Honcho vs mprocs in 2026

Honcho and mprocs compared on what each does, what each costs, how each is installed and what to check before you pick one for your dev servers.

By SayDeploy · 2026-10-30

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

Honcho is a Python port of David Dollar's Foreman for managing and running Procfile-based applications ^[1]. The mprocs source supplied here does not establish what mprocs does, so check mprocs' own pages before you decide. DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard ^[2]. DevWebUI is free, and no price is published for Honcho or mprocs in the facts here ^[2].

Option	Free to use	Paid plan	Account	Install
Honcho	Python port of Foreman for managing and running Procfile-based applications ^[1]	Not published ^[1]	Not published ^[1]	pip install honcho ^[1]
mprocs	Not published ^[3]	Not published ^[3]	Not published ^[3]	Not published ^[3]
DevWebUI	Free ^[2]	No paid tier stated ^[2]	Not needed for core features ^[2]	devwebui-windows-x64.exe or bun install then bun run dev ^[2]

The short answer

Honcho is a Python port of David Dollar's Foreman for managing and running Procfile-based applications ^[1]. It is also a Python library for running multiple external processes and multiplexing their output ^[4]. The mprocs source supplied here does not establish what mprocs does. DevWebUI lets a developer start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard, and see each one's status, CPU, memory and logs ^[2].

For that need, Honcho's page describes running multiple external processes and combining their output ^[4]. DevWebUI's sources cover a dashboard for starting and watching local servers ^[2], a small file in each repo that lists the servers to run ^[2] and a way for AI assistants to control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[2].

What Honcho and mprocs are built for

Honcho's own page calls it a Python port of David Dollar's Foreman ^[1]. It can be installed with pip when you have a working Python and pip installation ^[1].

Honcho is also a Python library and API for running multiple external processes and multiplexing their output ^[4].

The mprocs sources supplied here do not describe what mprocs does for a developer, so check mprocs' own pages for its features and how it is installed.

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 ^[2]. One small file per repo lists the servers to run, and processes changed in the GUI are written back to that file ^[2].

When a port is already taken, it shows which process holds it and can free the port if you ask ^[2]. You can open any server it manages through one DevWebUI address on your own machine, and live page reloading in your browser keeps working through it ^[2]. Errors are collected into one log that merges repeats and is kept across restarts, and each file:line link opens in your editor ^[2].

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 ^[2]. You can also set threshold alert rules and see a history of the alerts that fired ^[2]. AI assistants can control your dev servers through 43 tools, using the same background service as the dashboard ^[2].

Pricing and fees

The facts here do not state a price for Honcho, so it is not published here ^[1]. The facts here do not state a price for mprocs, so it is not published here ^[3].

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account ^[2]. It is open source under the MIT License ^[2]. No paid tier price is stated in its sources.

Setting it up and daily use

Honcho can be installed with pip when you have a working Python and pip installation ^[1].

The mprocs facts here do not describe an install command or daily use, so check its own pages for that.

On Windows, DevWebUI is installed by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases ^[2]. The documented source-based method is to run bun install followed by bun run dev ^[2]. There is a prebuilt Windows x64 app, other systems run it from source with Bun, and the tray app is Windows-only for now ^[2]. On Windows, a tray icon keeps DevWebUI running in the background and has Open, Restart and Quit options ^[2].

Daily, you control servers from the dashboard ^[2] or from a devwebui command-line tool that lets you control servers without the dashboard ^[2]. If the last shutdown was not clean, the next launch loads your projects but starts nothing automatically ^[2].

Things to check before you choose

Ask what you need the tool to manage: Procfile-based applications, multiple external processes, or local dev servers during development. DevWebUI says it lets developers start, stop and restart local dev servers from one dashboard. ^[2]

Check your operating system. DevWebUI has a prebuilt Windows x64 app, and other systems run it from source with Bun ^[2].

Check cost and accounts. No price is published for Honcho or mprocs in the facts here. DevWebUI is free and its core features need no account ^[2].

Check what data leaves your machine. DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1 ^[2]. Check Honcho's and mprocs' 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 ^[2].

How to choose

If you want to run multiple external processes and combine their output, Honcho's page describes that ^[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 ^[2].

If you want a small file in your repo that lists the servers to run ^[2], with Docker services started first ^[2], 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 ^[2].

If you want a free tool with no account for core features, DevWebUI's claims say that ^[2].

Frequently asked questions

Is Honcho free to use?

The facts here do not state a price for Honcho, so it is not published here ^[1]. Honcho is a Python port of David Dollar's Foreman for managing and running Procfile-based applications ^[1]. It can be installed with pip when you have a working Python and pip installation ^[1]. Check Honcho's own pages for any licensing or cost details.

Is mprocs free to use?

The facts here do not state a price for mprocs, so it is not published here ^[3]. The mprocs source supplied here does not establish what mprocs does. The facts here do not say what mprocs does for a developer, so check its own pages for that.

How do you install Honcho and DevWebUI?

Honcho can be installed with pip when you have a working Python and pip installation ^[1]. 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 ^[2]. Other systems run DevWebUI from source with Bun ^[2].

Can Honcho or DevWebUI work with AI assistants like Claude?

The Honcho facts here do not mention AI assistants, so check its own pages for that. DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools, using the same background service as the dashboard ^[2]. The mprocs source supplied here does not establish AI assistant support, so check mprocs' own pages for that before you rely on it.

Does DevWebUI send any data about the machine?

DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1 ^[2]. Its sources here say nothing further about data collection. For Honcho and mprocs, the facts here do not cover data handling, so check their own pages and your account terms before relying on either tool in a sensitive setting.

DevWebUI is free, and its core features need no account. ^[2]

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