HomeioHomeDock OS and Homeio share an idea: a desktop in the browser, with windows, an app store and a file explorer, in front of Docker. HomeDock OS runs on more kinds of host and adds an encrypted vault. Homeio goes further into the Linux server itself, with disks, Samba, scheduled tasks and backups, and it is open source.
| Need | In Homeio |
|---|---|
| Where it runs | Debian, Ubuntu or Raspberry Pi OS on x86_64 or ARM64, as systemd services or with Docker Compose. HomeDock OS also runs on Windows and macOS, and on boards as small as a Pi Zero. Pick it for a non-Linux host. |
| App catalogue | The official CasaOS app store, other CasaOS-format stores from a ZIP URL, and custom apps from Compose or docker run. HomeDock OS: over 200 apps, one-click import of Casa- and Zima-compatible stores, and its own .hds packages. |
| Files | A file manager with previews, uploads, zip, search and a Monaco editor. USB drives appear live. HomeDock OS adds DropZone, an encrypted vault, and a browser for container volumes. Homeio has no encrypted vault. |
| Disks | Partition, format and mount disks from Settings. HomeDock OS browses physical disks with Disks+; partitioning and formatting are not among its listed features. |
| Network shares | Share folders over Samba; mount SMB shares from other machines. |
| Recurring jobs | Cron tasks for app restarts, image pulls, backups, allowlisted commands and scripts. HomeDock OS lists no task scheduler. |
| Backups | A weekly archive of the database, /DATA and your stacks, seven kept, restored from Settings. Copy them off the disk. HomeDock OS offers backups with its paid cloud instances. |
| Remote access | Tailscale for you, Cloudflare Tunnel for apps you share, both in Settings → Integrations. HomeDock OS's Secure Tunnel is an Enterprise module. |
| Accounts | One account with TOTP two-factor and backup codes. Multi-user is planned for 2.0. HomeDock OS has multiple users, 2FA and native HTTPS. Ahead here. |
| App updates | Update badges when the catalogue moves to a newer version tag; redeploy pulls fresh images. HomeDock OS checks :latest images every six hours and offers Update All. |
Yes, and a close one. Both put a desktop with windows in the browser, with an app store, a file explorer, a code editor, live stats and two-factor login. The difference is how far each goes into the host: Homeio also partitions and formats disks, shares folders over Samba, mounts SMB shares, runs scheduled tasks and takes backups. HomeDock OS goes further in other directions: an encrypted file vault, a calendar, and support for Windows and macOS hosts.
It runs on more hosts: Linux, Windows and macOS, down to a Raspberry Pi Zero, and inside Docker. Its official store is larger, over 200 apps, and it imports CasaOS- and Zima-compatible stores in one click. It has DropZone, an AES-256-GCM encrypted vault with per-user keys, a file browser for container volumes, multiple user accounts, and a background update check every six hours.
Host management. Homeio partitions, formats and mounts disks; shares folders over Samba and mounts SMB shares from other machines; switches Wi-Fi and Ethernet through NetworkManager; runs cron-scheduled tasks for commands, scripts, app restarts, image pulls and backups; and takes weekly backups of its database, /DATA and your stacks. Tailscale and Cloudflare Tunnel are settings, not apps.
HomeDock OS is licensed under PolyForm Strict 1.0.0: you can use it, but you may not modify it or redistribute it, and it is meant for noncommercial use. Its Enterprise modules need a commercial licence. Homeio is open source under the AGPL-3.0: you can use it anywhere, read it, change it, fork it and redistribute it. The one condition is that a modified version you distribute, or run as a service for others, stays under the same licence.
In both. HomeDock OS has its own .hds package format for bundling a Compose file with an icon and metadata, and imports whole third-party stores. Homeio takes a Compose file or a docker run command directly as a custom app, and adds other CasaOS-format catalogs as store sources from a ZIP URL.
Yes. Both run apps as Docker containers, so app data carries over. Install Homeio on the same Linux machine on another port with HOMEIO_PUBLIC_PORT, or use its Docker install on 12026. Your HomeDock containers show up on Homeio's desktop, read-only. Reinstall each app from Homeio's store or as a custom Compose app, pointing its volumes at the existing data, then remove it from HomeDock OS. Export anything in DropZone first, since those files are encrypted.
Not yet. Homeio has one account, with TOTP two-factor login and backup codes; multi-user with roles is planned for 2.0. If several people need their own accounts and private files today, HomeDock OS is the better fit.
Choose HomeDock OS if the host is Windows or macOS, if you want an encrypted vault for files, or if several people need accounts. Choose Homeio if the host is Debian, Ubuntu or Raspberry Pi OS and you want the dashboard to handle disks, shares, scheduled jobs and backups too, under an open-source licence.
curl -fsSL https://get.homeio.app | sudo bash on Debian, Ubuntu or Raspberry Pi OS, which serves the UI on port 80, or docker compose up -d from a clone of the repository, which serves it on 12026. The first account you create is the only one; registration closes behind it.
The demo needs no install. On a spare machine or a VM, the Docker install takes a few minutes and listens on port 12026, so it does not fight your current setup for port 80.