head to head · open source
NetData vs pg_activity
NetData has 81,255 GitHub stars, 6,717 forks, 393 open issues and last shipped yesterday. pg_activity has 3,053 stars, 195 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. NetData leads on adoption by 2,561% (81,255 vs 3,053 stars). NetData is written in Go under GPL-3.0; pg_activity is written in Python under PostgreSQL. NetData has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, pg_activity 6%. NetData was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| NetData | pg_activity | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 81K | ★ 3.1K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | PostgreSQL |
| Written in | Go | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-21 |
| Forks | ⑂ 6.7K | ⑂ 195 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick NetData if
- You weight community size — 81K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick pg_activity if
- You want the pg_activity feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the PostgreSQL license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and pg_activity fits your workflow better
About NetData
X Ray Vision for your infrastructure! Every Metric, Every Second. No BS. Visit our Home Page MENU: WHO WE ARE KEY FEATURES GETTING STARTED HOW IT WORKS FAQ DOCS COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTE LICENSE [!WARNING] People get addicted to Netdata. Once you use it on your systems, there's no going back. WHO WE ARE Netdata is an open source, real time infrastructure monitoring platform. Monitor, detect, and act across your entire infrastructure. Core Advantages: Instant Insights – With Netdata you can access per second metrics and visualizations. Zero Configuration – You can deploy immediately without complex setup. ML Powered –…
read the full NetData overview →
About pg_activity
Command line tool for PostgreSQL server activity monitoring. Installation From distribution packages The simplest way to install pg\ activity is through the package manager of your Linux distribution, if it ships with a package. E.g., on Debian based distributions (e.g. Debian, Ubuntu, Mint...): $ sudo apt install pg activity (on Debian bullseye, the current stable version, a backport is available: apt install pg activity/bullseye backports ). The PostgreSQL Global Development Group (PGDG) also provides packages for RPM based ( and Debian based distributions ( Note: distribution packages may not be up to date…
read the full pg_activity overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is NetData or pg_activity more popular?
NetData has 81,255 GitHub stars and pg_activity has 3,053. NetData has the larger community by that measure.
Are NetData and pg_activity free?
Both are open source. NetData is licensed under GPL-3.0 and pg_activity under PostgreSQL. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between NetData and pg_activity?
NetData is written in Go and pg_activity in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, NetData or pg_activity?
Choose NetData if you want the larger community (81,255 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose pg_activity if its feature set, stack or PostgreSQL licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.