Beszel vs Glances
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, ratings, and alternatives.
Beszel is a free, open-source server monitoring hub built in Go for a tiny resource footprint, with an agent that uses only about 10-15MB of RAM per monitored system. The hub, built on PocketBase, gives a central dashboard for viewing CPU, memory, disk, network, and temperature history, while agents communicate over a minimal SSH connection with no need to expose systems publicly. It tracks Docker and Podman container resource usage individually, sends configurable alerts for CPU, memory, disk, bandwidth, temperature, and status changes, supports multi-user access with OAuth/OIDC login, and includes automatic backups plus a REST API out of the box.
Glances is an open‑source, cross‑platform monitoring tool that provides a concise, real‑time view of system resources such as CPU, memory, disk I/O, network, and processes. It runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and can be accessed via a web interface, making it ideal for both local and remote monitoring. Designed for system administrators and DevOps teams, Glances aggregates metrics into a single dashboard, supports customizable alerts, and integrates with scripts or APIs for automated workflows. Its lightweight design ensures minimal overhead while delivering comprehensive performance insights.
- Extremely low resource footprint, runs comfortably on a Raspberry Pi
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Combines host and per-container Docker/Podman metrics in one dashboard
- Built-in REST API and automatic backups included by default
- Fully open‑source and free
- Runs on all major operating systems
- Lightweight with low resource overhead
- Extensible via plugins and API
- Primarily designed for Linux hosts; Windows support relies on community forks
- Smaller ecosystem and plugin library than established tools like Zabbix or Netdata
- Alerting is simpler and less feature-rich than dedicated enterprise monitoring platforms
- No native mobile app
- Limited built‑in visualization compared to commercial tools
- Alerting requires manual configuration or external scripts
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The Verdict
AI-generated from listing dataGlances offers broader OS support and richer plugin ecosystem at minimal cost, while Beszel provides a slimmer, self‑hosted footprint ideal for Linux‑only homelab setups.
Key differences
- •OS coverage: Glances runs on Windows, macOS, Linux; Beszel is primarily Linux‑only.
- •Resource usage: Beszel uses 10‑15 MB RAM per agent; Glances is lightweight but no exact RAM figure given.
- •Extensibility: Glances supports many plugins (Docker, MySQL, InfluxDB, etc.); Beszel has a smaller plugin library.
- •Alerting: Glances requires manual config or external scripts; Beszel includes built‑in configurable alerts.
- •Deployment model: Glances is a single tool with optional web UI; Beszel is a self‑hosted hub with multi‑user support.
Pricing & value
Both are free and open source, offering comparable cost‑free value.
Ease of use / learning curve
Beszel provides a built‑in dashboard and multi‑user UI, whereas Glances relies on command‑line and manual alert setup.
Features & depth
Glances includes extensive metrics, plugin support, and export options (JSON, CSV, InfluxDB) not listed for Beszel.
Integrations & ecosystem
Glances lists integrations with InfluxDB, Prometheus, Elasticsearch, Kafka, Docker, etc.; Beszel mentions only Docker/Podman, S3, OAuth/OIDC.
Collaboration
Beszel supports multi‑user access with role‑based admin; Glances has no native multi‑user features.
Scalability
Glances can run on Windows, macOS, Linux and export to time‑series stores, enabling large‑scale monitoring; Beszel is limited to Linux hosts.
Support
Glances offers email and GitHub Issues; Beszel only lists GitHub issues and community docs, no direct email support.
Choose Beszel if…
Small homelab operators or Linux‑only teams prioritizing minimal resource consumption.
Choose Glances if…
Enterprises or teams needing cross‑platform monitoring and extensive plugin support.
Common questions
Can I monitor Windows servers with Beszel?
Not specified; Beszel is primarily designed for Linux hosts, with Windows support only via community forks.
Which tool provides more built‑in alerting capabilities?
Beszel includes configurable alerts out of the box; Glances requires manual configuration or external scripts.
Do both tools support exporting metrics to external systems?
Glances can export to JSON, CSV, or InfluxDB; Beszel’s export capabilities are not specified.