Datadog charges $15/host/month. You have 5 servers. That's $75/month to see CPU graphs.
Beszel does the same job with an agent that uses less than 10MB of RAM. The entire monitoring stack - hub + agent - runs comfortably on the cheapest server you can buy.
I've been running Beszel across 4 servers for the past few months. Here's every way to host it in 2026, with what each option actually costs.
What Is Beszel?
Beszel is a lightweight, self-hosted server monitoring tool. It has two components:
- Hub - the web dashboard that collects and displays metrics (runs on one server)
- Agent - a tiny binary that runs on each monitored server and reports metrics back
The agent uses <10MB of RAM. Compare that to:
- Netdata agent: 200-500MB
- Datadog agent: 200-500MB
- Prometheus + node_exporter: 100-300MB
- Full Grafana stack: 500MB+
For small to medium infrastructure (1-20 servers), Beszel gives you CPU, memory, disk, network, and Docker container metrics with a clean dashboard. No YAML configs, no query languages, no data retention costs.
Method 1: One-Click Managed Hosting ($3/mo)
Setup time: 60 seconds
Monthly cost: $3
Best for: Getting Beszel running instantly without managing a server
Managed hosting platforms deploy Beszel pre-configured. You get the hub running at a live URL with HTTPS in about a minute. Then you install the agent on each server you want to monitor.
The hub is lightweight enough to run on a $3/mo plan (0.5 vCPU, 512MB RAM). I've been running it with 4 agents reporting every 10 seconds and it barely touches 50MB of RAM.
On InstaPods, the deploy takes one click. You get SSH access if you need to customize the config, automatic HTTPS, and no server management.
After the hub is running, install the agent on each server you want to monitor:
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/henrygd/beszel/main/supplemental/scripts/install-agent.sh -o install-agent.sh && chmod +x install-agent.sh && ./install-agent.sh
The agent connects to your hub URL and starts reporting metrics immediately.
Pros: Fastest setup, zero maintenance, cheapest option
Cons: Hub runs on managed infra (you SSH in but don't control the OS)
Method 2: Docker on a VPS ($4-5/mo)
Setup time: 15-30 minutes
Monthly cost: $4-5
Best for: Developers who want full control
Rent a VPS from Hetzner ($4.51/mo for CX22) or DigitalOcean ($4/mo), install Docker, and run Beszel with Docker Compose:
services:
beszel:
image: henrygd/beszel
container_name: beszel
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- 8090:8090
volumes:
- ./beszel_data:/beszel_data
Then add nginx as a reverse proxy and set up Let's Encrypt for HTTPS.
Total setup: about 15 minutes if you've done Docker deploys before. 30+ minutes if it's your first time.
Pros: Full control, can run other services on the same VPS
Cons: You manage everything - updates, SSL renewal, backups, nginx config
Method 3: Run It on an Existing Server ($0)
Setup time: 5 minutes
Monthly cost: $0 (uses existing resources)
Best for: If you already have a VPS running other services
Beszel is light enough to add to any existing server without impacting performance. The hub uses ~50MB RAM under normal load. Install it directly:
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/henrygd/beszel/main/supplemental/scripts/install-hub.sh | bash
This installs the hub binary and sets it up as a systemd service. No Docker required. It runs on port 8090 by default.
If you already have a reverse proxy (nginx/caddy) running on that server, add a server block to expose Beszel on a subdomain.
Pros: Free, minimal resource usage, no Docker needed
Cons: Shares resources with other services, monitoring your monitor (if the server goes down, you lose visibility)
Method 4: Elestio (~$17/mo)
Setup time: 5 minutes
Monthly cost: ~$17
Best for: Teams that want fully managed hosting with support
Elestio handles deployment, updates, backups, and monitoring of your Beszel instance. You get enterprise-grade hosting without touching a terminal.
At $17/mo for a monitoring tool, the cost only makes sense for teams managing production infrastructure where uptime matters enough to justify the premium.
Pros: Fully managed, includes backups and monitoring
Cons: Most expensive option by far for a monitoring tool
Cost Comparison
| Method | Monthly Cost | Setup Time | You Manage | Docker Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managed hosting | $3 | 60 sec | Nothing | No |
| Docker on VPS | $4-5 | 15-30 min | Everything | Yes |
| Existing server | $0 | 5 min | Beszel updates | No |
| Elestio | $17 | 5 min | Nothing | No |
Beszel vs Datadog/New Relic: When to Use What
Beszel replaces Datadog and New Relic for a specific use case: server-level monitoring for small to medium infrastructure.
Use Beszel when:
- You're monitoring 1-20 servers
- You need CPU, memory, disk, network metrics
- You want Docker container monitoring
- You don't need APM (application performance monitoring)
- Budget matters more than features
Use Datadog/New Relic when:
- You're monitoring 50+ servers
- You need APM with distributed tracing
- You need log aggregation and analysis
- You need custom metrics and dashboards beyond server basics
- Your company is paying (not your credit card)
The gap between Beszel and Datadog is features, not quality. Beszel's metrics are accurate and its dashboard is clean. It's not trying to be an enterprise observability platform - it's trying to be the best lightweight server monitor, and it succeeds.
My Setup
I run the Beszel hub on a $3/mo managed server with agents on 4 servers. Total cost: $3/mo for monitoring my entire infrastructure. The same setup on Datadog would cost $60/mo ($15/host x 4).
The dashboard gives me everything I check daily: CPU load, memory usage, disk space, network throughput, and container status. If I need deeper analysis, I SSH into the server directly.
For most independent developers and small teams, Beszel is the monitoring tool you actually need. Not the one enterprise sales teams convinced you to buy.
What monitoring tool are you using for your servers? Curious if anyone's tried switching from Datadog/Grafana to something lighter.
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