PM2 Runtime remains free as it is open source . PM2 Plus does not offer any free plan . A yearly subscription gets a 20% discount , but the dollar amount is not published.

Honcho vs PM2 in 2026

Q: Is Honcho free to use?

Honcho can be installed with pip . Its sources do not list a paid tier, so the price is not published.

Q: Is DevWebUI free and open source?

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

Compare Honcho, PM2, and DevWebUI on capabilities, pricing, installation, and key considerations for local development and process management.

By SayDeploy · 2026-10-22

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

Honcho can be installed with pip ^[1]. PM2 keeps applications online 24/7 ^[2]. DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, with status, CPU, memory and logs ^[3].

Option	Free to use	Paid plan	Account	Install
Honcho	Not published ^[1]	Not published ^[1]		pip install honcho ^[1]
PM2	PM2 Runtime remains free as it is open source ^[4]	PM2 Plus has no free plan ^[4]; 20% yearly discount ^[4]; price not published	PM2.io account for the AI assistant ^[2]	npm install pm2 -g ^[2]
DevWebUI	Free, core features need no account ^[3]	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

Honcho can be installed with pip and lets a developer run Procfile‑based applications ^[1]. PM2 is a daemon process manager that helps manage applications and keep them online 24/7 ^[2]. DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard, and shows each server’s status, CPU, memory and logs ^[3].

On needs, Honcho’s sources mention installation via pip ^[1] and runpy invocation ^[5]. PM2’s page says it covers keeping an app online 24/7 ^[2] and web‑based monitoring ^[2], plus an AI assistant that reads monitoring data ^[2]. DevWebUI’s claims describe a dashboard for local servers ^[3], a repo file that lists servers ^[3] and AI control through 43 tools ^[3].

What Honcho, PM2 is built for

Honcho can be installed with pip ^[1] and supports runpy invocation ^[5]. PM2’s own page calls it a daemon process manager that will help you manage and keep your application online 24/7 ^[2]. It can be installed globally with npm ^[2]. Monitoring is web based and starts with the command pm2 monitor ^[2]. The PM2 AI Assistant (MCP) connects Claude, Cursor or any MCP‑compatible AI assistant to monitoring data such as server status, metrics, logs, exceptions, traces and alerts, secured by OAuth with a PM2.io account ^[2].

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 managed server through DevWebUI’s own port, with HTTP and WebSocket traffic 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, wait for them to be ready and pass connection settings to your servers ^[3]. You can set threshold alert rules and see a history of alerts that fired ^[3]. AI assistants can control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[3].

Pricing and fees

Honcho’s sources do not state a paid tier or price, so its cost is not published ^[1]. PM2 Plus does not offer any free plan, but PM2 Runtime remains free as it is open source ^[4]. Its page also mentions a 20% discount on a yearly subscription for PM2 Plus ^[4], and the dollar amount is not published ^[4].

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

Honcho can be installed with pip if you have a working Python and pip installation ^[1]. It can also be invoked as a Python module via runpy ^[5]. PM2 can be installed globally with npm using npm install pm2 -g ^[2]. For day‑to‑day monitoring, its page says the web‑based dashboard starts with pm2 monitor ^[2]. Using the AI assistant needs a PM2.io account for the OAuth sign‑in ^[2].

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 talks to the same REST API ^[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: Procfile‑based applications with Honcho ^[1], an application kept online 24/7 with PM2 ^[2], or local dev servers with DevWebUI ^[3].

Check your operating system and installation method: pip for Honcho ^[1], npm for PM2 ^[2], or prebuilt binaries and Bun for DevWebUI ^[3].

Check cost and accounts: PM2 Plus has no free plan ^[4] and its AI Assistant uses a PM2.io account ^[2]. Honcho’s price is not published ^[1], and DevWebUI’s core features are free and need no account ^[3].

Check what data leaves your machine: DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1 ^[3]. Review Honcho and PM2 pages for their data handling, as the facts here do not cover it.

Check access control if others can reach the tool: DevWebUI can require a key on API routes with a 6‑digit pairing code ^[3].

How to choose

If you need a tool that can be installed with pip and run Procfile‑based apps, Honcho’s sources describe that capability ^[1]. If you need an application kept online 24/7, PM2’s page says that is its purpose ^[2]. If you want web‑based monitoring started from a command, PM2’s page describes pm2 monitor ^[2].

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 repo file that lists servers and can launch Docker services first, DevWebUI’s claims describe that ^[3] and ^[3].

If you want an AI assistant to work with the tool, PM2’s assistant link reads monitoring data after a PM2.io sign‑in ^[2], and DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[3]. If you want a free tool with no account needed for core features, DevWebUI’s claims say that ^[3].

Frequently asked questions

Is Honcho free to use?

Honcho can be installed with pip ^[1]. Its sources do not list a paid tier, so the price is not published.

Is PM2 free to use?

PM2 Runtime remains free as it is open source ^[4]. PM2 Plus does not offer any free plan ^[4]. A yearly subscription gets a 20% discount ^[4], but the dollar amount is not published.

Is DevWebUI free and open source?

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.

How do you install Honcho, PM2 and DevWebUI?

Honcho can be installed with pip if you have Python and pip ^[1]. PM2 can be installed globally with npm using npm install pm2 -g ^[2]. On Windows, DevWebUI is installed by downloading devwebui-windows-x64.exe from GitHub Releases, and on any OS you run bun install then bun run dev ^[3].

Can PM2 or DevWebUI work with AI assistants like Claude?

PM2's AI Assistant (MCP) connects Claude, Cursor or any MCP‑compatible AI assistant to monitoring data, secured by OAuth with a PM2.io account ^[2]. DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[3].

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

Try DevWebUI