Umbrel vs. Start9
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Replies (43)
My umbrel kept crashing and requiring a reinstall. I got fed up with it.
Start9
I have a threshold and it has given me certain problems although I’m not sure if it’s because of Ubuntu.
I haven’t tried Start9, I think I’ll do it.
same
That’s about the point that I’m at.
I’ve only tried Start9 and I liked it. Gonna try Umbrel one day though. If you end up trying them both out, let us know what you think.
I know someone who got a Start9 before it was publicly available; still running it. Know a couple people who got them more recently and they love it. I'd say for people, Start9 offers more options and reliability than anything else available.
What are you using currently?
Been using Umbrel for a few years now. Clean and easy, but unreliable.
Just running core on my other pc for now until I build another mini pc
I only have experience with @Start9 but my experience has been outstanding. I bought a couple different versions of their hardware and have learned a ton, starting from basically nothing—I am non tech. Their customer service is outstanding on Telegram. Once their next OS upgrade comes out I think it will define the standard for self-hosting and ease of onboarding. Look up Matt Hill and listen to some of his appearances on various podcasts (Stephan Livera would be a good example) to learn about their unique ethos.
The developers know their stuff and are breaking new ground in this area…. Very cool to watch.
I switched last Fall from years of Raspberry Pi 4 running Raspiblitz to Umbrel Home (hardware), now running Umbrel OS 1.1. Smooth as silk.
I haven’t used start9 but would love to, umbrel is alright but when it crashes it a huge pain in the ass to fix, if I had to upgrade I’d probably choose Start9
#asknostr #start9 #umbrel
start9, running for years without problems. loaded it onto a used lenovo thinkcentre mini for free and it just hums away running about 25 self hosted services concurrently.
I only used start 9 and is great! I’m running it on a HP powerdesk with an i5 and 16gb of ram to run free gpt.
Raspiblitz! JK, just being contrarian.
Start9 , but I run raspiblitz 🤙🏽
Dunno much about Umbrel. I use RaspiBlitz and Start9. Both work well. My Start9 is powerful, quick, quiet. Dashboard is clean and easy to use. Pi less power, reliable, quiet.
- RaspiBlitz on a Pi 4 with 8GB, 2TB SSD (Bitcoin Core & Electrs)
- Start9 on DIY Intel NUC, 32GB 2TB SSD (Bitcoin Core, Electrs plus 9 additional services)
I've run both, and they both work well. it's been easier to train my wife on Umbrel because of the slick UI. Shouldn't matter, but it does.
I recommend trying both if you have the time.
No real issues with Umbrel since upgrading to better hardware. Just don’t run your node on a RasPi. I might choose Start9 if I had to do it all over but I haven’t used it personally so I can only report about what I know.
Tested both on an old Chromebook a couple of months ago, Start9 worked no problem, Umbrel struggled. Not the ideal hardware, but I think it's telling that Start9 was able to work well on a virtual machine within the Debian virtual machine the chromebook provides. Whatever they are doing, it's more optimized.
used both. both will get you basic BTC Lightning nodes setup.
Umbrel, is a platform that sits on your operating system. it is easier to understand for non tech and has an extensive range of plug and play apps.
Start9 OS is definitely more tech oriented. It is an Operating System with some ready to go, plug and play apps but limited number compared to Umbrel. that said those with tech skills and knowledge of docker can load and run others, with reduced risk to system . accessing cli requires shh, which makes it much more hands on.
umbrel on linux is due a major update (assuming it hasn't happened). could be a game changer. mac win updates have already run I beleive.
If you run a blog, podcast or similar, Start9 offers platforms to do so out of the box. Haven't found these options on Umbrel.
Both are run on 2010 laptops (Umbrel on Linux) - and run faultlessly.
hope this helps.
ditto @Thank you, Sir. give them both a go see best fit for you. good luck.
Used both, if you're on a PI, umbrel works fine, start9 you need to have a little extra power, so don't try it on a Pi, but its solid and had no issues with it
However, the new Umbrel update has been a lot more reliable
Start9. On a mini PC. Much more stable and reliable.
Start9 on x86 hardware all the way
I haven't used Umbrel, but I set up a Start9 server as a VM on Proxmox on an old Lenovo ThinkCentre, and it's been working great. I still have a lot to learn, but I've enjoyed it.
Hoping Apple announces an M3 Mac Mini soon. My current i5 mini will become my node, retiring my pi4.
Any idea if it’ll run on an Intel Mac Mini?
The new umbrel update bricked my bitcoin node install and I can’t figure out how to remove it and reinstall it, or even just get it running again.
Been running umbrel for years, just thinking about a change. 😊
More reliable on PI? I have pi4 and I'm still reluctant to upgrade to 1.0 as I'm afraid it's like upgrading iPhone 4 to ios7.
I've just flashed UmbrelOS and gettin' ready to put it on a ZimaBoard. Stoked!!
I run both. I think there are cases for either one.
Just ordered a Start9 server pure. @Matt Hill has an insane response time and dedication to this project. I'm impressed with their ethos and want to help make it happen.
While both Umbrel and StartOS are Linux Distros, the apps on Umbrel work in a sort of virtual machine environment, so they are less robust if something goes wrong. On start OS apps are built natively. But I'm not an expert on it.
Both projects are a solid choice with a good price range
I like that you can back up the whole Start9 to another server on your network easily and it has more sort of “swagger” vibes, but the Umbrel runs like a champ for me so far and is definitely user friendly.
Shit, I’m not helping 😂
Amazing example of an organic discussion on Nostr
check with the DIY channel on start9 telegram group, the amswer is with someone there for sure
start9 for ease of use, set-up documentation and killer community support. Price is nice, too.
I use umbrel for non-bitcoin things and Start9 for my node. I like the quantity that Umbrel has for an easy home server and the security that Start9 has for Bitcoin software.
Start9 runs great on an old 2012 i5 Mac Mini. I bought their Pi4-based server initially and it still runs great but is not recommended for Bitcoin Core anymore (I run Vaultwarden and a SimpleX chat server on it primarily, now). I downloaded the OS for FREE and flashed it onto the Mini. They don’t *officially support DIY installs, but in my experience I receive just as much support from their amazing staff as I did with my Pi4. In fact, they only even ever ask about my hardware when it’s relevant (very rarely).
Umbrel >