Glances vs Sematext Container Monitoring
Glances
nicolargo.github.io
Sematext Container Monitoring
sematext.comSide by side
| Figure | Glances | Sematext Container Monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $2.52/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Spec score · Container Monitoring | 8.8 (#8) | 8.6 (#10) |
| Deployment | Glances can be installed with pip, pipx, Homebrew or Linux and FreeBSD packages, and Docker images are available. | The agent can run as a Kubernetes DaemonSet, Docker Swarm service, with Rancher, Nomad, Portainer, Mesos or DC/OS, or through a docker run command. |
| Documentation depth | Official documentation covers installation, quickstart, configuration, command reference, plugins, exports, APIs, and MCP usage. | The documentation includes container metrics, metadata, events, configuration, Kubernetes, Docker, Helm, permissions, troubleshooting and agent release notes. |
| Support | The project directs users to its manual, official Reddit forum and GitHub Discussions for help. | The product page says support is available by email, live chat, or phone. |
| What it does | Glances is a Python-based, cross-platform system monitoring tool with terminal and web interfaces. | Container Monitoring provides centralized visibility into container health and performance across distributed infrastructure. |
Plans
Sematext Container Monitoring
- Free trialFree
- Infra Monitoring (annual)$2.52 a month
- Infra Monitoring — Basic$2.80 a month
- Infra Monitoring (monthly)$2.80 a month
In their own words
Glances
Glances is a free, open-source, cross-platform tool for monitoring real-time system statistics and running processes. Its listed coverage includes CPU, memory, load, processes, network, disk I/O, sensors, filesystems, containers, alerts, and uptime. Client/server mode enables remote monitoring through a terminal, web interface, or API, while its built-in web UI lets users view a system from a browser-equipped device. Statistics can be exported to CSV or JSON files, databases such as InfluxDB and Prometheus, brokers such as RabbitMQ and Kafka, or a REST endpoint. The project documents Docker and Podman support and describes Docker and LXC container monitoring in its README. Installation options include pip, pipx, Homebrew, Linux and FreeBSD packages, and Docker images. Glances 4 requires Python 3.10 or higher. Its default installation does not include web interface dependencies; separate extras cover features such as web, GPU, containers, exports, and MCP. Version 4.5.1 and higher can provide an MCP server for AI assistants. The project uses the LGPL version 3 license.
Sematext Container Monitoring
Sematext Container Monitoring provides visibility into containerized and distributed infrastructure. Its lightweight Sematext Agent runs as a container and gathers host and container metrics, logs, and events. Deployment options include Kubernetes DaemonSet, Docker Swarm, Rancher, Nomad, Portainer, Mesos, DC/OS, or a docker run command. The service can discover applications in containers and start monitoring agents automatically. Dashboards and alert rules are supplied for collected data, while a shared dashboard lets you filter metrics, logs, and events together. Troubleshooting views show hot containers, top processes, and Kubernetes details such as replica counts and pod restarts. Supported environments include Docker platforms, Kubernetes services, AWS ECS and EKS, AKS, GKE, OpenShift, and others. The product lists more than 100 integrations. A free plan and 14-day trial are available; the trial requires no credit card. Basic Infra Monitoring starts at $2.80 a month, with metered usage.