Glance vs GlassWire

Glance is a compact, highly customisable dashboard you can run on any server or in a tiny Docker container. It pulls together RSS feeds, subreddit posts, Hacker News, weather, YouTube uploads, Twitch streams, market prices, Docker status and server metrics into one configurable page. Deployable as a single binary under 20 MB or as a minimal Docker image, Glance supports multiple pages, layouts and themes via a simple configuration file, making it ideal for personal start pages and homelab monitoring.

GlassWire is a network monitoring and personal firewall application for Windows and Android that visualizes current and past network activity to help users spot malware, bandwidth hogs, and unfamiliar devices on their network. Its firewall includes an ask-to-connect mode that lets users approve or deny individual apps' network access, alongside a network time machine for reviewing historical connections. GlassWire also tracks data usage across devices and can alert users before they exceed set data limits, while its network scanner flags new or unknown devices joining a WiFi network. Over 53 million downloads have been recorded for the Windows and Android apps combined.

• Very small binary size and low resource usage
• Highly configurable with multiple pages and themes
• Wide range of built‑in widgets covering many common feeds
• Easy deployment via Docker or direct binary

• Combines network monitoring and firewall in one lightweight app
• Very affordable premium pricing at $2.99/month
• Visual, easy-to-understand traffic graphs
• Available on both Windows and Android

• Limited to the widgets provided out‑of‑the‑box; custom widget development requires manual effort
• No built‑in authentication or user management, relying on external protection
• Lacks a graphical UI for configuration; edits are done in a text file

• Free tier limits network history to just 24 hours
• Windows and Android only, no Mac or Linux support
• Advanced threat detection features require Premium