Concurrently vs Foreman in 2026

Concurrently and Foreman both run several dev commands at once. See what each does, what each costs and how it is installed before you pick one.

By SayDeploy · 2026-10-18

SayDeploy is published by LunarWerx, which makes some of the tools compared here.

Concurrently and Foreman both run several of your dev commands at once, and it helps to see how each one does it before you choose.

Option	Free to use	Paid plan	Account	Install
Concurrently	Not stated in the facts here	Not stated in the facts here	not published	Installed in the global scope or locally for a package with npm, or with yarn, pnpm or bun ^[1]
Foreman	MIT licensed ^[2]	Not stated in the facts here	not published	gem install foreman ^[2]
DevWebUI	Free, core features need no account ^[3]	No paid tier is stated; it is free ^[3]	Not needed for core features ^[3]	devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases, or bun install then bun run dev ^[3]

The short answer

Concurrently runs several commands at once and prefixes each one's output so it is easy to follow ^[1]. Foreman is a manager for Procfile-based applications, and can run an application directly or export it to another process management format ^[4]^[4]. DevWebUI lets a developer start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs ^[3].

On needs, Concurrently's page says it runs any commands and works cross-platform, including Windows ^[1]^[1], and has a --kill-others switch that kills all commands if one dies ^[1]. Foreman's page speaks of managing Procfile-based applications ^[2] and running one-off commands with the same environment as your defined processes ^[4]. DevWebUI's sources cover a dashboard for starting and watching local servers ^[3], a small file in each repo that lists the servers to run ^[3] and a way for AI assistants to control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[3].

What Concurrently, Foreman is built for

Concurrently's page says it can run any commands even though the tool is written in Node.js ^[1]. It works cross-platform, including Windows ^[1]. Its output is easy to follow with prefixes ^[1].

It offers a --kill-others switch that kills all commands if one dies ^[1], a maxProcesses option that limits how many processes run at once ^[1], and a restartTries option that sets how many attempts restart a dying process ^[1]. It can be installed globally or locally for a specific package ^[1], and npm can be replaced with yarn, pnpm or bun ^[1]. The command is also available under the shorthand alias conc ^[1].

Foreman is a manager for Procfile-based applications ^[4], created and maintained by David Dollar ^[2]. Its aim is to abstract away the details of the Procfile format ^[4]. It can run an application directly or export it to another process management format ^[4], and supports the export formats bluepill, inittab, launchd, runit, supervisord, systemd and upstart ^[4]. foreman run runs one-off commands with the same environment as your defined processes ^[4].

What DevWebUI is built for

DevWebUI is made by the team that publishes this site.

It lets you start, stop and restart your local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs ^[3]. One small file per repo lists the servers to run, and processes changed in the GUI are written back to that file ^[3].

When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask ^[3]. You can open any server it manages through one DevWebUI address on your own machine, and live page reloading keeps working through it because HTTP and WebSocket traffic is passed through ^[3]. Errors are collected into one log that merges repeats and is kept across restarts, and each file:line link opens in your editor ^[3].

A setting in the repo file can start the project's Docker services first, such as a database, wait until they are ready and pass their connection settings to your servers ^[3]. You can set threshold alert rules and see a history of the alerts that fired ^[3]. AI assistants can control your dev servers through 43 tools, using the same background service as the dashboard ^[3].

Pricing and fees

The facts here give no price for Concurrently or Foreman. Check each tool's own pages for current terms.

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account ^[3]. It is open source under the MIT License ^[3]. No paid tier price is stated in its sources.

Setting it up and daily use

Concurrently can be installed in the global scope or locally for a specific package ^[1], and yarn, pnpm or bun can replace npm in its examples. Its command is also available under the shorthand alias conc ^[1]. The facts here say nothing more about its daily use.

Foreman can be installed with the command gem install foreman ^[2]. foreman run runs one-off commands with the same environment as your defined processes ^[4]. The facts here say nothing more about its daily routine.

