths
Dashy
- Free and open-source under the MIT license, with a large community (about 26,800 GitHub stars)
- Flexible setup: Docker, bare metal, or one-click cloud deployment options are listed
- Configurable through a single YAML file or a built-in UI editor
Flame
- Official bridge packages connect it to many tools, including Tiled, Rive, Spine, and Box2D physics
- Documentation, a browser-based examples site, and tutorials are linked from the README
- Active project with a large community on Discord and a recent push date
Not ideal for
Dashy
- People who want a zero-setup bookmark page, since it needs to be deployed and configured first
- Users who need a fully managed hosted service, as the README centers on self-hosting
- Those who dislike YAML configuration, though the UI editor is an alternative
Flame
- People who need a full visual editor, since the README describes a code-first engine and does not mention one
- Teams building large 3D games, because the README calls the 3D package experimental
- Non-programmers, since it requires writing Dart code
Trade-offs
Dashy
- Setup and configuration take some technical effort, especially for non-developers
- The README mentions optional cloud backup and SSO authentication, but details are in external docs I could not verify here
- The README's live demo link is struck through, so a try-before-install option is not confirmed
Flame
- Tied to the Flutter ecosystem, so it is not a good choice if you do not want to use Flutter or Dart
- The README notes that main-branch docs can be newer than the published docs site, so version mismatches are possible
- The 3D package is labeled experimental
Getting started
Dashy
Run with Docker Hub image
docker run -p 4000:8080 lissy93/dashyClone the source repository
git clone https://github.com/Lissy93/dashy.gitFlame
Add Flame to a Flutter project
git clone https://github.com/flame-engine/flameFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Dashy and Flame?
Dashy: A self-hosted personal start page for your homelab, showing your apps, links, and service status. Flame: A game engine for building 2D games with Flutter and Dart. Dashy suits people running a homelab or home server who want one page for all their services, while Flame suits flutter developers who want to add a game to an app.
Are Dashy and Flame free?
Dashy: Free and open source. Flame: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Dashy or Flame?
Dashy is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Flame is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is Dashy or Flame more popular?
Dashy has more GitHub stars (26.9k) than Flame (10.8k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Dashy and Flame?
Other options people compare them with include Ant Design Vue Pro, Vuestic Admin, Beszel, Godot, Phaser.
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.