PM2 vs Supervisor

PM29.2Visit SSupervisor9.0Visit

Higher score PM2 #2 in Process Monitoring Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit PM2

vs

S Supervisor #4 in Process Monitoring Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Supervisor

• PM2 fits best

  Node.js application process operations

• Supervisor fits best

  Self-hosted process supervision with APIs

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Side by side

Feature	PM2 9.2/10 Visit ↗	SSupervisor 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	9.0
Ranking	#2 in Process Monitoring Software	#4 in Process Monitoring Software
Best for	Node.js application process operations	Self-hosted process supervision with APIs
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux	Web, Linux, macOS
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features PM2 4/5 · Supervisor 4/5
Remote monitoring	✓	✓
Service monitoring	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Process alerting	✓	✓
Process controls	✓	✓
Activity logs	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows, web dashboard	Linux, macOS, self-hosted Unix-like systems, web interface, XML-RPC API
History retention	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Automatic restarts for crashes, exits, thresholds, file changes, and schedules Zero-downtime reloads and cluster-mode load balancing for Node.js Logs, reboot persistence, terminal monitoring, and web monitoring options	Automatically restarts crashed or exited processes Groups processes for coordinated control and management Combines CLI, web, XML-RPC, notifications, and logging
Cons	Advanced remote monitoring depends on PM2 Plus Enterprise capabilities are reserved for the highest tier The product is centered on process operations rather than broad observability	Designed for Unix-like systems rather than broad cross-platform deployment Requires self-hosted installation and ongoing administration Emphasizes supervision more than resource metrics
Our verdict	PM2 is an open-source daemon process manager for keeping Node.js and other applications online. It supports process actions such as starting, stopping, restarting, reloading, and deleting managed processes, while also providing automatic… Read the review →	Supervisor is an open-source client/server process-control system for developers and administrators managing application processes on servers. It starts and manages child processes, restarts crashed or exited processes, and provides… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• PM2 — where it wins

  • Automatic restarts for crashes, exits, thresholds, file changes, and schedules
  • Zero-downtime reloads and cluster-mode load balancing for Node.js
  • Logs, reboot persistence, terminal monitoring, and web monitoring options

  Where it doesn't

  • Advanced remote monitoring depends on PM2 Plus
  • Enterprise capabilities are reserved for the highest tier
  • The product is centered on process operations rather than broad observability

• Supervisor — where it wins

  • Automatically restarts crashed or exited processes
  • Groups processes for coordinated control and management
  • Combines CLI, web, XML-RPC, notifications, and logging

  Where it doesn't

  • Designed for Unix-like systems rather than broad cross-platform deployment
  • Requires self-hosted installation and ongoing administration
  • Emphasizes supervision more than resource metrics

• PM29.2/10 · Free plan

  A capable Node.js process manager with deeper monitoring in paid tiers.

  Visit PM2Full verdict →
• SSupervisor9.0/10 · Free plan

  A focused open-source supervisor for restarting, grouping, logging, and controlling processes.

  Visit SupervisorFull verdict →