Dashboard

Free plan Linux

What Dashboard is

Dashboard is a free, open-source desktop dashboard for Linux, centered on a customizable canvas of widgets. Its 12 built-in widgets cover everyday planning and information, including a clock, calendar, todo list, notes, Pomodoro timer, countdown, links, weather, system status, htop, AI chat, and log tail. Users can drag and resize widgets, and the layout and widget state persist across restarts. The frameless window can use a custom title bar, a solid background with opacity, or a wallpaper image. Weather displays current conditions from Open-Meteo, supports city search and Celsius or Fahrenheit, and needs no API key. AI Chat provides multi-turn conversations through the OpenAI API, with settings for the model, system prompt, and API key. System Status reads live CPU, memory, disk, and network rates from /proc; Log Tail follows a log file or the systemd journal, with unit filtering and a configurable line buffer. AppImage and Flatpak releases bundle the 12 widgets and Qt, with Flatpak described as sandboxed. Users can also add Qt widget plugins at runtime from shared libraries, while developers can build custom widgets with the SDK, IWidget interface, and scaffolding script. The project is released under GPL-3.0.

Who it suits

Dashboard suits Linux desktop users who want a single configurable space for planning widgets and system information. Developers can also use its SDK to build custom widgets or add Qt plugins.

What it does well

Free and open source under GPL-3.0.
Includes 12 built-in widgets for planning, weather, and monitoring.
Widget positions, sizes, and state persist across restarts.
Weather works without an API key.
Offers AppImage and sandboxed Flatpak releases.
Supports runtime plugins and custom widgets through an SDK.

What to know first

Linux is the only listed platform.
No feed widget is supported.

Getting started

Visit https://duh-dashboard.github.io/.
Download either the AppImage or Flatpak release.
Launch the dashboard on Linux and arrange widgets by dragging and resizing them.
For AI Chat, configure the OpenAI API key, model, and system prompt if desired.
Add a Qt widget plugin by placing its shared library in the plugins directory, or use the SDK to build one.

Verdict

Choose Dashboard if you use Linux and want a free, open-source desktop canvas that combines planning tools with system and log monitoring. Its runtime plugins and widget SDK suit users who want to extend the built-in set. Look elsewhere if you need a non-Linux platform or feed widgets.

Questions

Is Dashboard free?

Yes. It is free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license.

Which platforms does it support?

Linux is the listed platform. The project offers AppImage and Flatpak releases.

What widgets are included?

Its 12 built-in widgets include clock, calendar, todo, notes, Pomodoro, countdown, links, weather, system status, htop, AI chat, and log tail.

Does the weather widget need an API key?

No. It uses Open-Meteo for current conditions and supports city search and Celsius or Fahrenheit.

Can users add custom widgets?

Yes. Qt widget plugins can be added at runtime from shared libraries, and the SDK supports building widgets.

Does AI Chat require an API key?

AI Chat uses the OpenAI API and allows configuration of the API key, model, and system prompt.

Facts from Dashboard's own pages

AI chat integration: The AI Chat widget provides multi-turn chat through the OpenAI API and allows configuration of the model, system prompt, and API key. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
AI integration: The AI Chat widget supports multi-turn chats through the OpenAI API and lets users configure the model, system prompt, and API key. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Appearance: The frameless window supports a custom title bar and a solid background with opacity or a wallpaper image. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Canvas: Widgets can be dragged and resized, and the layout and widget state persist across restarts. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Customization: The frameless window supports a solid background with opacity or a user-provided wallpaper image. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Custom widgets: Developers can build widgets using the maker's SDK, which provides the IWidget interface and a scaffolding script. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Developer support: The widget SDK includes a scaffolding script for generating a widget project. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Distribution: The maker offers AppImage and Flatpak builds; it describes Flatpak as sandboxed and both formats as bundling all 12 widgets and Qt. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Downloads: The site offers AppImage and Flatpak releases; both bundle all 12 widgets and Qt. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Intended users: The maker presents Dashboard for Linux desktop users who want to arrange built-in widgets or create their own plugins. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Layout: Users can drag and resize widgets, and the layout and widget state persist across restarts. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
License: The project is released under the GPL-3.0 License. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Log monitoring: Log Tail can follow a log file or the systemd journal, with configurable unit filter and line buffer. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Log viewing: Log Tail can follow a log file or the systemd journal, with configurable unit filtering and line buffering. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Plugins: Custom widgets can be added as shared libraries in the plugins directory and appear without restarting the app. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Purpose: Dashboard is a customizable widget-based desktop dashboard for Linux. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Sandboxing: The Flatpak release is described as sandboxed. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
System information: System Status reads live CPU, memory, disk, and network rates from /proc. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
Weather integration: The weather widget gets current conditions from Open-Meteo without requiring an API key. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026
What it does: Dashboard is a customizable widget-based desktop dashboard for Linux. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 8 Oct 2026
Widgets: It includes 12 built-in widgets, each implemented as a standalone plugin. · duh-dashboard.github.io, 9 Oct 2026

Where Dashboard stands on Freedom251

Desktop Widget Software#16 of 29