On Windows, DevWebUI is installed by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases ^[3]. On any operating system, you run bun install and then bun run dev ^[3]. There is a prebuilt Windows x64 app, other systems run it from source with Bun, and the tray app is Windows-only for now ^[3]. On Windows, a tray icon keeps DevWebUI running in the background and has Open, Restart and Quit options ^[3].

Daily, you control servers from the dashboard ^[3] or from a devwebui command-line tool that lets you control servers without the dashboard ^[3]. If the last shutdown was not clean, the next launch loads your projects but starts nothing automatically ^[3].

Things to check before you choose

Ask what you need the tool to manage: several dev commands running at once, or a group of processes defined in a Procfile. Concurrently's page speaks of running any commands ^[1], and Foreman's page speaks of managing Procfile-based applications ^[2]. DevWebUI's claims speak of local dev servers ^[3].

Check how you want output and control handled. Concurrently's page says its output is easy to follow with prefixes ^[1]. Neither Concurrently nor Foreman describes a dashboard in the facts here, so ask whether you want one; DevWebUI's claims describe one ^[3].

Check your operating system. Concurrently works cross-platform, including Windows ^[1]. The facts here do not say which platforms Foreman supports, so check its own pages. DevWebUI has a prebuilt Windows x64 app, and other systems run it from source with Bun ^[3].

Check cost and accounts. DevWebUI is free with no account for core features ^[3]. The facts here give no price or account needs for Concurrently or Foreman, so check their pages.

Check what data leaves your machine. DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1 ^[3]. Check Concurrently's and Foreman's own pages for their data handling, since the facts here do not cover it.

Check access control if others can reach the tool. DevWebUI can be set to ask for a key before other programs can control it, and a browser gets that key by typing a 6-digit pairing code, with a few listed exceptions ^[3].

How to choose

If you want several commands run at once with easy to follow output, Concurrently's page says it does that ^[1].

If you want a tool that manages a Procfile-based application and can run it directly or export it to another process management format, Foreman's page says that ^[2]^[4].

If you want to start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard with status, CPU, memory and logs, DevWebUI's claims describe that ^[3].

If you want a small file in your repo that lists the servers to run ^[3], with Docker services started first ^[3], DevWebUI's claims describe that.

If you want an AI assistant to work with the tool, DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[3]. The facts here say nothing about AI assistance for Concurrently or Foreman, so check their pages if that matters.

If you want a free tool with no account for core features, DevWebUI's claims say that ^[3].

Frequently asked questions

Is Concurrently free to use?

The facts here do not state a price for Concurrently, so its price is not published here. Its page describes a command-line tool that runs any commands and works cross-platform ^[1]^[1]. Check the project's own page for its license and any current pricing before you rely on it.

Is Foreman free to use?

Its price is not published here. Its own page describes it as a manager for Procfile-based applications ^[4]. Check its own pages if you need detail on current pricing.

How is Concurrently installed?

Concurrently can be installed in the global scope or locally for a specific package ^[1]. In its examples, yarn, pnpm or bun can replace npm. The command is also available under the shorthand alias conc ^[1]. The facts here say nothing more about its setup, so check its page for exact commands.

How is Foreman and DevWebUI installed?

Foreman can be installed with the command gem install foreman ^[2]. On Windows, DevWebUI is installed by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases, and on any OS you run bun install and then bun run dev ^[3]. Other systems run DevWebUI from source with Bun ^[3].

Can Concurrently or Foreman run multiple dev commands at once?

Concurrently runs several commands at once and prefixes each one's output so it is easy to follow ^[1], with options like --kill-others, maxProcesses and restartTries ^[1]^[1]^[1]. Foreman manages Procfile-based applications and can run an application directly ^[4]^[4]. For a dashboard view of local dev servers with status, CPU, memory and logs, DevWebUI's claims describe that ^[3].

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. ^[3]

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