PM2 vs Process Compose in 2026

Q: Is PM2 free to use?

PM2 Runtime remains free because it is open source . PM2 Plus does not offer any free plan . Its page also mentions a 20% discount on a subscription, and says it only refers to PM2 Plus . The facts here do not give a dollar price for PM2 Plus, so the price is not published here .

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 . The sources here do not state any paid tier, so the only price they give is free. Check the project's own pages if you need more detail on future plans.

PM2 and Process Compose 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 · 2026-10-24

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

PM2 offers an AI assistant that connects Claude, Cursor or any MCP-compatible AI assistant to its monitoring data ^[1]. Process Compose is a scheduler and orchestrator for managing non-containerized applications ^[2]. DevWebUI starts, stops and restarts local dev servers from one dashboard ^[3]. PM2's page says 44 AI tools are available for its assistant ^[1], and DevWebUI's sources describe status, CPU, memory and logs for each server in its dashboard ^[3]. DevWebUI is free ^[3], while PM2 Plus has no free plan ^[4].

Option	Free to use	Paid plan	Account	Install
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 ^[1]	npm install pm2 -g ^[1]
Process Compose	Not published in the facts here ^[2]	Not published in the facts here ^[2]	Not published in the facts here ^[2]	Single binary, no other dependencies ^[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

PM2 can be installed globally with npm ^[1]. Process Compose is a scheduler and orchestrator for managing non-containerized applications ^[2]. 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].

If you need an AI assistant, PM2's page describes an AI assistant that reads monitoring data such as server status, metrics, logs, exceptions, traces and alerts ^[1], and says 44 AI tools are available ^[1]. Process Compose's page calls it a scheduler and orchestrator for non-containerized applications. 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 PM2 and Process Compose are built for

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 ^[1]. The page says 44 AI tools are available ^[1] and that it works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Cursor ^[1]. PM2's page gives an MCP endpoint for AI assistants to point to ^[1].

Process Compose's own page calls it a simple and flexible scheduler and orchestrator to manage non-containerized applications. It is a single binary file with no other dependencies because it is written in Go.

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 in your browser keeps working through it ^[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 also 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

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 subscription, and says that discount only refers to PM2 Plus ^[4]. After you cancel a subscription, you finish the current month and then access is disabled ^[4]. The PM2 sources given here do not state a dollar price for PM2 Plus, so it is not published here ^[4].

Process Compose's page does not state a price, and its facts here say nothing about paid plans, so the price is not published here.

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

PM2 can be installed globally with npm using npm install pm2 -g ^[1]. Using the AI assistant needs a PM2.io account for the OAuth sign in ^[1], and the page gives an MCP endpoint for AI assistants to point to ^[1]. The sources here say nothing more about its setup or routine use.

Process Compose is a single binary file with no other dependencies. The sources here say nothing further about its installation steps or daily workflow.

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: local dev servers during development, an application kept online around the clock, or non-containerized applications on a schedule. PM2's page describes keeping an application online around the clock. Process Compose's page calls it a scheduler and orchestrator for non-containerized applications. DevWebUI's claims speak of local dev servers ^[3].

Check your operating system. DevWebUI has a prebuilt Windows x64 app, and other systems run it from source with Bun ^[3]. Process Compose is a single binary written in Go with no other dependencies. Check Process Compose's own pages for the platforms its binary covers, since the facts here do not list them.

Check cost and accounts. PM2 Plus has no free plan ^[4], and the PM2 AI Assistant uses a PM2.io account ^[1]. Process Compose's page does not state a price ^[2].

Check what data leaves your machine. DevWebUI sends an anonymous install ping with update checks unless you set DEVWEBUI_NO_PING=1 ^[3]. Check PM2's and Process Compose'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 need an application kept online around the clock, look for restart and recovery features in each tool's own pages.

If you want to manage non-containerized applications with scheduling, Process Compose's page calls it a scheduler and orchestrator for that purpose.

If you want an AI assistant to connect to monitoring data, PM2's page says 44 AI tools are available and that the assistant works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Cursor ^[1] ^[1].

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, PM2's assistant link reads monitoring data after a PM2.io sign in ^[1], and DevWebUI lets AI assistants control your dev servers through 43 tools ^[3].

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

Frequently asked questions

Is PM2 free to use?

PM2 Runtime remains free because it is open source ^[4]. PM2 Plus does not offer any free plan ^[4]. Its page also mentions a 20% discount on a subscription, and says it only refers to PM2 Plus ^[4]. The facts here do not give a dollar price for PM2 Plus, so the price is not published here ^[4].

Is Process Compose free to use?

Process Compose's page calls it a scheduler and orchestrator for non-containerized applications, and says it is a single binary with no other dependencies. The facts here do not state a price or a paid plan for Process Compose, so its cost is not published here. Check its own pages for current pricing.

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]. The sources here do not state any paid tier, so the only price they give is free. Check the project's own pages if you need more detail on future plans.

How do you install PM2, Process Compose and DevWebUI?

PM2 can be installed globally with npm using npm install pm2 -g ^[1]. Process Compose is a single binary file with no other dependencies. 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 PM2, Process Compose or DevWebUI work with AI assistants like Claude?

PM2's AI Assistant (MCP) connects Claude, Cursor or any MCP-compatible assistant to monitoring data such as server status, metrics, logs, exceptions, traces and alerts, secured by OAuth with a PM2.io account ^[1]. The page says 44 AI tools are available ^[1], and it gives an MCP endpoint for AI assistants to point to ^[1]. 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